Sports Roundup — Quartets quick for track team/Girls LAX still undefeated/Hardballers notch a pair/Spotty ‘D’ costs Spartans

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Quartets quick for track team

The Bainbridge Island girls 4×400 relay team ran the second fastest time this season in their meet last Thursday.

Geneva Pritchett, Hillary Pritchett, Morgan Nottingham and Alana McWhorter had a time of 4:07.3, besting their previous time of 4:14.3.

The Spartans also won the 4×100 relay – with Michelle Baggett, Molly O’Keefe, Alana McWhorter and Morgan Nottingham – in a time of 52.1 and won the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:55.8. Emily VanVleet took the 3200 meter run with a time of 13:13.1.

They were they only events Bainbridge Island won, as Lakeside finished well ahead of the pack, with 83 points to the Spartans’ 64. Nathan Hale was third with 56 points, while West Seattle finished with just 30 points.

On the boys’ side, Bainbridge came in first with 94 points, besting second-place finisher Nathan Hale with 61.5.

Bryan Jacobson was the star for his squad. He finished first in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.4, first in the 200 with a time of 23.2 and the long jump with a mark of 19-1.

Other first place finishers were Quinton Agosta in the high jump with a throw of 5 feet, 8 inches, Angelo Ritualo in the 400 with a time of 53.2, Colin O’Keefe in the 800 with a time of 2:06.8 and Andy Jones in the 1600 with a time of 4:41.8

The boys also won the 4×100 and 4×400 relays with times of 46.2 and 3:44.5, respectively.

The Spartans will finally get to run at home for the next three weeks, starting with O’Dea, Holy Names and Cleveland on Thursday.

– John Becerra, Jr.

Girls LAX still undefeated

Behind seven goals from Kathryn Bachen, six more from Alex Winnicki, and an iron-fisted defense, the Bainbridge girls lacrosse team grabbed two more wins to stay undefeated and on track for the playoffs.

The Spartans, 8-0 in A-league play, dumped Holy Names 16-4 last Tuesday, followed by a nearly flawless 18-3 Friday evening win over Seattle Prep.

Goalkeeper Dimitra Lotakis spurned seven of 11 shots against Holy Names and five of eight against Prep, keeping her save percentage better than 60 percent. Prep keeper Taryn Ryder was peppered by the Bainbridge scoring machine, hitting its stride going into the final weeks of scheduled play.

Brawner, who scooped nine ground balls in both games, matched teammate Amy Gulbranson’s five to cancel out the 10 ground balls by the Holy Names leader, Hannah Ozubko.

The defense was rewarded at the other end by a diverse Spartan attack pressuring the Panther pipes, and goalkeeper Ryder. Three Spartan girls scored three goals apiece, four had two each. Along with Brawner’s two, Hannah Davis, Anne Kent and Lindsay Lund each pitched in two scores. Christen Toepel dug out four ground balls to complement her three scores, joining Bachen and Baumgartner, who also had hat tricks.

Through eight league games, Bainbridge has seven girls scoring in double digits, led by Winnicki with 31 goals and a team-leading 14 assists.

– T.F. Smeeth

Hardballers notch a pair

It’s all starting to come together for the Bainbridge Island baseball team.

After blanking O’Dea 5-0 on Friday, they took it to the West Seattle Wildcats on Monday, defeating them 11-1 in five innings at Bainbridge High School.

The win on Friday was crucial for the Spartans (6-1, 7-2) as they moved into second in the Metro League Mountain Division behind Eastside Catholic.

Pitcher Ranger Sciacca threw a complete game for the win. He gave up nine hits and four walks, but struck out one and was helped out by a defense that committed no errors for the third straight game.

The Spartans scored early and often. After the Wildcats went up 1-0 in the first, Bainbridge Island responded in their frame with a two RBI single by C.J. Hall.

In the second, Josh Truan started the scoring onslaught with a base hit. J.K. Spencer pinch-ran for him, then scored on a double by Sciacca. Zach Peach drove him home with a single, then hot hitting David Lantz doubled.

After Brenden Gent blooped a single into left field, scoring Peach, Matt Frazee hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Lantz. Hall then doubled, scoring Gent. David Jensen followed with a double, scoring Hall.

In the third, Sciacca started off with a single. John Williams was sent in to pinch-run for him, then Peach reached on an error when the right fielder dropped the fly ball.

After Lantz hit a sacrifice fly to score Williams, Gent reached base on a throwing error, allowing Peach to score.

Friday, the Spartans got a two-out rally to defeat the Irish. In the fifth, after pitcher Mike McMurtry struck out the first two batters, Peach was able to reach with a walk. Lantz doubled, then Gent walked to fill the bases.

Frazee then hit a triple, clearing the bases and scoring himself when catcher David Lagried overthrew third baseman Aaron Hallerman.

C.J. Hall went the entire game for the win. He gave up six walks and six hits, but struck out four and pitched out of jams the entire game. He was also assisted by Lantz, who made a spectacular diving catch in the outfield with the bases loaded to save the game for the Spartans.

Head coach Jayson Gore is happy with how his team has handled themselves as of late.

“They’re hungry,” he said. “They don’t want to lose. They want to prove they belong with the private school teams in Metro.”

The Spartans face Bishop Blanchet at home today at 4 p.m., then travel to Lower Woodland Field on Friday at 3:30 p.m. to face the Braves.

– John Becerra, Jr.

Spotty ‘D’ costs Spartans

After losing 5-2 to Holy Names on Friday, the Spartan fastpitchers committed five errors in a 7-4 home loss to the Metro League Sound Division leaders West Seattle Wildcats on Monday.

The loss is not only their third straight; it drops them back to .500 and fourth place in the Mountain Division, two games behind Eastside Catholic.

Wildcat pitcher Lydia Cruz went the entire game for the win. She walked none and struck out four. Spartan pitcher Karen Robinson threw another complete game but took the loss, walking two and striking out three.

The Spartans got on the board first in the second, when Chelsea Hansen singled to left, scoring Tabitha Mabrey. But the Wildcats got the runs back in the second when Anna Shodey and Andi Albany scored due to errors committed by the Spartan defense.

It stayed close until the fourth, when West Seattle broke it open.

Robinson gave up a walk to Sabrina Anunciada.

She advanced to second on a wild pitch, then to third when Rori Margera singled. After Margera stole second, Michelle Hessel doubled down the left field line, scoring both.

The Spartans (4-4, 5-5) get back on the horse when they play Bishop Blanchet today at BHS at 4 p.m., then travel to Lower Woodland Field to play the Braves at 3:30.

– John Becerra, Jr.