12U Purple Wave do well at regionals
Ethan Smith/Leader<br>Sallie Sams had a grand slam at last week's tourney, but can also bunt, as seen here at the state tourney earlier this month.
The 12U Purple Wave took fourth at the regional tourney in Spokane last weekend, and will travel to the summer national tourney in Portland this week to wrap up the season.
The team started out by dropping the first game, 8-7, to the Coeur d'Alene Crush, a team they'd lost to by one run in two prior games.
In the second game, they bounced back with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Softball Club, winning in extra innings. Kalispell player Kendra Bouley joined the team for the tourney (teams are allowed to pick up up to three players), and had 11 strikeouts for the Wave.
Next, they played the Coeur d'Alene Heartbreakers, winning 19-9 behind a grand slam home run from Sallie Sams, who rocketed the ball over the left field fence.
"She put the game away for us," said head coach Paul Noble.
The team is made up of Sams, Bouley, Marlee Berry, Kayla Duford, Sarah Goodman, Ashley Johnson, Breanne Kelley, Riley Kenney, Marissa McCrea, Heidi Rausch, Makaliah Wilson and Kodi Woods.
Goodman got the win in that game, and the team went on to play a Washington team, the Acers, and got another win from Bouley, 12-4.
In the next game against the Tri-City Spirit, they won 7-6, and Bouley had a solo home run. Down 6-3 going into the 7th inning, Berry had the game-winning double to get the W for the Wave.
The team wrapped up the tourney with a 8-4 loss to the Spokane Crash, taking fourth place on Sunday morning after playing all six games in 100+ degree weather.
"We would have had to have won three more games to win the tourney, but we were just tired at that point," Noble said.
The team is now 30-7 going into the summer national tourney in Portland, and will start play Thursday afternoon at 3:30 against a California team. The Wave is guaranteed five games in Portland.