Area Sports

Marquita Espinoza and Dena Houser were named to the North Region's Second Team All-Conference softball team this week, as announced by the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

Espinoza, who played high school softball at

Sequim, was second in the conference with a .550 batting average. She led the Pirates in home runs with five, RBIs with 19 and slugging percentage at .917.

"She was a leader both on and off the field," head coach Jim Cheney said of his all-conference catcher.

Espinoza plans to play for Western Washington University next spring.

She was a two-time all-league backstop at Sequim High School but spent the entire 2008 college season on the disabled list with a thumb injury. In 2009, she had nine home runs - a Pirate single-season record - and hit .333.

Houser, of Nevada, led the Pirates in stolen bases with 22 steals in 22 attempts and triples with three. She batted .365 with four home runs and a .622 slugging percentage.

"Dena's tremendous work ethic and speed made her one of the top players in the league," Cheney said. "She has offers from a few four-year schools and will be successful at the next level."