Baseball:

Wenatchee Baseball has been eliminated from the State tournament after their 3-1 loss to the Decatur Golden Gators in the State round of 16.  After winning 18 games in a row, their streak and season came down to just one inning: the sixth inning of the round of 16 game in which the Golden Gators scored all of their three runs.

Junior Michael Buehn, who went 2-3 on the day, gave Wenatchee High School their only run, brought home by senior Kyle Morrison’s RBI-double in the third. Buehn also forced all three outs in that fatal sixth inning from his center-field position, including an acrobatic diving catch to end the inning.

“It was rough, but a lot of baseball games are lost and won in just one inning, that’s just the way it goes sometimes,” Buehn said.

The team was just inches away from tying up the game in the seventh, with bases loaded and junior Dalton Harum’s hit almost dropping out of the right-fielder’s reach.

Although the team was ultimately disappointed, WHS coach Jeff Zehnder seemed to be only proud of his players’ performance that day.

“We didn’t beat ourselves in this game, Decatur came out and beat us, and that’s baseball,” Zehnder said.

-Daniel Arndt, Staff Reporter

Softball:

The girls softball team’s season ended with a loss to Eisenhower at home on May 22 in the first round of District playoff games. The Panthers lost 24-13, a turnaround from earlier in the season when Wenatchee swept the Cadets in a three-game series on April 9 and 14.

Freshman Riley Phillips had three hits and 2 RBIs, senior Baylee Fonataine had a double and two RBIs, and sophomore Shenan Jackson, junior Katelynn English, and senior Sabrina Christoferson had two hits. The Panthers managed to get 10 hits in the fifth inning.

“As was characteristic with this team all season long, we battled back into the game after being down 13-0 and got to within two runs at 15-13,” WHS coach Brent Grothe said. “Even down 13-0, if you didn’t know the score and were watching the charged up enthusiasm from our team, you would have thought we were in a close ballgame. That’s been the attitude of this team — they fight for everything and never quit. And because they are such a team, led by outstanding seniors, they will be able to carry the memory of this season for the rest of their lives as a positive, good, maturing, growth-filled time of their lives.”

Wenatchee High School beat Davis 10-0 on May 19.

The Panthers ended their season in third place with a 12-6 league record and a 13-10 overall record, and are losing five seniors from the team.

“These girls grew into a strong, resilient, loving team over the course of nearly three months and nothing can take that away,” Grothe said. “We’re proud as coaches to have been a part of this with them, and we’re proud of them.”

-Evie Hyde, Sports Editor

Track:

The two day Columbia Basin Big 9 District Track Championships were held May 21 and 23 where both the boys and girls track teams placed first on Day 1 and second on Day 2.

Wenatchee competed with teams from Davis, Eastmont, Eisenhower, Moses Lake, Sunnyside, and West Valley.

On the first day of the championships, senior Cole Christman placed first in the 1600 meter followed by senior Austen Lane in third. Junior Christian Brandt-Sims placed first in the 110 hurdles. Junior Joe Sells placed first in the discus. Senior Killion McGinnis placed first in the high jump and junior Julien Gibassier placed second. Senior Chris Rodriguez placed third in the 100. Junior Tj Harris placed third in the long jump event.

For the girls team, sophomore Katie Dodge placed first in the pole vault. Freshman Jordan Hartley placed second in the 800 and 1600. Junior Rilea Dils placed second in the javelin and third in the shot put. Senior Alissa Sealby placed first in both the long jump and triple jump.

The boys relay team, consisting of Rodriguez, Brandt-Sims, Harris, and senior Reid Lovercamp, placed second in the 4×100.

On the second day of the championships, Christman placed first in both the 800 and 1600. Brandt-Sims placed first in 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Sells placed first in the discus and second in shot put. Junior Dalton Sugg placed first in the javelin. McGinnis placed first in the high jump, followed by Gibassier placing second. Lovercamp placed second in the 400 and third in the 200. Senior Austen Lane placed second in 800 and third in the 1600. Rodriguez placed third in the 100 meter. Senior Grayson Hagopian placed second in the pole vault and Harris placed third in the long jump.

Both the boys relay teams placed high with the 4×400 relay team, consisting of Brandt-Sims, Christman, Lane, Lovercamp, placing first. The 4×100 team placed second.

Up next for the track team is the State meet today at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma. 12 Panthers will compete at State, including Christman, Brandt-Sims, Dodge, Sells, McGinnis, Gibassier, Hartley, Dils, Sugg, Lovercamp, Lane, and Sealby.

-Felicia Hannas, News Editor