Chiefs softball falls short

RICHLAND — Despite some strong late season play which included some hot hitting to spark a potent offense, the Moses Lake High School softball team couldn’t quite carry that momentum into district playoff play.

On Thursday, the Chiefs (13-8) traveled to Richland for a Big 9 district quarterfinal playoff game and those bats went as silent as their namesakes in daylight.

Richland squeezed out a 4-1 win, holding the Chiefs to three hits and one late run — in the seventh inning — to push the Chiefs into a loser out contest against either Southridge or Eastmont at noon in Wenatchee.

Both teams would have one loss and another defeat would knock them from the double elimination tournament.

“It was a total game of inches,” Moses Lake coach Dave Gregory said. “We had at least four line shots and they caught the ball. They scored two runs on a great pitch where they get a blooper with two outs.”

Richland scored their runs with two-runs in each of their halves of the second and sixth innings but were held to only five hits themselves by Moses Lake pitcher Karly Stoltman.

Stoltman held Richland (15-6) in check behind a four strikeout, complete game performance.

“Karly pitched a really good game,” Gregory said.