Tri-Cities soccer star continues success at collegiate level

Chiawana grad Summer Yates has been named first-team Pac-12 Conference in women’s soccer.

Yates, a junior who plays forward for the Huskies, was named as a midfielder for the first team.

Last season as a sophomore, Yates was named to the second team.

Yates has 4 goals and 4 assists for the 9-3-3 Huskies, who were scheduled to play Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament on Tuesday.

Other sports news

▪ Chris King — the Idaho Vandals’ play-by-play radio man for men’s basketball and football, as well as the Tri-City Dust Devils’ radio guy — reminded us Tuesday that with Trevor Megill’s relief appearance for the Chicago Cubs on Monday night against the Atlanta Braves, the righty becomes the 85th Dust Devil to play in the big leagues.

What’s more, Megill is the ninth player to get to the majors from the 2015 Tri-City team, the most in club history.

In the 8-7 Cubs’ loss, Megill worked a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit and a walk, but striking out two batters.

▪ Three teams seem to have gained control in the MCC softball standings — Walla Walla, Kamiakin and Kennewick.

The Blue Devils sit atop the MCC standings at 8-1, after sweeping Richland last Friday in dominating fashion, winning 15-2 and 19-2.

The Braves and the Lions, meanwhile, are 1 game back of the Blue Devils with different records, Kamiakin at 7-2 and Kennewick at 8-3.

Here are the standings through last Friday’s games: Walla Walla 8-1, Kamiakin 7-2, Kennewick 8-3, Chiawana 5-4, Richland 5-5, Southridge 4-5, Hanford 3-5, Hermiston 3-8, Pasco 0-9.

• April 20 scores: Walla Walla 5, Chiawana 2; Kamiakin 18, Southridge 7; Kennewick 11, Hermiston 1; Richland 15, Pasco 0.
• April 23 scores: Chiawana 13-10, Hermiston 8-0; Kennewick 15-10, Hanford 4-2; Southridge 14-18, Pasco 4-3; Walla Walla 15-19, Richland 2-3.
• April 27 games: Hanford at Pasco, 4 p.m.; Hermiston at Walla Walla, 3 p.m.; Kamiakin at Kennewick, 5 p.m.; Southridge at Chiawana, 4 p.m.
• April 30 games: Chiawana at Hanford (2), 4 p.m.; Pasco at Kamiakin (2), 4 p.m.; Richland at Hermiston (2), 3 p.m.; Walla Walla at Southridge (2), 4 p.m.

▪ Tri-Cities Prep’s baseball team swept Walla Walla Valley Academy 20-1 and 9-0 in 2B EWAC play on Monday night. In the nightcap, Prep senior David Grewe tossed a complete-game, 1-hit shutout.

That follows up his no-hitter he tossed last week against Columbia-Burbank.

▪ According to the Runner WA website, Walla Walla senior Ella Nelson and Richland junior Natalie Ruzauskas are two of the state’s top girls high school runners between the 800 meters to 3200.

Nelson, who will run collegiately this fall for the University of Oregon, is ranked No. 1 in the state in the girls 800 (2:16.06), and third in the 1600 meters at 4:57.50.

Ruzauskas, who finished second in the Class 4A state cross country championships in 2019, is second in the state in the 800 (2:17.09), second in the 3200 (11:06.25), and fourth in the 1600 (5:03.80).

Kennewick junior Macy Marquardt is right behind Ruzauskas in the 3200, ranked third at 11:08.55.

▪ We’re a less than a week away from the Tri-City Dust Devils opening play in the High West A league, the new-look, six-team league modified by Major League Baseball.

The new league replaces the old short-season Northwest League.

The Dust Devils are now a farm club for the Los Angeles Angels, and the level of play is about two notches higher than what fans have been used to.

The Dust Devils will open the 120-game season — 60 home games — with a six-game series against the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto farm team).

The opener is set for May 4 with first pitch thrown at 6:30 p.m.

More on the Dust Devils later this week.

▪ With just a little over a week left in regular-season play, Richland has the inside lead in the Mid-Columbia Conference baseball standings, sporting an 8-1 record.

Richland swept Chiawana 3-1 and 12-7 on Friday.

The Bombers are 1-full game ahead of Kamiakin and Walla Walla, who both have 8-3 records. The Braves swept Hermiston on the road Friday by scores of 14-0 and 7-1.

The the opener, Kamiakin junior Peyton Graham — who is committed to playing for Gonzaga University — tossed a no-hitter in the opener.

On Monday, Walla Walla swept Hanford 4-0 and 10-8

Here are the MCC standings through last Monday’s games: Richland 8-1, Kamiakin 8-3, Walla Walla 8-3, Chiawana 5-4, Kennewick 5-4, Southridge 4-5, Hanford 4-7, Hermiston 3-8, Pasco 0-10.

Scores, schedule

• April 19 score: Richland 11, Walla Walla 1.
• April 20 scores: Hanford 6, Chiawana 4; Southridge 11, Hermiston 7; Kamiakin 25, Pasco 2.
• April 23 scores: Richland 3-12, Chiawana 1-7; Kamiakin 14-7, Hermiston 0-1; Walla Walla 12-16, Pasco 2-6; Southridge 6-2, Kennewick 5-3.

This week

• April 26: Hanford at Walla Walla (2), 2 p.m.
• April 27: Chiawana at Kennewick (2), 4 p.m.; Richland at Pasco (2), 4 p.m.; Southridge at Kamiakin (2), 2 p.m.
• April 30: Hermiston at Kennewick (2), 4 p.m.; Pasco at Hanford (2), 4 p.m.; Richland at Southridge (2), 4 p.m.; Walla Walla at Chiawana (2), 4 p.m.

▪ The Western Hockey League announced Tuesday that the Americans have been cleared to resume team activities after spending 10 days on a COVID-19 stoppage.

They are scheduled to return to game play April 28 at 6:10 p.m. when they visit the Spokane Chiefs.

The five postponed games on the U.S. Division schedule will not be rescheduled.

The WHL also announced last week that the season will conclude following the 24-game regular season in May.

In other words, there will be no playoffs — and in essence, there will be no Memorial Cup for the second consecutive year.

The problems with restrictions on crossing borders, either through provinces or the U.S.-Canadian border, made it tough to hold any type of playoff games.

▪ I don’t know how to feel about this: the independent Pioneer League announced on Tuesday morning that it won’t have extra-inning baseball games this coming season.

Instead, each team will pick a batter. That batter gets 5 pitches in a home run derby to determine the winner.

I am at the same time disgusted, yet intrigued.