Lady Chiefs take care of Ike

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Lady Chiefs scored early and often in their sweep of the Eisenhower Cadets in a Columbia Basin League softball doubleheader Tuesday, winning by scores of 11-1 and 8-0.

Moses Lake scored 13 of their 20 runs in the first two innings of the games with Eisenhower, and used a strong defensive performance to hold the Cadets scoreless for 11 straight innings.

"We've gotta play pretty good defense," said Moses Lake coach Dave Gregory, whose team shook off an early error that gave Eisenhower a 1-0 lead in the first game to play solidly for the rest of the day.

In the first game against Eisenhower, the Lady Chiefs took advantage of eight walks and 12 base hits to score at will against the Cadets. Moses Lake scored twice in the first inning and picked up four more runs in the second as all nine Lady Chiefs' hitters came to the plate.

The second game saw Moses Lake get off to an even faster start, with six runs scored in the first inning. After an RBI-single by Shelby Gonzales made the score 1-0 with two runners on base, Shayla May came to the plate and hit a three-run home run over the fence to give Moses Lake a 4-0 lead.

"The kids hit the ball pretty well today," said Gregory. "We did what we had to do."

The Lady Chiefs never looked back after May's home run, scoring two more runs in the first inning and another in the second to take a 7-0 lead.

Pitcher Vanessa Hernandez locked down the Eisenhower offense, giving up just five hits while striking out eight and allowing no walks.

For the Lady Chiefs, who are battling for playoff position with Wenatchee, it was a pair of games that should help prepare them for the final few weeks of the season.

"We've got a pretty good team," said Gregory. "We're just trying to turn the corner and get some confidence."

Leading the way for the Lady Chiefs offensively against Eisenhower were Sammy Smith, who went 3 for 4 with three doubles and three runs scored in the first game and 2 for 4 with another double in the second game.

Alexis Ballinger was 2 for 3 with a double and a triple in the first game, and Morgan Yearout went 3 for 4 with two runs scored in the second game for Moses Lake.