Crusaders remain on track with 4-0 Colfax stop

Northwest Christian’s softball team remained on top of the NE heap Tuesday after the final round of league playoffs. The Crusaders shut down Colfax 4-0 at the Merkel complex in Spokane to take the number-one slot.

Both teams went into the finale after winning in the first playoff games last week on their home fields. Tuesday’s loss in the final NE round marked the third time the Bulldogs have been downed by the Crusaders.

“We had our chances, but we just couldn’t get the ball in play when we needed to,” Bulldog Coach Terry Eng noted. NWC pitcher Hannah Hustad held the Bulldogs to four hits in the game.

Hustad, rated as the top hurler in the league, picked up the MVP award during the all-league presentations which were part of the festivities at Merkel Tuesday. Hustad also pegged a .735 batting average to balance out her credentials. Colfax hurler Erica Eng allowed the Crusaders eight hits, struck out three and gave up seven walks. The last number was inflated because the Bulldogs opted to take the bat away from Hustad by walking her.

The title game locked up 0-0 for the first three innings with both teams playing strong defense. The Crusaders broke the deadlock with one run after loading the bases in the fourth inning.

They loaded them again in the fifth and failed to score before adding two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Colfax advanced a runner to third with zero out in the third inning, and had runners on second and third in the fourth inning with zero out. The threat ended when Hustad fanned the next two Bulldog batters and got the last one on a pop fly.

Rapping the four Colfax hits, all singles, were Rachel Robinson, Kasey Cloaninger, Eng and Sarah Appel.

The loss puts the Bulldogs up against Dayton Saturday in the first round of the state regional action which will be back at Merkel.

Waitsburg/Prescott, which took two from the Bulldogs in the last regular season game here, leads the Southeast lineup which includes DeSales, Dayton and Asotin in that order.

Liberty and Springdale are the three and four teams from district seven.

Coach Eng noted Saturday’s rounds at Merkel will send six teams to the state playoffs next weekend at Rotary Field Complex in Yakima. A win in one of the first two games Saturday will guarantee a state ticket.