KW secures No. 3 seed with combined no-hitter against K-M
A week ago, the race for the South Puget Sound League North Division playoffs remained muddled.
The champion (Kentlake) and fifth-place team (Tahoma) had been decided. But the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds remained up in the air.
Everything was settled Friday afternoon, when Kentwood beat Kent-Meridian, 19-0; Jefferson knocked off Federal Way, 17-0; and Kentlake upended Kentridge, 7-2
Jefferson secured the North’s No. 2 seed to Friday and Saturday’s South Puget Sound League tournament at Service Ball Fields with its win over Federal Way. Kentwood’s win over Kent-Meridian coupled with Kentridge’s loss to Kentlake helped the Conquerors (12-5) seal the North’s No. 3 seed.
Kentridge (10-6) will go as the No. 4 seed.
No win, however, was more impressive than Kentwood’s. Conqueror pitchers Kirsten Shreve and Kayla Evans combined for a five-inning no-hitter of the Royals.
Kentlake also enjoyed some impressive performances in its win Friday against Kentridge. Felecia Harris and Julianne Hartnett both homered for the Falcons (17-1). Hartnett collected three hits and four RBIs for the afternoon.
The SPSL tournament is for seeding purposes only. All 10 teams that qualified automatically qualified for next week’s West Central District tournament at Sprinker Recreation Center in Spanaway.
GIRLS RUGBY: Crusaders fall
The end result wasn’t exactly what the Kent Crusaders girls rugby team was hoping for Saturday and Sunday during the regional tournament at Ryan Field in Tukwila.
But the Crusaders certainly bounced back in fine fashion. Kent opened the tournament with a tough loss to the Sacramento Amazons, 12-5.
“It was a very physical match,” said Kent coach Rex Norris. “It was a crazy game.”
While Sacramento went on to claim the regional title and the tournament’s lone berth to nationals, the Crusaders responded with a big win against the Kitsap Grenades, 65-10.
Ten different Kent players scored in the win over the Grenades: Kentwood’s Kala Claton, Mary Boyle, Maddy Connelly, Katie Humphries, Rachel Buoy, Teryn Long, Kelsey Saalfeld along with Kentlake’s Amber Brakke, Amanda Hennemen and Randi Roland.
“It was pretty amazing (to have that many girls score),” Norris said. “That’s rare.”
The victory helped the Crusaders take third in the four-team tournament. Kent snagged the state title last weekend with a 10-0 win over Budd Bay of Olympia.
Lauren Restis tallied Kent’s lone goal against Sacramento.
