Marnie Skinner inks with Iona College

MOSES LAKE — Marnie Skinner put the cap on a stellar senior softball season, signing a national letter of intent to Iona College.

Skinner, a three-year starter for Moses Lake, is known for her pitching but can also play the infield and outfield. She was relieved to make her commitment official and set her sights on the postseason.

“It’s nice to not have to worry about where I’m going to be going,” Skinner said.

Skinner caught the eye of the Gaels at a fall tournament in California. She took a visit to the campus, located in New Rochelle, New York, in January and then recently made her commitment official.

It’s the exclamation point on a banner season for Skinner, which was rewarded with her second straight Columbia Basin Big Nine MVP. She was the ace for a team that finished 18-1-1 overall and a perfect 18-0 in the CBBN.

“It’s been really exciting, a lot of fun,” Skinner said. “I like hanging out with the freshmen on our team. It’s nice that all the hard work that I’ve done is kind of paying off in a sense and that we have I think a pretty legitimate chance at doing well at state.”

Moses Lake has already qualified for the state tournament and awaits its opponent for Saturday’s district championship game at Larson Field.

Skinner also completed the rare feat of finishing this season with a 0.00 earned run average. The hard-throwing right-hander seemed to get better when runners got on base, allowing Skinner to keep her ERA spotless.

“Whenever anyone gets on base it’s just more of a challenge for me to just buckle down and make sure they don’t go anymore,” she said. “I feel like I probably pitch better when there’s someone on because there’s a little bit more pressure.”

Iona is a Division I program that competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. This season, the Gaels finished 13-33 overall and 7-13 in the MAAC.

Duvall, Massalay district champions

EAST WENATCHEE — Jacob Duvall and Abraham Massalay captured district championships and state berths for Moses Lake on the first day of the District 6 Championships at Eastmont.

Duvall won the discus with a mark of 147-06.

Massalay and Spencer Kimbro finished first and second, respectively, in the 400 meters wheelchair race. Massalay clocked in at 58.09 seconds, while Kimbro finished in 59.33 seconds. Both athletes qualified for state.

On the girls’ side, Heather Carbon finished second in the pole vault with a mark of 10-08. Carbon qualified for state for the third year in a row.

Competition resumes Saturday at noon.

Othello captures district championship

SELAH — Othello won a pair of games at Carlon Park to repeat as District 5/6 2A Softball Tournament champions.

Othello cruised past East Valley 11-1 in the semifinals and held off a seventh-inning rally by Ellensburg to win the title 10-8, earning a No. 1 seed to the state tournament.

A four-run second inning put the Huskies ahead of the Bulldogs 6-1. However, Ellensburg crept back with a four-run sixth inning and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh.

The State 2A Softball Tournament will also be held at Carlon Park May 27 and 28.