Bulldog girls hammer Moscow twice

Colfax softball players stormed past Moscow Monday night on the Bears’ home field to take two games, both of them shortened under the 10-run margin rule.

Bulldog wins included a 13-0 shutout over six frames in the opener and 18-8 over five innings in the second game.

The double win at Moscow will be followed by another non-league double with Waitsburg/Prescott Friday at McDonald Park. The Bulldogs, who finished 9-3 in league play, will host the first playoff round next Tuesday at McDonald with Liberty and Reardan playing in a 3-6 game. Colfax will play the winner of the opener for a seeding into the regionals.

Last Tuesday at Moscow, Colfax batters finished with 34 hits over the two games with Kori Goodwin, who tagged five hits in the second game, rapping eight hits for eight RBIs. She had a pair of doubles in each game.

Colfax starter Erica Eng scattered six hits in the opener. She struck out three batters and walked zero. Colfax took the lead to the 10-run limit with six runs off six hits in the top of the sixth inning. Rapping the 16 Colfax hits in the opener were Brittany Lewis, double; Goodwin, single and two doubles, Rachel Robinson, single and double; Kasey Cloaninger, single; Eng, three singles; Amara Huber, single; and Sarah Appel, two singles and a double.

Cloaninger, called on to make her first start since March 23, pitched the win in the second game. She allowed 11 hits to the Bears, fanned four, and walked four.

Moscow actually broke out a 6-4 lead after two innings, but the Bulldogs took control with five runs in the third. They scored seven runs off six hits in the top of the fifth inning to win 18-8.

The first Moscow batter in the bottom of the sixth drew a walk, and Colfax Coach Terry Eng put Erica Eng back in the pitcher’s circle to shut down the Bears in order. The coach explained he made the move to increase chances of shutting the game down in cold, windy weather.

Colfax is now 12-6 overall with the two WP games Friday booked to close out the 20-game pre- playoff part of the season.

and windy turf at Moscow put Colfax at the 20-game limit for regular season play.

Colfax isnÅft booked to play again until May 13 when they will match up with number-two Northwest Christian as part of the league finals at Medical Lake. The round will send three of the NE teams to the regional round of 16 in the state playoffs. The top spot in the league race guarantees the Bulldogs one of the three slots.

Monday at Moscow the Bears nipped the Bulldogs 8-7 in the first game. The Bulldogs had a 7-3 lead going into the last inning when Moscow rallied for five runs off four hits. . Two of the runs scored on a two-out homer by Patrick OÅfSullivan.

Coach Mike Parrish took most of the blame for the collapse because he left starter Brady Ellis on the mound too long.

"It was pilotÅfs errot," Parrish noted.

Ellis struck out nine Bears, walked three and allowed 10 hits.

Colfax had just three hits in the opener, one each by Ellis and Austin Getz, and a double by Patrick Jacobs.

In the second game, the Bulldogs took a 7-3 win with their own version of last inning dramatics. They wiped out a one-run Moscow lead by scoring five runs in the seventh.

Jacobs hit a double with two out and the bases loaded. Moscow outfielders misplayed the hit, which landed in left center and that cleared the bases.

Jacobs allowed six hits, struck out eight out and walked zero for the win.

Again, the Bulldogs had just three hits with Bryce Kramlich and Jeff Davies getting credit for the other two.