Another strong season has come to an end for Lower Columbia softball.
 
After a one-day delay due to heavy rains in Spokane, Lower Columbia softball went 2-2 on Saturday and Sunday to finish in a tie for seventh place in the 2019 NWAC Softball Championships. LCC has qualified for the championships in seven of Coach Traci Fuller's eight seasons at the helm and finished in the top half of the regional tourney six times since her first season in 2012.
 
Sunday marked the end of the Red Devil softball career for 10 sophomores: Kendell Clauson, Kami Gray, Caitlyn Grogan, Allie Hall, Skylar Hunter, Lauren Lunt, Sophia Parsons, Sarah Potwin, Kaylee Strahan and Nizhoni Wheeler.
 
Game 1: Walla Walla 1, Lower Columbia 0 – It was a classic pitcher's duel between Wheeler and Abby Giles of WW. The Warriors plated an unearned run in the first inning, which held up. LCC had two runners on in two innings, but never was able to advance a runner to 3^rd base. It was a tough loss for Wheeler, who allowed just four hits in the game.
 
Game 2: Lower Columbia 15, Skagit Valley 6 (5 innings): After the Cardinals took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and still led 5-3 after the top of the third, the Red Devil bats finally exploded. LCC scored eight runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth to earn the mercy rule win. Trinity Naugle pitched the first three innings and Wheeler closed it out in the circle.
 
Lower Columbia had a plethora of hitting stars in the 18-hit attack. Kinzey Williams was 4-4 with two RBI, Valeti Fifita was 3-3 with 5 RBI, Sarah Potwin 3-4 with two RBI, Lunt 2-4 with two RBI and Saydie Harris 2-2 with 2 RBI. Sarah Russell also had two hits and her sharp single in the 2^nd inning helped jump start an offense that finally woke up and then pummeled the ball the rest of the night, to stay alive.
 
Game 3: Lower Columbia 7, Spokane 3: A 3-run top of the first inning gave the Red Devils a lead they never surrendered to the hometown Sasquatch. Wheeler threw six innings in the circle, allowing no earned runs, six hits, just two walks and fanned three Spokane hitters. Naugle closed out the win going the final inning.
 
Fifita had her second three-hit game and made several spectacular defensive plays at second base. Lunt also added three hits with a 2B. Williams stayed hot with two hits and Harris also had a pair of safeties. Potwin drove in a run with a sac fly and was strong defensively at the hot corner.
 
Game 4: Centralia 8, Lower Columbia 3: The Red Devils took a 1-0 lead to the bottom of the 5^th, then saw Centralia hit a solo homer and later add-on four more runs with two out, to take a lead it would not relinquish.
 
Parsons ended her LCC career with a long two-run home run in the 7^th inning and finished with a two-hit day. Her former Kelso HS teammate Hall added a ground rule double and Gray drove in the Devils first run in the second inning with an infield single. Hunter, Lunt and Fifita had the other LCC hits.
 
Wheeler went the distance in the circle, her final outing in an outstanding pitching career for Lower Columbia.
 
Lower Columbia ended the season with a 30-13-1 record and took third place in the NWAC South.