ETNA – The Shasta Cascade League champion Etna Lady Lions began their NSCIF D-V championship quest with a pair of wins on Tuesday. In round-one, fourth-seeded Etna smoked the thirteen-seeded Mercy Warriors 7-0. Then, after twelfth-seed Hamilton upset number-five Liberty, Etna downed Hamilton 4-3 in nine innings.

Against Mercy, the Lady Lions put up their first run in the bottom of the second inning. With one down, Paige Finley doubled, and moved to third base on a failed pick off attempt by Mercy’s catcher. Finley scored via a Kacey Munson sacrifice bunt.

In the bottom of the third, Tracey Thackeray got the offense rolling again, when she wound up on second base, after an error by the Mercy right-fielder. Chloe Papazian followed with a walk. Nicole Luiz singled to drive in Thackeray and make the score 2-0. Papazian went to third on the hit, and Luiz advanced to second on the throw. Eli Pynes drove in Papazian and Luiz with a single, giving Etna a 4-0 lead, after three innings.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Beth Langford reached on an error by the Mercy pitcher. Ashley Parry reached on an error by the first baseman. Langford moved all the way to third on the error. Langford scored on a sacrifice fly by Thackeray, and Parry moved to third base. Parry scored on a wild pitch. Papazian singled, but was erased when Luiz reached on a fielder’s choice. Pynes singled, moving Luiz to third base. Luiz scored on a wild pitch.

Ashley Page relived Etna starter Finley in the top of the sixth inning. Page set the Warriors down in order, including two strikeouts. Etna also went down in order in the bottom half of the inning, with three strikeouts.

Mercy made some noise in the seventh inning, but was unable to score, giving the Lady Lions a 7-0 win.

Offensively, Thackeray went 1-2, with a run, and a sacrifice RBI. Papazian was 1-1, with a run, and two walks. Nicole Luiz scored two runs, and knocked in one, while going 1-3. Pynes was 1-3, with two RBI, and two steals. Finley started and went five innings for the win (0R, 2BB, 9K). Page pitched the sixth and seventh innings, allowing no runs (H, BB, HB, 3K).

Etna beat Hamilton in the second game of the day, 4-3 in nine innings, when Lindsay Stacher scored from third base, on an errant pick of attempt by the mercy catcher.

Hamilton scored all three of its runs in the first inning. Etna came back with two in the bottom of the first, and one in the second to knot the game at 3-3. Neither team scored again, until Etna pushed across the game winner in the bottom of the ninth inning.

For Etna, Papazian scored two runs, drove in one, had a double, and went 2-3. Munson was 2-4. Finley went the distance for the win (9IP, 3ER, 3H, 15BB, 13K).

The Lady Lions (23-9) Travel to Nicolaus to tangle with the top-seeded East Nicolaus Lady Spartans (25-3) on Thursday, May 15 at 4:00 pm.