Last Saturday was a diamond-ring kind of day in the Mid-Columbia: lots of K's.
Double-digit strikeout totals are almost the norm in fastpitch, where a good pitcher can strong-arm even the best of hitters and get an average team to state.
But it was hard to overlook the 25-strikeout efforts of Connell's Debbie Molsbarger and Dayton's Michelle Barker as they led their teams to doubleheader sweeps.
But even those came up short of Amanda Arnzen's day. The DeSales ace, a Blue Mountain all-league pick from the start of her career, struck out 33 in 14 innings of work.
"She's my main pitcher," said Irish coach Kathy Lynch.
Arnzen, who recently signed to play at St. Martin's in Lacey, was an all-state selection last season after going 19-4 --she threw all but a handful of the team's innings -- with an 0.40 ERA and 255 strikeouts in 143 innings.
She's on a similar pace this season, and over the last two years has struck out 360 of the 767 batters she's faced -- 47 percent -- and averaged 1.8 strikeouts per innings. "She is really good at placing the ball, but she also has some speed on her fastball," Lynch said.
-- The highlight of this weekend's games comes in the CBL 4A today when Walla Walla (6-0) plays host to Richland (5-1).