Bulldogs drop Davenport to keep NE playoff slot

Colfax softball team downed Davenport in five innings Tuesday night at McDonald field to keep the number-two slot in the NE district’s playoff set.

Colfax won 13-3 with Kasey Cloaninger getting the last RBI rap in the fifth inning to get the Bulldogs to the 10-run margin for an early close. Davenport faced Colfax in the second game of the set Tuesday after downing Liberty 15-3 in the first round.

That matched up the third-place Gorillas with the sixth-place Lancer team.

Coach Terry Eng noted the Bulldogs booked the Tuesday win with the help of 12 walks over the five innings. Colfax had six hits in the game.

Eng noted the Bulldogs have been working on getting runners to the plate from third base because they have been leaving too many runners one link short of the score book. Tuesday Colfax batters booked five sacrifice hits to get the runners to the plate. Sarah Appel hit three of the sac shots for RBIs. Colfax scored six runs in the third inning to get within range of the 10-run mark. They were allowed four walks in the inning.

Andra Hamilton led the Colfax bats with a single and a triple, and Cloaninger paired singles. Appel and Carolyn Knaack had the other Colfax hits. Pitcher Erica Eng struck out eight Gorillas and walked two over the five innings.

Colfax is now booked to play at Merkel Fields complex in north Spokane next Tuesday against Northwest Christian when the NE will cut the field of qualifiers to four teams for the regional round against SE finalist the next week at the TRAC complex in Pasco.

Northwest Christian remained in the league’s top slot with an 8-0 shutout over Springdale in the other rounds of the district play Tuesday at Colbert.