Colfax softball on to state

Colfax softball players will again depart for Yakima Thursday in search of a state trophy after bagging a 2-1 record in the regional playoffs back at the Merkel complex in Spokane Saturday.

The Bulldogs were bumped by Dayton 9-6 in their first game and lost their starting pitcher. Erica Eng, in the middle of the second-round game with Springdale.

They managed to get back on track to win the elimination round over the Chargers and then finished with a 11-6 win over Asotin for seeding in the state entry.

Colfax will start the state bid against Kittitas at 11 a.m. Friday at Gateway Park in Yakima. They will play opposite the Morton/White Pass vs. Waitsburg/Prescott game and meet one of those teams in the second round.

Coach Terry Eng notes the format for the state show can be a grind with four trophies on the awards stand. Teams which drop into the consolation bracket need to battle through four rounds on the last day to collect one of the trophies

Last Saturday at Merkel the Bulldogs bowed 6-9 to Dayton, the third-seeded contender out of the SE district. Dayton batters collected 10 hits off Eng, and the Colfax defense committed eight errors.

Colfax trailed 1-4 after three innings and Dayton added a three-run charge on a homer in the fourth.

The Bulldogs rallied for two runs in the seventh, but the comeback ended with runners on first and second.

Colfax had seven hits against the D dogs with Rachel Robinson tagging two singles and Carolyn Knaack a single and triple. Kori Goodwin, who hit 8 for 12 over the three-game run, tripled in the opener and Kasey Cloaninger singled.

Colfax then went up against Springdale in an elimination round and escaped with a 12-6 win after losing Eng in the fourth inning. She sprained an ankle while covering the plate on a passed ball. She had to leave the game, and reserve pitcher Kasey Cloaninger finished the game.

Colfax had rolled up a 6-0 lead after three innings, but Springdale came back to tie it at 6-6 after five. The Bulldogs inched ahead with two more runs and then nailed the survival win with Knaack bagging a three-run double.

Sarah Appel paired doubles and added a single. Other hitters were Lewis and Robinson, doubles; Knaack, double and single; Hamlton, two singles; and Roxanne Alllenbach, single.

In the final Merkel round for seeding, Colfax topped Asotin 11-6 with Cloaninger and Appel each slinging three innings. They allowed the Panthers six hits, struck out two and walked four.

Colfax blasted 14 hits with Goodwin topping her barrage day on three singles and a double. Robinson, Cloaninger and Appel each had two hits, and Lewis, Sidney Sheer, Amara Huber and Allenbach each had one.

All four of the SE teams qualified for the state show with NWC and Colfax taking the other two slots in the regional entry to the state finals this week.