Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The Colton High School softball team will start the District 7/9 tournament Saturday at Medical Lake High School.
The Wildcats – defending their sixth consecutive state 1B championship – enter the postseason more vulnerable than they have looked in that long.
With a 16-3 record, coach Brad Nilson can’t recall the last time his team had three losses in the regular season. All the while, this year Colton has pulled out several close games in the seventh inning or into extra innings.
Going into districts now with seven other teams, the Wildcats will aim to be one of four to advance to the state brackets.
Colton completed regular season league action with a doubleheader sweep of Pomeroy May 2, winning 14-1 and 14-3. The team’s three losses include Dayton, Prairie (Idaho) and DeSales.
They will enter the playoffs with one recent change coach Brad Nilson is hoping pans out.
For most of the season, he would switch Zoe Moser and Winnie Schultheis at shortstop. Then Nilson decided to move sophomore Kendyll Druffel from third base to shortstop and send Moser/Schultheis back to third, depending on whoever was pitching. It was the arrangement the coach used last year with his two star pitchers.
Colton 12, Asotin 2
“Against Genessee and Prairie, we couldn’t hit them,” said Nilson. “But tonight we had 15 hits.”
On Tuesday, Colton played at home for a last non-league game before the playoffs.
On what was essentially senior night for the team, the Wildcats’ two seniors underlined the occasion.
Savannah Chadwick hit two home runs – the first two of her career – as she and Schultheis both went 4 for 4.
Chadwick’s first home run came on her first at-bat.
Hitting the ball high and deep, she ran for first, rounded the base, took second then pulled up and stopped, thinking the ball had just bounced over the fence.
The umpire informed her she could keep going.
“It was priceless,” said Nilson.
On the mound for Colton, Moser threw four innings for seven strikeouts, allowing three hits with one walk. Schultheis pitched the last inning and a half, to allow three hits, one walk with three strikeouts.
After the game, Nilson saw something to work on.
“We need to tighten up our defense,” he said. “There were a few rollers tonight we didn’t charge.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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