SPORTS
by Jack Kintner

Lady Bs drop game by one run

The Potent Lady B offense, normally a bit of a sleeping bear that has to be awakened by a few innings of screaming fastpitch, kept her head on the pillow last Thursday against Mt. Baker.
The Lady Bs, who begin district tournament play tonight in Lynden, got blanked by the one-hit pitching of Alex Lepper backed up by two perfect innings pitched in frames 6 and 7 by Megan Zender to lose the game, 1-0, and with it second place in the league.
Mt. Baker’s identical 8-4 league record puts it ahead of Blaine because they beat our girls twice out of the three times the Lady Bs faced the grain-fed mountain raised denizens of the east county thickets and byways.
Sirita Lawson lost the decision, pitching her way out of some deep woods in the fourth inning in the process when Mt. Baker loaded the sacks but failed to score. Her one mistake turned into a solid triple by Tiffany Welch, who then came home on a weak infield hit by Megan Monahan.
Blaine, now 11-9 (8-4 in league) and which celebrated their first ever winning season last year, begins district play this afternoon at Lynden’s Bender Fields complex. They’ll face 7-10 Granite Falls in the first game at 4 p.m. To reach Bender fields, turn south on Bender road from Badger Road two miles east of the Guide Meridian, and the complex will be on your left.
¶
With Julie Meaker’s league championship victory in the girls 400 meter run, and the Blaine girls 4 x 200 meter relay win, 15 Blaine track thinclads will move on tomorrow afternoon to compete at the district meet at Lynden Christian high school.
Meaker anchored the 4 x 200 relay. Also running were Allison Raine, Cathy Acidera and Jenny Wilce.
Other competitors who move on are the 4 x400 meter relay team of Acidera, Meaker, Melissa Gal and Sadie Villars, the 4 x 100 meter relay team of Villars, Raine, Acidera and Wilce, high jumper Kim McLeod, distance runner Melissa Galbraith in the 800 and 1600 meters, hurdler Lacy Montgomery, triple jumper Nate Tewald, javelin thrower Sean Hicks, discus spinner Koni Gilman, shot-putter Alex Sylvester, middle distance runner Stephen Fraser in the 800 and dash man Jason Basquez in the 100 meters.
¶
Kickers get second, six named all-league - Blaine’s 5-12 (5-7 in league play) soccer team ended up tied with Lynden Christian for second place in the Whatcom County League, and played six on the all-league team. Seniors Luke Baldwin, Eli Duggar and Boris Shintar were named to the first team, and senior Michael Allan, sophomore Greg Fetch and freshman Danny Duggan were named to the second team.
¶
Golf coaches rewarded – Rob Bouma was named co-coach of the year for girl’s golf and Steve Barthlow was named boys golf coach of the year for the Whatcom County League.
All six players on both squads advanced in the first day of district play Tuesday at Avalon golf course. Blaine’s boys team was ahead and the girls were second behind Nooksack.
Following Wednesday’s second round, and after the paper went to press, state tournament berths and team results were announced.

Baseball hits the road – Blaine’s perfect season hit some post-season rocks in the road when they faced last year’s state runner-up in a best two out of three last week to determine seeding for the state tournament. Blaine lost 10-1 a week ago yesterday in a rain-shortened contest in Mount Vernon, a game that a rallying Blaine team was prepared to continue but which was called once umps got the word that five innings qualifies for a legitimate playoff game. Last Saturday they lost again on a nice three-hitter by Joey Paciorek. He struck out eight and only walked on, but allowed a runner on base in the sixth with a wild pitch and then let him advance on a pass ball. A double then scored Lakewood’s first of two runs.
Blaine travels to their part of the sweet 16 state tournament in Chehalis Saturday for a 2 p.m. game.