CHENEY – The Blackhawks slow pitch softball team is winding down their maiden season of competition, and hope to position themselves for a deep run in the upcoming playoffs.
Cheney went 1-2 in Greater Spokane League play last week, getting their four-game winning streak snapped with a 16-5 loss to 4A Lewis and Clark but rebounding for a 12-1 win over 3A North Central before losing 13-1 at home against the league’s third-best team, 4A Mead. The action gives Cheney a 6-7 GSL mark, 8-9 overall.
Head coach Gary Blake said his team has improved since their first game against Mead — a 15-3 loss in Cheney’s inaugural game Sept. 15. But so have the Panthers, who at 11-2 trail only 3A Mt. Spokane and 4A Central Valley for the GSL title.
The Blackhawks managed three hits against Mead on Monday, Oct. 14, singles by Isabella King, Makyla Ward and Miranda Barber, with pitcher Cierra Morton throwing well in taking the loss.
Against LC on Oct. 8, Cheney managed six hits, but was victimized by eight errors on defense. Sloan (single, double) and King each had two hits, with Morton again taking the loss.
The key game for the Blackhawks however was North Central on Oct. 10. With 2A/3A GSL playoffs just around the corner, the game was more important in the league standings, and Cheney wasted no time, opening a 5-0 lead in the top of the first and cruising to the six-inning win.
Cheney racked up 28 hits, with Madison O’Riley going 4 for 4 with three RBIs. Makenna Olson got the win in the pitching circle.
Cheney is tied with 3A Rogers for second among GSL 2A/3A teams heading into their game on Tuesday at league sixth-place University (6-7, 8-8). The Blackhawks end the regular season with a doubleheader Oct. 17 against the Pirates in Spokane.
Blake is pleased with how his team is playing. The Blackhawks have lost three players for a variety of reasons, and are down to a more manageable roster size of 14.
Currently, King leads in hitting with a .568 batting average and .795 slugging percentage, which includes six doubles and two triples. Sloan is second with a .529 batting average while Lindsay Hagreen is third at .457.
Sloan and Jasmine Rison have helped get the Blackhawks offense started in innings, with each reaching base 55 percent of the time. Overall, Cheney has a .366 team batting average.
The Blackhawks are 5-3 against fellow 2A/3A teams in the GSL. A sweep of Rogers could solidify their hold on second place among the smaller schools, which would give them the league’s No. 2 seed into a 2A/3A, six-team post-season tournament with Hermiston, Ore. and Grandview, Wash., of the Washington Mid-Columbia Conference.
With Mt. Spokane and Hermiston assured of the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively into the tournament, a sweep of Rogers would give Cheney the No. 3 seed and a second-round game against the winner of the Grandview/GSL No. 5 seed play-in game on Oct.23. Cheney would need to win that game and one of the next two games on Oct. 26 to qualify as one of three teams from the GSL to the 2A/3A state tournament.
“I’m pleased with it, but I’m hoping we can do even better,” Blake said of the playoff positioning. “Our destiny is in our own hands.”
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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