Timberwolves and Cougars have different expectations for 2010
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
It was a meeting of neighbors in Goldendale last week, perhaps more of a passing of two ships heading in different directions. Goldendale has good reason to believe the State playoffs are in their immediate future. Lyle-Wishram is scrapping for all they can get with hopes resting with another year in another league.
Goldendale
The meat of the schedule is at hand for the Goldendale Timberwolves who have mowed down the opposition to post a 10-0 record prior to Tuesday’s double-header at Zillah. Cle Elum-Roslyn is in town for two on Saturday and the big show-down with Naches Valley will be an away game on Tuesday.
The depth of Goldendale’s pitching and power at the plate were on display in last week’s easy win over Wapato and two blow-outs of Highland. Wapato opened with a couple of first inning scores, but Reed Lindhe was tough from there on, working out of a jam in the third and putting the side down in order in the fourth inning. Wapato made things interesting in the seventh inning, capitalizing on Timberwolf mistakes, but the game was never in doubt and Cody Herin finished the 11-7 game with a strike out.
Ty Cronin, Lucas Denney, Lindhe, Aaron Cochran and Cody Herin each hit home runs against Highland; Cochran and Herin each hit two. The 15-1 and 13-2 wins were a showcase for the Timberwolf offense. Prior to the Zillah games, the Timberwolves had driven in 119 runs off 131 hits in 10 games while giving up just 36 runs (24 earned) off 39 hits.
It is hard to say who the ace is on the team. Trevor Fields has struck out 25 batters in 17 2/3 innings pitched for his three wins. Reed Lindhe also has three wins and a better ERA of 1.91 to Fields’ 2.38. Seth Davis and J. D. Moss are each 2-0 with no earned runs in the combined 15 innings they’ve pitched. Cody Herin has struck out 11 in four innings and picked up two saves. Rounding out the bull pen are Ty Cronin and Kaden Milliren, each with ERAs under two.
When it comes to hitting, the team is loaded throughout the line-up. Aaron Cochran was hitting .719 with 18 RBI while the team leader in home runs, Cody Herin (4), also has 18 RBI and a hefty .444 batting average. Three other batters are above .500, with Fields showing a lot of power with two home runs and a .536 average, Moss hitting .522, and freshman Lucas Denney hitting .565 with two home runs.
What is most impressive about the team is the fact they have great balance and depth. Fields, Moss and Cronin are left handed pitchers and Denney adds a bat to the left side. The team is strong up the middle from catcher, where Cochran and Davis share the load, to Herin at short stop and Denney at second base, each with just one error. In center field is speedy Justin Garrigus who shares the position with another speedster, Anthony Dobson. Blake Lesko and Cronin are in right and Fields shares left with Dobson. Lindhe anchors third base, but Cochran, Davis, Nolin Bare and Milliren can also play the corner. Moss and Jared Cline are big targets at first. Austin Trunkey and Ethan Enstead are utility infielders.
There aren’t many weaknesses on the team that has earned a high ranking in the state. It is safe to say Goldendale and Naches Valley are the cream of the league, but the Rangers are defending State champions and until the Timberwolves beat them on the field, the Rangers still have the edge. Naches Valley has already dispatched the other contenders, Zillah and Cle Elum-Roslyn with little difficulty, and they will have the home field working for them when Goldendale takes their shot at the top of the SCAC west.
Saturday’s games against Cle Elum-Roslyn could be a good barometer of what to expect on Tuesday. The Rangers defeated the Warriors 13-0 and 6-2. Saturday’s game time is 11 a.m. and Tuesday’s double header starts at 3:30 p.m.
Lyle-Wishram
It’s been a tough year for the Cougars, but then it wasn’t unexpected. They have some senior experience in center fielder Dillon Huffman, pitcher Dylan Davis, and short stop Keale Wiseman, but their other experienced players are young and the balance of the team is very new to baseball at this level.
Davis is the ace on the mound, but he can’t pitch every inning. Next in line is sophomore Trey Kitchens and after that Manager Pat Yecha has to go to freshmen.
Two games against Goldendale JV are an example of the team’s inconsistency. The Cougars beat Goldendale JV 6-5 on April 6, but last week, they committed five errors and hit eight batters in an 11-1, six-inning loss. Goldendale’s Tim Bartkowski was virtually unhittable, but Ramon Garza drove in the Cougars’ only run in the sixth inning. It was Garza’s fourth RBI in eight at-bats. On Thursday the team was looking good again as Davis struck out eight and gave up just three earned runs in a 6-3 loss to Sherman County.
As the Cougars struggle through the year, they have reason to see a brighter tomorrow. Players like Dustin Mutch and Ricky Wolff are in their second year, although they are just freshmen. Other freshman like Justin Mills and Garza are getting great experience and plenty of playing time. There will also be a change of scenery as the team drops to 1B next year. Yecha isn’t conceding anything to LaSalle, Riverside Christian and White Swan this year, but there is no doubt the team is on a steep learning curve and their best days will come another year.
The Cougars opened league play at home against LaSalle on Tuesday and host White Swan on Friday, starting at 2 p.m. Riverside Christian will be in Lyle on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Churchwell and Shattuck continue their winning habits
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Winning has become a habit for Teaera Churchwell and Sadie Shattuck, Churchwell as a runner for Lyle-Wishram and Shattuck in the shot put for Goldendale. The latest wins for the girls came last Saturday at Stanfield, Ore.
Churchwell, a senior, notched her second win of the year in the 100 meters in 13.35 seconds, her best time of the year. She also placed third in the 800, which is about as far back as she ever finishes in races, except for an eighth place finish in the 800 at the first meet of the year in The Dalles. Since then, Churchwell has two first place finishes in the 800, a first, a second and two thirds in the 200 meters, and a second win in the 100 meters to go with a second and two thirds.
Shattuck’s win was her second of the year. She finished second in her only other two meets of 2010. The 36-9 toss at Stanfield was a new personal record for the junior. Like Churchwell, Shattuck rarely finishes out of the top three. In 13 meets in 2009, including District and State, Shattuck was first five times, second twice and third twice. Her worst placing was 15th at State when she could only muster a 30 foot throw, one of three tosses she has ever thrown under the 31 foot mark in high school.
Churchwell and Shattuck look for top finishes this week during the Goldendale Lions’ Twilight meet, Friday starting at 4 p.m. In addition to those two schools, Klickitat, TLG and Bickleton are also expected to compete.
In addition to Churchwell and Shattuck, several other athletes from Lyle-Wishram and Goldendale performed well at Stanfield. Freshman sprinter, Isaac Messenger, of Goldendale, is getting attention for his times, including an 11.69 in the 100 meters, good enough for fourth place, and 24.68 in the 200 meters. Both were new PRs for Messenger. Andrea Keffeler set a new PR in the long jump at 15-0.25, for second place, and finished third in the triple jump at 31-0.75. Braydon Ross cleared 10-6, his best in the pole vault, placing second and he was fourth in the shot put at 41-8.
Lyle-Wishram continues to do well as a girls team, placing ninth with just three girls, thanks to the work of exchange student, Lena Mueller (fourth in the 100 meters in 13.98, fourth in the 100 hurdles in 18.58, and fifth in the long jump at 13-7.75), and freshman Chantelle Hickman, who was third in the javelin with a throw of 92-7. Henry Matai placed second in the 110 hurdles and set a new PR with his second place discus heave of 131-2. Matai is beginning to close in on his PRs in the hurdles and was just three-hundredths off with a 16.17 in the 110 hurdles. Brian Neifert continued to score points in the long jump with a fourth place leap of 18-3.
The Cougars will have back-to-back meets as they travel to Moro for the Sherman County invitational on April 24. Goldendale will host a SCAC meet on Tuesday.
Cougars and Vandals split in the canyon
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
The Lyle-Wishram Cougars and Klickitat Vandals tangled in a non-league softball double-header 0n the newly improved Klickitat softball field, last Friday. The home town Vandals took the opener 7-4 and the Cougars took the nightcap in an exciting come from behind 16-10 game.
Tia Spino pitched a complete game for Klickitat, scattering nine hits and giving up two runs in the second and sixth innings. The Vandals did most of their damage in the fourth inning as they batted around against Deiryon Lacock who relieved starter, Karlee Roth in the third inning. Lacock got into a grove for the final two innings, but the damage was done.
In game two, Klickitat showed off their bats and their gloves as they raced to a 10-2 lead. Chelcie Curtis threw strikes and let her defense put away Cougar hitters, which they did with only one error in the game. But, the fourth inning was big for Lyle-Wishram as they cut the lead to one run. From the fourth inning on, Roth pitched a shutout. Julie Suppah led the hitting barrage going 3-5 with five RBI.
Klickitat played against the only other team in their league, Sunnyside Christian, on Tuesday and White Swan was scheduled for Wednesday. Next Tuesday the Vandals take on Goldendale in Goldendale at 3 p.m.
Lyle-Wishram played LaSalle in Dallesport on Tuesday and host White Swan on Friday in Dallesport at 2 p.m. |
