Sweet Home closed out its regular season shutting out Sisters 14-0 on the road May 8, placing third in the Sky-Em conference and securing a home play-in game against Hidden Valley.
The Huskies are 10-5 in league and 17-8 overall. They are 12th in Oregon School Activities Association rankings.
Junction City, 15-0, is the Sky-Em League champion. Elmira, 11-4, finished second after defeating the Huskies 11-6 in the May 1 game that essentially settled final standings.
Sutherlin, 6-9, finished fourth, while Cottage Grove, 2-13, and Sisters, 1-14, finished fifth and sixth.
“We were able to be strong through our preseason schedule and win some critical games to be able to host a play-in game,” said Coach Karyn Hartsook. Throughout the season, “we didn’t lose to any team that wasn’t top 10.”
Hartsook said she doesn’t know much about Hidden Valley, and other teams Sweet Home has played haven’t seen Hidden Valley.
Hidden Valley is 11-11 overall and 6-9 in the Skyline Conference. The team is ranked 21st statewide after losing three games to Henley to close out the regular season.
“We’re just going to prepare to the highest level,” Hartsook said. “I feel like having the home-field advantage is huge.”
That means the game will be less disruptive to her team, she said, and “that’s definitely to our advantage.”
Overall at this point, “I’m super proud of the girls for pushing through,” Hartsook said.
The team has dealt with a few issues along the way, and she is proud of the Huskies as athletes and students, noting that the Huskies had the top GPA in the 4A division, with a team GPA of 3.83.
Sweet Home 14, Sisters 0
The Huskies built a 10-run lead in the first inning, scoring their first run on a single by Sunhee Bitter, who stole second and third base and scored on a single by Graci Zanona.
The Huskies added two more runs in the second inning and the fifth inning before ending the game under the 10-run rule.
The team collected 20 hits, led by Savannah Hutchins, who went 4-4 with an RBI. Bailee Hartsook went 3-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Collecting two hits each were Bitter, Zanona, Allison Miner, Ally Tow and Sydney Mauer. Hitting once each were Torree Hawken, Ashtyn Walker and Kylie Armstrong.
Tow and Walker each hit a home run, Tow with two runs and two RBIs and Walker wit a two runs and three RBIs. Tow also hit a double.
Mauer had two RBIs, and collecting one each were Hartsook, Bitter, Hutchins, Miner and Zanona. Bitter, Zanona and Hartsook each scored two runs. Scoring once were Hawken, Miner, Jasmine Carter and Mauer.
M. Larrabee had Sisters only hit.
Ashtyn Walker threw a complete game, giving up one walk and one hit while striking out four.
For Sisters, I. Spitler gave up four walks, 20 hits and 14 runs, six of them earned.
Sweet Home (10)20 00 – 14 20 2
Sisters 000 00 – 0 1 3
Banks 13, Sweet Home 1
Banks defeated Sweet Home 13-1 under the 10-run rule in the fifth inning Thursday in Banks.
The Huskies had an off night, Hartsook said. The game was intended to build experience and give them more at bats during the eight-day period between regular season and the play-in game.
Banks scored its first run in the bottom of the first inning on an error, a walk and two singles. The Braves brought in four more runs by the end of the inning. Banks scored another three in the second inning.
The Huskies scored in the top of three. Marissa Kurtz singled and advanced to second on a bunt out by Mauer. Kurtz advanced to third and then scored on a pair of wild pitches.
Hutchins also collected a hit in the game.
Hutchins threw all four innings for the Huskies, giving up a walk, nine hits and 13 runs, two of them earned, while striking out one.
K. Hernandez pitched 2 1/3 innings for Banks, giving up two hits and an earned run and striking out one. Madi Graham pitched in relief, striking out two Huskies.
Sweet Home 001 00 – 1 2 7
Banks 535 0x – 13 9 1