Kennewick stuns Moses Lake

The scenario was perfect for the Moses Lake softball team.

Kennewick sent Monica Owens to the mound, who Moses Lake knocked 12 runs off in a doubleheader on April 27. Heather Coulter pitched both games, combining for 13 strike outs in the doubleheader sweep.

Owens and the Braves didn't let history repeat itself with a 6-3 upset over the Chiefs in the first round of the Big Nine district playoffs.

"We had a lot of confidence, maybe too much," Heather Coulter said. "We weren't big headed about it, we just wanted to win."

Owens went six innings on the mound for Kennewick, allowing three runs and 10 hits in her appearance and kept Moses Lake scoreless through four innings.

"It just took us a little too long to get started," Moses Lake head coach Alan Coulter said. "We came out lethargic and the fire wasn't lit yet."

Heather Coulter had been battling lower back and hip problems toward the end of the season and into the first game of districts. While she struck out six in the game, she gave up four walks after allowing 13 all season, including three in a row in the first inning.

Heather said she had to ease up because of the pain in the left hip.

"I am still going to the doctor every day for it, it still hurts," Heather added. "It is just pain I am always having."

Casey LaMear, who finished the game 3-for-5 with a run scored, led off for the Braves in the first inning with an infield single, moved to third on two walks and scored on a passed ball behind the catcher. Ashley Felch scored the second run of the inning on an error by the left fielder.

Moses Lake got a spark of hope in the second inning with Ashley Haight leading off the inning with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a ground out to second base by Lauren Sutton.

Mattie Zayas grounded out to third in the next at bat to hold Haight from scoring and Bailey Millican grounded out to the shortstop to end the inning.

Nicole Hoerner drove in Felch in the fifth for Kennewick on a bloop single to right field and Kori Cannon drove Natalia Rizzuto with a single to left field for a 4-0 lead.

Moses Lake answered in the bottom of the fifth with Shelly McCuistion reaching base on an error and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Zayas and ground out by Kirstin Gamboa. Tracy Reed drove McCuistion home on a dribbler to the third baseman.

McCuistion got an RBI single in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-2, but Kennewick's Melissa Jensen hit a two-run single to to right field in the top of the seventh to put the Braves up 6-2 in the game.

Jayme Albrandt hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to score Reed for the final run of the game.

Moses Lake finished the season 11-10 and eliminated after the first round of the playoffs. Alan Coulter said next year could be a different story. The Chiefs have three of the four all conference selections returning and a healthy Heather Coulter.

As for this game, Alan said the Chiefs should have won.

"Our defense wasn't there, we needed to be more aggressive on defense," he said. "They did the little things right and we did the little things wrong."