Prep roundup: Warden sweeps Ki-Be, captures SCAC East championship
BENTON CITY — Warden trailed in both games, but still managed to sweep Kiona-Benton 7-3 and 4-3 to clinch the South Central Athletic Conference East championship and finish perfect in league play.
Jizelle Pruneda picked up the win in both outings.
Warden was out-hit and committed three errors in Game 1. However, Bailey Whitney and Amanda Contreras drove in two runs each to lead the comeback.
Warden also trailed in the second game, but received more consistent offense to the tune of 10 hits. Leanne Martinez was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI; Ashlyn Yamane and Aaliyah Escamilla added two hits each.
The Cougars will host a first-round district game May 18.
Ephrata 13-12, Quincy 1-2
EPHRATA — Aliyah Derr totaled four hits and Ephrata swept Quincy 13-1 and 12-2 on senior night.
Brooke Bazaldua, Kami Shannon and Haley Chapman also had multi-hit days. Chapman homered in Game 2.
More, Maggie Buchert was 1-for-2 in the opener.
No. 5 Ephrata will play No. 4 East Valley in the first round of the CWAC district tournament May 16.
Boys soccer
Royal 2, Highland 1 (SO)
YAKIMA — Royal outlasted Highland 2-1 in a shootout to finish third and clinch a state tournament berth.
Benjamin Paniagua opened the scoring for Highland in the 15th minute before Juan Ojeda scored the equalized less than 10 minutes later.
Strong defense led to over an hour with no goals.
“We hate shootouts, but we may see more as we have to rely on our strength as a group to be a strong defensive unit,” head coach Jens Jensen said.
The Knights out-shot Highland 4-3 in penalty kicks to preserve the win.
Royal’s first-round opponent in the state tournament will likely be Cascade or Chelan from the Caribou Trail League.
Tennis
CWAC all-league
Boys singles: Louis Merred, Quincy, second team; Levi Garza, Othello, honorable mention
Boys doubles: Collin Freeman/Kyle Villarreal, Othello, first team; Gates Petersen/Randy Hodges, Quincy, second team; Christian Pugh/Derek Wright, Ephrata, honorable mention
Boys Coach of the Year: Steve Elder, East Valley
Boys Player of the Year: Michael Manion, East Valley
Girls singles: Zoee Roylance, Othello, first team; Brianne Kliphardt, Ephrata, second team
Girls doubles: Natalie Thomsen/Rachel Faw, Quincy, first team; Tanaya Andersen/Katie Walker, Othello, first team; Macy Hampton/Daishawn Roylance, Othello, honorable mention
Girls Coach of the Year: Don Ballew, Selah
Girls Player of the Year: Natalie Thomsen, Quincy
Baseball
CWAC all-league
First team: Cole Spencer, Ephrata
Second team: Zac Berryman, Ephrata; Ethan Etter, Ephrata; Arcenio Martinez, Othello; Abel Gomez, Othello; Cody Kehl, Quincy; Doug Tobin, Quincy
Honorable mention: Alfredo Carreno, Othello; Camron Valdez, Othello; Kade Schutzmann, Quincy
MVP: Xander Orejudos, Ellensburg; Dac Archer, Selah
Coach of the Year: Jason Laugen, Ephrata