Courtney Johnstone looks on as Maddie Kallsen slides safely across the plate in last Saturday's state-qualifying game with visiting Selah. Kallsen's run proved to be the last for the Lady Blackhawks this season as they fell 9-2 to the Vikings.
It took three days and two cities, but inexperience finally gave way to experience in the 2A state qualifying softball game between Cheney and Selah.
The Cheney High Lady Blackhawks, with just one senior and one junior on the varsity roster, ended their season Monday afternoon with a 9-2 loss to a Selah Vikings squad with five seniors and five juniors. The game started in Cheney Saturday afternoon, but was eventually finished in Ephrata Monday afternoon after severe rain and lightning storms forced Saturday's postponement.
Cheney head coach Gary Blake said he figured three of Selah's runs were actually earned. The rest stemmed from the differences between the two squads.
"The other ones we were responsible for," Blake said. "It was youth and inexperience, plain and simple."
Selah opened the scoring on Maddy Zerr's one-out, two-run home run in the top of the first, only one of which was earned when shortstop Rachel Barsness's throw to first base to get the leadoff runner got away from her and sailed over Courtney Johnstone's reach. In the fourth, the Vikings loaded the bases with no outs, and after a fielder's choice putout at home, scored on an infield hit, a walk, wild pitch and another throw to first that scooted away from Johnstone down the right field line.
After stranding two runners in the bottom of the first, Cheney finally got on the board in the third. Barsness reached on an infield single and eventually scored on Maddie Kallsen's single.
Meghan Krantz then delivered a two-out triple scoring Kallsen. In the top of the fourth, the umpires stopped the game because of lightning, and eventually postponed it when heavy rain rolled in.
Monday in Ephrata, Selah added three more runs, two of which Blake said were unearned, to seal their win and advance to the state tournament this weekend in their home softball facility.
Blake said his team played well against Selah, committing just two errors, which to him is acceptable for a high school team. Cheney managed five hits at the plate, singles by Cheyanne Gleave and Courtney Hanson to go with hits by Barsness, Kallsen and Krantz.
Gleave took the loss, allowing nine hits while issuing only two free passes, one walk and one hit by pitch. Unfortunately, Blake said those passes came in the Selah's four-run fourth.
Cheney ends the season with a 13-11 record and it's second consecutive District 7 title, the latter something Blake said he didn't expect heading into the season with a roster made up mostly of five freshmen and four sophomores. All the players exhibited numerous signs of development at the season's end, something that bodes well for the future.
"With such a young group, we've got plenty of time to build on that," Blake said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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