The Skyview softball team clinched a share of the 4A Greater St. Helens League title on Tuesday. And the Storm did it without a lot of drama.
Maddie Milhorn struck out 12 over five scoreless innings and Taylor Lies went 4 for 5 with a double as Skyview routed Battle Ground 11-2 at Heritage High School.
The win improved the Storm to 4-0 in 4A GSHL. They will clinch the title outright and the No. 1 seed to the bi-district tournament with a win against either Camas on Wednesday or Union on Thursday.
Skyview wasted little time to gain the edge on Battle Ground. Maya Figueroa and Lies opened the game with back-to-back singles. One out later, Figueroa scored the game’s first run on a groundout by Layla Royle.
With the way Milhorn was pitching, that might have been enough for the Storm. The junior pitcher struck out eight of the nine batters she faced through a perfect first three innings.
She would allow just two hits over five innings as Jenna Stockton’s two-run double helped Skyview take a 5-0 lead in the fifth.
After Lies’ RBI double and Milhorn’s RBI groundout helped Skyview push its lead to 7-0 in the top of the sixth, Milhorn was relieved in the pitcher’s circle as coach Kim Anthony continues to limit the workload on her ace pitcher.
Sam Groesbeck added a two-run home run for Skyview in the seventh. Hailey Ferguson and Candice Adams got Battle Ground its runs on a pair of late solo home runs.
3A GSHL
HERITAGE 15, MOUNTAIN VIEW 3 — The Timberwolves kept a solid hold on second place in the league with the win over Mountain View. Taylor Frost had three hits and two RBI, Jaila Ellis hit a two-run home run, and Gracie Peterson was 2 for 2 with two RBI for Heritage.
2A GSHL
MARK MORRIS 6, COLUMBIA RIVER 1 — Makenzie Henthorn pitched a one-hitter with 19 strikeouts as the Monarchs remain tied with Ridgefield atop the 2A GSHL with one game to play.
Shyanne Sellers was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI for Mark Morris, which can clinch the league title on Thursday with a win over Woodland and a Ridgefield loss to Columbia River.
RIDGEFIELD 19, HOCKINSON 0 (5 INNINGS) — Faith Smith pitched a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Spudders remained in a tie for first place in the 2A GSHL with Mark Morris.
The Spudders sent 16 batters to the plate in an 11-run fifth inning.
Ridgefield shortstop Mallory Vancleave went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a triple and four RBI; leadoff hitter Kaylen Wingerd was 4 for 5 with a double and four RBI; and Ashlynn Bredemeyer was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBI.
HUDSON’S BAY 15, WASHOUGAL 3 (5 INNINGS) — Promise Bond was 2 for 4 with a home run and three runs scored, and Keelie Nicklas was 2 for 3 with an RBI double RBI also scored three runs in the Eagles’ win.
WOODLAND 15, R.A. LONG 2 (5 INNINGS) — Brynn Skelton went 2 for 4 with two doubles and four RBI, and Jolie Oathes was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBI for Beavers.
1A Trico
LA CENTER 6-9, COLUMBIA-WHITE SALMON 5-5 — A day after playing to a 2-2 tie due to weather in the Gorge, the Wildcats came home and swept the doubleheader to get within a half game of first place Seton Catholic with one game to play.
Kaleena Duggins reached on an error that brought home the go-ahead run for La Center with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of game one. Billie Ross went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run and pitched all 14 innings of the doubleheader.
Jessica Tomberlin had the big bat for the Wildcats in the second game as the centerfielder was 4 for 4 with a three-run homer a triple, four RBI and three runs scored. Lauren Baker was also perfect at the plate, going 3 for 3 with three RBI and a solo home run that followed Tomberlin’s blast.
KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 8-3, STEVENSON 3-22 — Cayden Hulsey-Bible was 4 for 4 with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and scored four times as the Bulldogs earned a doubleheader split at King’s Way. Rebecca Townsend also had four hits with a double, triple and four RBI in the second-game victory. King’s Way scored eight runs on three hits to win the first game.
