Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Colton Wildcats
COLTON - The Colton Wildcats swept the Garfield-Palouse Vikings on May 1 to go to 14-0 on the abbreviated season.
They now turn to the playoffs.
Colton is set to play at Pioneer Park in Walla Walla for a four-team Southeast 1B league playoff. No. 1 seed Colton would meet No. 4 Garfield-Palouse or Pomeroy. Next, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, Liberty Christian and DeSales, play. The final follows.
"I've never played on this field," said Colton Coach Brad Nilson. "There ain't nothing the same for this year."
At home on May 1 against Garfield-Palouse, Nilson contended with two of his freshmen having to record FFA creed contest submissions for state consideration in a classroom at the same time as the doubleheader.
On the field, the Wildcats, and the freshmen, got their work in too.
"We had some timely hits," Nilson said.
In the first game, Katie Heitstuman and Addie Purnell both had two hits while Maggie Meyer hit a triple and Mary Pluid a double. In game two, Riley Vining led with two hits and Meyer hit a double.
Josie Schultheis pitched the first game, throwing nine strikeouts. Meyer threw five strikeouts in the second.
Colton's 2021 team has been led by Schultheis, a senior and five-year starter, who has been playing since eighth grade, Vining, a four-year starter at second base, Purnell, another senior, who would have started last year if there was a season.
"Every game we're getting better because we're learning," said Nilson. "Fourteen games and it's over. That's barely getting warmed up."
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)