After shutting out Cottage Grove 20-0 at home in softball on April 10, Sweet Home split games in a doubleheader against a much tougher Elmira squad Friday on the road.
The doubleheader left the Huskies third in the Sky-Em with a 3-3 record, while Elmira, 4-1, is in second place behind an undefeated Junction City.
Ahead in Sky-Em action, Elmira, sixth in OSAA rankings, faces Junction City, first in OSAA rankings, in a doubleheader at Junction City on Friday.
That game could have a big impact on league standings and placement.
“It’s going to be a fight to the end,” said Sweet Home Coach Karyn Hartsook.
Sweet Home, 10th in statewide rankings, has already faced the top two teams in doubleheaders and will see each of them just one more time, while Elmira has a chance to blemish Junction City’s league record and Junction City has a shot to stretch its lead.
Where Sweet Home can end up in league standings will depend somewhat on how that game turns out, Hartsook said.
At Elmira Friday, the Huskies lost the first game late, leading 4-2 to the bottom of the sixth when Elmira scored four runs to win it.
“We came out strong,” Hartsook said. “It was a tough loss that first game. They got some timely hits, took advantage of them and scored runners.”
The girls kept their composure, Hartsook said, taking an early lead and winning the second game.
“Elmira’s a quality ball club,” Hartsook said. “The girls competed. They have that desire to win, and it’s fun to watch it come out.”
Several Huskies had a great day at the plate, she said. “Marissa Kurtz did a great job hitting again.” Kurtz batted .571 with a .667 on-base percentage, Hartsook said. “She had three RBIs, four base hits, just doing a great job.”
Ashtyn Walker pitched great in the second game, Hartsook said, and she hit .571 on the day, with four RBIs and three base hits.
Bailee Hartsook hit .500 with a .571 on-base percentage, three hits and three RBIs. Graci Zanona hit .500 with three base hits.
“The kids are doing what they need to do,” Hartsook said, and both pitchers are doing a good job.
The Huskies will host Sisters in a doubleheader Friday. Games are at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sisters is 1-5 and last in the league behind Cottage Grove, 1-4. Sutherlin is 2-4 and in fourth place.
Elmira 6, Sweet Home 4
Elmira opened the game allowing Sunhee Bitter to reach base on an error at shortstop. Elmira walked Zanona, and Marissa Kurtz was hit by a pitch to load bases.
Allison Miner grounded out to score Bitter and give Sweet Home a 1-0 lead.
In the next inning, Walker scored after Bitter grounded out to second base. Kurtz shot the ball to center field to score Bailee Hartsook and Sydney Mauer, giving the Huskies a 4-0 edge by the end of the second inning.
Sweet Home gave up a pair of singles to let a pair of Falcons on base. Sarah Stout scored on error, which advanced Courtney Haffner to third. Haffner scored on a sacrifice fly to left field.
In the bottom of the sixth, Stout doubled, and Haffner singled to reach base again, while Savannah Hutchins struck out the next batter.
Kylee Anderson knocked sacrificed a fly ball to right field to score Stout. Haffner scored on a single by Cheyenne White to tie the game. Maranda Hanson scored Josie Dickson and White on a line drive to center field to give the Falcons the win.
Kurtz led Sweet Home at bat, going 2-3 with two RBIs and a double. Walker, Bitter and Hartsook each had a hit.
Hartsook, Bitter, Mauer and Walker each scored a run, while Miner and Bitter collected one RBI each.
Leading at bat for Elmira were White, Ashley Feltz, Stout and Haffner, each with two hits. Stout hit a double.
Pitching for the Huskies, Hutchins gave up seven hits, four walks and four runs, three of them earned, striking out seven Falcons.
Ally Tow pitche the final two outs, giving up three hits and two earned runs.
For Elmira, Anderson gave up five hits, two walks and four unearned runs while striking out nine Huskies.
Sweet Home 130 000 0 – 4 5 1
Elmira 000 204 x – 6 10 2
Sweet Home 8, Elmira 5
The Huskies scored three runs to open the second game on a sacrifice by Walker to score Bitter and a single by Hartsook to score Zanona and then Kurtz on the throw.
The Falcons matched it on a two-run home run by Dickson and a single by Haffner to score White.
On one out in the second inning, Mauer scored the go-ahead run after four straight singles, by Mauer, Bitter, Zanona and Kurtz.
Miner grounded into a fielder’s choice, putting Bitter out at home. Walker singled on a line drive to right field to score Zanona and give the Huskies a 5-3 edge.
The Huskies scored runs again in the fourth and sixth innings, giving up two in the seventh, to get the win.
Zanona led hitting on the game, going 3-3 with three runs. Hartsook, Bitter, Kurtz and Walker each had two hits.
Walker collected four RBIs; Hartsook, three with a double; and Kurtz, one. Bitter scored two runs, and Kurtz, Mauer and Miner each had one.
White and Dickson led at the plate for Elmira, each going 2-4 wish two runs and two RBIs.
For Sweet Home, Hutchins was starting pitcher, giving up four hits, a walk and three runs, two of them earned. Walker collected the win giving up two earned runs on four hits in the final six innings. She struck out three.
For Elmira, Hanson gave up 14 hits, three walks and eight runs, seven of them earned, striking out two.
Sweet Home 320 102 0 – 8 14 2
Elmira 3000 000 2 – 5 8 1
Sweet Home 20,
Cottage Grove 0
The Huskies shut out Cottage Grove 20-0 in the fifth inning under the 10-run rule.
The Huskies let Cottage Grove’s first batter walk, and then Hutchins struck out the next two.
Center fielder Ally Two stretched to reach a fly ball at the fence in front of the scoreboard to end the Lions at bats.
That was a big catch and “probably the highlight of the game,” Coach Hartsook said.
The Huskies scored 10 runs in the first inning.
Opening the game, Bitter reached base on an error at third base. Zanona singled on a bunt to advance Bitter. Bitter stole third. Hutchins reached base and Bitter scored on an error to take a 1-0 lead.
Sweet Home scored seven more runs in the second inning and three in the third.
They held Cottage Grove to three hits, while collecting 14.
Bitter led at bat, going 3-5 with three RBIs and three runs.
Tow, Walker and Zanona each had two hits; and Jasmine Carter, Torree Hawken, Kate Hawken, Hutchins and Miner each had one hit.
Tow and Walker each had three RBIs. Miner, Kate Hawken and Hutchins had two, while Carter and Mauer each collected one.
Miner and Walker scored three runs. Torree Hawken, Kate Hawken, Mauer, Tow and Zanona had two runs each, and Carter and Hutchins had one each.
In the circle, Hutchins earned the win, giving up a walk and striking out two in one inning. Pitching in relief, Walker gave up three hits and two walks, striking out six.
Walker hit two doubles. Tow had one double.
Chloe Malmstedt started for Cottage Grove. She gave up eight walks, 15 hits and 20 runs, six of them earned, with one strikeout. Tori Taylor pitched one inning in relief, giving up up no hits, walks or runs.
Cottage Grove 0 00 00x x – 0 3 7
Sweet Home (10)73 0xx x – 20 15 2