Athletes of the Week, April 21-25

(Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)


There were no shortages in excellent performances last week. I've ranked the Athletes of the Week in each sport mentioned below. Peter Martin tops the baseball list with another homer-crazy performance. Hannah Pomeroy edges the rest of the softball studs by tossing a no-hitter. Marissa Nyman takes three firsts and a second in track and field to earn a No. 1, and Claire Dugaw helps W.F. West with a low score on the golf course.

That's where the rankings start. You, the fans, are the true authority, though. Let me know about these rankings. Share some of your beef. Let me know if changes need to be made, and back up your thoughts on the matter. You can do this by leaving a comment at the end of this post, or you can e-mail me at cbreakey@chronline.com.

The last thing is this: Who turned in the No. 1 performance? Give me a vote and we'll see who comes out on top.


BASEBALL
No. 1
PETER MARTIN, Toledo baseball — Once again, Peter Martin turned in an impressive performance at the plate. Martin, who earned the previous Athlete of the Week, went 3 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader with Forks Saturday of last week. “...Peter cranked two home runs,” Toledo coach Perry Herbst said. “You can’t beat that.”

JORDAN EVERSON and LUKE STEELHAMMER, Rochester baseball — Everson and Steelhammer stated in Game 1 and Game 2 of a doubleheader with Stevenson Friday of last week. They combined to allow just three hits in a total of 10 innings (both games were called after five). Everson struck out nine without a walk in a 60-pitch effort, while Steelhammer allowed two hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk.

CYLE COLEMAN, Mossyrock baseball — Coleman pitched Game 1 of a twinbill with Morton Thursday of last week, allowing just one hit with no walks in five innings. He struck out nine. “He kept his pitch count low and hit his spots,” Vikings coach Jay Henderson said. “He’s been real solid for us all year.”

MASON WITTERS (pictured above), W.F. West baseball — Despite allowing five walks, Witters threw 6 1/3 innings of no-hit ball against Hoquiam Thursday of last week. He struck out seven along the way and, at one point, had Grizzlies catcher D.J. Wilson flailing so bad at a pitch that, by the end of his swing, Wilson was balancing himself with his right hand on the plate. “I thought they were going to dig themselves a hole or something,” said Bearcat catcher Griffin Squires. “His junk was working and he had good velocity on his fastball, hitting his spots.”

TREVOR KINDELL, Adna baseball — Kindell pitched all five innings against White Pass Friday of last week, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two along the way and also contributed with the bat, going 2 for 4 with a pair of two-run singles for four RBIs.


SOFTBALL
No. 1
HANNAH POMEROY, Mossyrock softball — Pomeroy tossed a no-hitter against Napavine Tuesday of last week, striking out 10 while walking two along the way. “Pomeroy was tough,” Napavine coach Stacey Sturza said. “She mixed her pitches well, and threw her change-up a lot.”

JESSIKA JO SANDRINI, Adna softball — Sandrini limited Mossyrock to three hits while striking out 12 in a complete-game shutout Wednesday of last week. She also went 3 for 4 at the plate.

RAMONA LORTON (pictured below), Centralia softball — Lorton surrendered just three hits while striking out 10 as Centralia beat Elma in five innings Thursday of last week. She helped herself out, too, going 2 for 3 with three runs scored.

GRACE HYLTON, Napavine softball — Hylton threw a two-hit shutout against Wahkiakum Monday of last week, walking one while striking out eight. “That’s the best game she’s pitched this year, by far,” Sturza said. “All of her pitches were working, and the strike zone seemed really big.”

JORDAN ZURFLUH, Adna softball — Zurfluh was the spark Adna needed against White Pass in a 3-2 win Friday of last week. In the eighth inning, Zurfluh reached on a bunt single, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and then she stole home while Panther pitcher Sam Hall was intentionally walking a batter. “It was a delayed steal, and Zurfluh took advantage, stealing home with a headfirst slide,” Pirates coach Mike Raschke said. “It was quite a way to end the game.”

KENDALL GRANT, W.F. West softball — Grant doubled, singled twice, scored two runs and stole two bases against River Ridge in the Bearcats’ big 3-2 win over the Hawks Monday of last week. The senior center fielder is now 18 for 18 in stolen base attempts.

JESSICA HUDSON, Centralia College softball — In a twinbill with Pierce Saturday of last week, the slap-hitting Hudson had a total of five hits and reached base six times.

KASSI REISBECK, Toledo softball­­ — In a double-dip with Rainier Thursday of last week, Reisbeck had a total of five hits, including a triple, and five RBIs.


TRACK AND FIELD
No. 1
MARISSA NYMAN, Morton track and field — Nyman was a triple winner at the Onalaska meet Thursday of last week, taking the long jump crown (15-11), the triple jump (34-8), and the 200 (27.64). She was also second in the 100.

JOSH MCFARLAND, Centralia track and field — McFarland had three wins at the Aberdeen meet Tuesday of last week, taking the high jump, long jump and 100.


GOLF
No. 1
CLAIRE DUGAW, W.F. West golf — Dugaw fired a 41 to earn medalist honors and lead the Bearcats to a tight victory over Elma Thursday of last week, 262-264.



(Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)

Centralia Softball Team Takes Time To Smile

The Centralia softball team shared a sports moment on Tuesday that tops a lot of the hitting, fielding and pitching everyone sees throughout the season.

The Tiger team, which found out coach Ken Olson was going for his 200th win against River Ridge, made a few arrangements before the game started. Olson had no idea the kids had a clue about his wins record.

Centralia won, the Tigers snuck up on Olson and sprayed him with a dozen silly string cans.

Colorful, yes. But Olson was just a little too comfortable-looking after the little celebration, so the team upped the ante.

When Olson wasn’t looking, they dumped the bucket of ice water on him.

“The kids were able to pull it out (the win) and have some fun afterward at my expense,” Olson said. “It’s fun to see their smiling faces. That’s the part for me that’s the most rewarding.”

Smiling. Now there is a concept. With the playoffs approaching, and the must-win situations starting to appear, you don’t always see the smiling.

Props to the Tiger team for taking the time to have a little fun with their coach. It has been said over and over that athletics has a lot more to it than scores, and that brings up an interesting topic: the balance of having fun and playing to win. What’s the general feel of this in Lewis County?

You, the fans, see more games in person than we at The Chronicle can. Do you see a lot of fun on the field, or is it all business?

Let me know your feelings in the comments section of this post, or e-mail me at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Biggest Softball Game Of The Year

Hands down, everybody -- Monday's game featuring Central 2B League powerhouses Pe Ell and Adna offers the highest stakes of this season. There's a lot of pride on the line.

Pe Ell edged Adna by one, 3-2, earlier this season. Now, the two teams are locked into a first-place tie atop the C2BL.

Brittany Woods will take the hill for the Trojans. Jessika Jo Sandrini counters for the Pirates. The former is mentored by pitching coach Roger Gonzalez, the latter is tutored by Ken Gray. Both flat-out know how to pitch.

The two have mowed down teams like nobody's business this year. Double-digit strikeouts. Miniscule amount of walks. And the pair can hit the ball, too. Woods has gone deep several times this year and Sandrini was walked intentionally just a couple of days ago.

Both of them have solid supporting casts as well. So, if Woods and Sandrini are at the tops of their respective pitching games, then this one could come down to some unsung hero.

I'm sold, and I would be right behind home plate if I wasn't going to a conference (which will be great, too).

If you want to see some Lewis County softball at its best, then head over to Adna High School at 4:30 p.m., where the league title could be decided.

Is There Any SOS In Lewis County?

All right. Let’s talk Sonics briefly.

I talked with Steven Pyeatt, co-founder of Save Our Sonics (SOS), about two weeks ago. A lot has happened since then, including the NBA’s approval of the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma -- not to mention the court case brought against owner Clay Bennett.

Pyeatt believes strongly that Seattle still has a fighting chance to save the Sonics — either by keeping the team in town, or saving the naming rights and securing an expansion team at some point down the road.

He sure seemed like a get-it-done type of guy, and he has a lot of support, too.

What are your feelings on the Sonics? How important are the 40-plus years of Sonics history to you? Will all of the future court-battling be worth it?

Bearcats' Elliott Heading to Linfield College

While covering W.F. West baseball Thursday, a pair of familiar faces showed up in the stands: Ben Ternan and Trevor Elliott, Bearcat basketball and football players.

I chatted with Elliott a bit after the Cats beat Hoquiam, 10-3. Looks like his hard work on the football field has paid off. He'll be heading to Linfield College in Oregon, a four-year Division III school.

Good thing for Elliott, too, because receivers are a cherished commodity at Linfield.

"They throw the ball like 70 times a game," Elliott said. "So it's good for me."

Elliott, who played a key role in W.F. West's run to the 2A State Basketball Tournament a couple of months ago, said he plans to hit the weight room plenty before the season starts.

As far as academics go, he's leaning toward business management as a major.

NOTES: Elliott's basketball and football teammate, Griffin Squires, has already committed to play football for Central Washington University ... Ternan, who will step into a big role for the basketball team in the 2008-2009 seson, has been excelling in track and field this spring.

Cutline Contest Winner! — Chris Thomas, Centralia (Two-Time Champ and Rolling!)

(photos by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)

"Hey, guys, can I play too?"
— Chris Thomas, Centralia


Chris Thomas (now a two-time defending champ) of Centralia won the fourth cutline contest by writing the best cutline for the photo above. What can you say? That player must have been feeling pretty lonely out there. Congrats to Chris!

Who wants to take a shot at this next photo, a prime time cutline contest photo, if you ask me. Rev up your imagination and come up with the best cutline for the photo below. A cutline is simple: What's happening in the picture?

Send me an e-mail at cbreakey@chronline.com with what you come up with. You can see the photo below larger by clicking on it.

Athletes of the Week, April 14-19

We had some mighty fine showings in several different sports last week. Below you’ll find the top performances of last week in baseball, softball, tennis, soccer and track and field. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Right now, I have Martin at the top spot, but I didn’t order the rest of them.

Have an opinion? Take a look and let me know at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Carrie Kann wrote in and agrees that Martin deserves the top spot with his three-HR day, stating it simply but profoundly: "Seriously, three homers and eight RBIs? Wow!" Thank you, Carrie, for backing me up! =)

Any other takers? And how about rounding out the top three? A gold always needs to be followed by a silver and bronze, right?


TOP PERFORMER AS VOTED ON SO FAR:
PETE MARTIN, Toledo baseball — In a doubleheader with Montesano Thursday of last week, Martin combined to go 5 for 7 at the plate with three home runs and a double. He picked up eight RBIs in Game 2. “Just one of those things,” Indians coach Perry Herbst said. “He crushed the ball. He was just on.”

WILLIE RANDALL, Onalaska baseball — Randall had a great game in one inning as he had a three-run homer, a two-run homer and a double ... all in the fourth Thursday of last week against Winlock.

LUCAS SMITH, United soccer — Smith scored in the 83rd and 88th minutes to tie United with Forks Thursday of last week. Smith then scored United’s only penalty kick in the shootout to finish with the hat trick, but United lost, 4-3.

KAYTIE BATEMAN, Pe Ell track and field — Bateman won three events Thursday of last week in Cathlamet, claiming the 100 hurdles (17.72), 300 hurdles (51.18) and long jump (16-03/4).

SHAWNA MOUSER, White Pass track and field — Mouser won three events in Rainier Thursday of last week, including the 100 (13.32), 200 (28.42) and long jump (14-2), in what Panthers coach John Karas said was Mouser’s “best meet of the year.”

CASSIE VANCE, Tenino softball — Vance, a freshman, went 4 for 4 at the plate for the Beavers with four RBIs Thursday of last week. She just missed hitting for the cycle with a single, double and triple. Needless to say, Tenino coach Jon O’Brien said she’s maturing at the plate.

BONNIE CREEL and JONIKA MCMILLAN, Centralia tennis — Creel and McMillan beat Tumwater’s first doubles duo of Rikki and Emma Anderson in three sets Thursday of last week to improve to 9-0 on the season. It was the second time they had beat the Anderson sisters this year.

JESSIKA JO SANDRINI, Adna softball — Sandrini tossed a three-hit shutout with one walk and 10 strikeouts Monday of last week against Toutle Lake. She also added a pair of hits and an RBI.

KIM KERLEE, Centralia softball — Kerlee went 4 for 4 with two doubles and seven RBIs in a 20-5 win over Black Hills Tuesday of last week. “Every time she got up, there were people on base and she brought them around,” said Tigers coach Ken Olson.

ANTHONY PENDER, Oakville baseball — Pender stole home against Naselle Monday of last week, but the Acorns lost, 10-5.

Mother Nature Not So Sweet to Pe Ell Softball

OK, so we’ve talked about the weather ... a lot. No secret there.

But if your eyes can take one more post about it, then look toward Pe Ell. The softball team, in particular.

The Trojans just finished a stretch in which they played eight games in eight days (two days off in all during that period). Wow.

Why? A whole lotta makeup games because of the bad weather.

On Friday the Trojans lost their first game of the season to Toutle Lake. They were without star pitcher Brittany Woods because her arm was sore (can you blame her?) after pitching so many innings.

“It was just time to give her a rest,” said Woods' father and coach, John.

The Ducks took advantage of Woods’ absence by racking up eight hits off Trojan pitcher Angelina Phelps in a 9-4 win. Pe Ell also was without starting left fielder Elissa Kane, who sat out with a bum knee.

“It’s been just tough,” coach Woods said of having to play so many games in a week. “They want you to make up the games as soon as you can on the next playable day.

“I’m glad we’ll have this weekend off.”

I’m sure those Trojans are, too. They might have to keep fighting the nasty weather. (Hey, now that would make for a good post!).

It's a tough situation to be in. What does this say about rescheduling? Can anything be tweaked? Does anything need to be tweaked? Other thoughts?

Athletes of the Week, April 7-12

Once again, it was baseball and softball dominating this week's athletes of the week post. Below you'll find the top performances of last week in baseball and softball, though several athletic events were considered. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Take a look and let me know at cbreakey@chronline.com.


ALEX PHILLIPS, Tenino baseball — Phillips struck out eight batters
while walking just two over seven innings against Montesano Thursday
of last week. As a result, the Beavers won the second game of a
doubleheader, 2-0.

PETER MARTIN, Toledo baseball — Martin belted two home runs and racked
up six RBIs in a 3 for 4 effort at the plate as the Indians swept
Winlock Thursday of last week.

HANNAH POMEROY, Mossyrock softball — After allowing two hits in the
first inning, Pomeroy didn't allow a hit the rest of the way against
White Pass Wednesday of last week. She finished with 12 strikeouts and
four walks.

ROBERT PEHL, W.F. West baseball — Pehl went 2 for 3 with six RBIs
against Centralia Thursday of last week, highlighted by grand slam
home run. He also pitched two innings, striking out three Tigers.

JENNIFER MULLINS, White Pass softball — Mullins belted a three-run
home run and added two more hits as White Pass swept Napavine in a
twinbill Friday of last week.

KAYLIE STANLEY, Onalaska softball — Stanley worked all seven innings
against Forks Friday of last week in the first game of a doubleheader,
allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 10.

JACOB CONKLIN, JOSH MOSS, LOGAN ARMGA, Tenino baseball — The Beavers'
trio of pitchers not named Alex Phillips combined to throw 10
scoreless innings Thursday of last week. Conklin alone picked up 10
strikeouts without walking a batter. Armga also helped with a 3 for 3
performance at the plate, which included a 2-run homer.

RAMONA LORTON, Centralia softball — Lorton flipped a one-hit shutout
Thursday of last week in a win over Aberdeen, striking out nine and
walking one while going the distance.

BRITTANY WOODS, Pe Ell softball — Woods gave up no runs on four hits
and four walks while striking out 12 as the Trojans beat White Pass
Monday of last week.

Cutline Contest Winner! — Chris Thomas, Centralia (New Champ!)

(photos by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)

"But Michael said the tongue thing always worked."
— Chris Thomas, Centralia


Chris Thomas of Centralia won the third cutline contest by writing the best cutline for the photo above — playing off ol' MJ's basketball technique. Chris will be a tough one to dethrone if he keeps coming up with these kinds of cutlines. Care to take a shot? Rev up your imagination and come up with the best cutline for the photo below. A cutline is simple: What's happening in the picture?

Send me an e-mail at cbreakey@chronline.com with what you come up with. You can see the photo below larger by clicking on it.

Just How Bad Has The Weather Been?

The other day in the press box, while covering W.F. West’s extra-inning win over Tumwater, athletic director Scott Chamberlain mentioned how he has a big calender in his office with countless slashes on it. He’s been rescheduling events left and right because of all the postponements.

The same happens every year, of course — but this much?

Not a chance.

Mossyrock baseball coach Jay Henderson, who’s been around this part of Washington State for quite some time, said he’s never seen anything like it.

“I’ve been here for 20 years now and I can never remember a season that has been as bad as this, as far as not being able to get games in,” he said. “Nobody can get the water off the field.”

Perhaps the worst is over, though. After Mossyrock’s game with White Pass Wednesday, which the Vikings lost, 7-6, the Viks had officially caught up on their league schedule.

Not everybody can say the same, but, according to weather.com, the sun should be shining nice and bright this weekend.

Athletes of the Week

(photo by Nick George / The Chronicle)


The diamond sport dominated this week's athletes of the week post. Below you'll find the top performances of last week in baseball and softball, though several athletic events were considered. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Take a look and let me know at cbreakey@chronline.com.

JERAMEY PROBERT, Centralia College baseball — Probert homered twice in Centralia College’s doubleheader with Grays Harbor Monday of last week at Ed Wheeler Field as the Blazers picked up their first win while splitting with the Chokers.

JOSE ORTIZ, Rochester baseball — The Warriors’ No. 9 hitter Ortiz recorded half of Rochester’s hits, going 4 for 4 with two runs scored — including the winning run — in the Warriors’ 5-4 win over Naches Tuesday of last week.

JESSICA HAUNREITER, TIFFANY MORRISSEY and BRETTE STRODEMIER, Centralia College softball — The three Blazers combined to go 10 for 12 at the plate with eight RBIs during the Blazers’ sweep of Grays Harbor Tuesday of last week.

TIA BRADLEY, W.F. West softball — Bradley came up with the big play of the day for the Bearcats Thursday of last week. With a runner on first, an Aberdeen batter hit one toward the right field foul line. Bradley, the right fielder, charged after it and dove head first, hitting the ground as her momentum forced her into a roll. She then popped up with the ball in the glove. “Spectacular play,” W.F. West coach Mike Keen said. “She caught it right off her shoe tops.”

PETER WAGNER (pictured above) and BRYAN LININGER, Adna baseball — The two Pirates combined for five hits and a home run apiece — Wagner’s being a grand slam — and 10 RBIs for Adna in a sweep over Morton Friday of last week.

Cutline Contest Winner! — Larry Hewitt, Centralia (Two-Time Defending Champ)

(photos by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)


"You're supposed to kick the BALL into the back of the net."


Once again it was Larry Hewitt of Centralia taking the honor of writing the best cutline for the photo above. He's on a two-week winning streak. Care to take a shot at writing a funny cutline? Rev up your imagination and come up with the best cutline for the photo below. A cutline is simple: What's happening in the picture?

Just send me an e-mail at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Athletes of the Week

(photo by Mike Salsbury / The Chronicle)


The weeks keep going by, and the top performances keep piling up. Below are some of the top performances of last week in several different athletic events. All of the athletes had stellar days, but which performance should be rated as No. 1? Take a look and let me know at cbreakey@chronline.com.

Mariah Roco (pictured above), Centralia track and field — In the Twin Cities track and field meet Tuesday of last week, Roco pulled off a trifecta, winning the 200 meters (31.7), 100 high hurdles (19.1) and 300 low hurdles (55.4).

Jessika Jo Sandrini, Adna softball — Sandrini continued to impress Monday of last week in a 12-1 win, striking out 11 of the first 12 batters she faced and finishing with a total of 14 Ks in a one-hitter.

Ryan Knutz, Rochester baseball — Knutz had a big day Monday of last week, going 3 for 4 with a triple, four RBIs and four runs scored. He had a two-run single in the sixth and a two-run triple in the seventh of the Warriors’ 10-1 win over La Center.

Edgar Hinojosa, Centralia soccer — Hinojosa netted three goals in the span of 10 minutes Friday of last week in an 8-0 win over River Ridge, assisted by Nathan Murphy, Sam Parke-Fagerness and Josh Elsasser, respectively. Tiger coach Sue Parke said he has a rocket of a shot, and “when it’s on, it’s on.”

Cutline Contest Winner! — Larry Hewitt, Centralia

"Don't tell me I need a haircut. I know haircuts!"

Larry Hewitt of Centralia takes the first cutline contest with his keen observation of hair styles. Want to try your hand? Rev up your imagination and come up with the best cutline for the photo below. A cutline is simple: What's happening in the picture?

Just send me an e-mail at cbreakey@chronline.com.