Crusaders stop Bulldogs twice

Colfax softball players were rained out of a trip to Springdale Tuesday and hoped to make up the games today.

The Bulldogs are targeting the remaining three rounds of the NE league run after traveling to Colbert Saturday and battling with the NWC Crusaders in a showdown of the undefeated league teams.

The veteran NWC team took both sides of Saturday’s showdown with a 5-4 comeback win in the first game and a 16-3 cruncher over the Bulldogs in the second game. NWC’s Hannah Hustad pitched both wins.

The double loss leaves Colfax in third place in the league race with a 4-2 record. Springdale, Tuesday’s would-be foe, is now number two with a 3-1 record.

The playoff grid calls for the top six teams to start with a league round to qualify four teams for an NE-SE regional round at Pasco. The top five out of the regional will go to the state final.

In addition to the makeup round with Springdale’s Chargers, Colfax has two more league matchups with a trip Ritzville May 3 and Liberty here May 5. They also have home non-league games set with DeSales here next Tuesday and Moscow Friday.

At Colbert Saturday, the Bulldogs had a 4-2 lead over the powerhouse Crusader team by the middle of the fourth inning. NWC cut the Bulldog lead with a single run in the bottom of the fourth and then scored twice in their half of the fifth to take the lead on the way to posting a 5-4 win.

Colfax had a threat going in the top of the seventh when Kori Goodwin rapped a leadoff double. She advanced to third on a passed ball. Scoops Hahn put down a bunt with the aim of getting Goodwin to the plate, but the Crusader defense didn’t take the bait. Hahn advanced to second to put two runners in scoring position, but Colfax couldn’t collect.

Coach Terry Eng noted that was the third time during the game when Colfax had runners at second and third but couldn’t get them to the plate.

Colfax booked six hits off of Hustad. Sarah Appel and Goodwin each had two hits with Goodwin tagging her last inning double. Other hitters for the Bulldogs in the first game were Kasey Cloaninger, Hahn, Andra Hamilton, and Amara Huber.

Colfax starter Erica Eng allowed the Crusaders eight hits in the struck out six and walked six.

In the second game, Hustad held the Bulldogs to three hits while the hosts rapped 12 hits on the way to the 16-3 win. Colfax also had four errors.

Goodwin, Huber and Hahn had the Bulldogs hits. After a 0-0 lock in the first inning, Colfax scored once in the top of the second for a lead which vanished when NWC scored 10 in the bottom of the inning. They scored their other six runs in the third inning to set up a five inning win under the 10 run rule.