Mazama 16, Sweet Home 13
Sweet Home ended their softball season losing a back-and-forth barn burner 16-3 in a play-in game at Mazama High School Friday.
“We battled back and forth,” said Coach Karyn Hartsook. “We were up in the third inning and we had a couple of critical errors.”
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Makena Melbye singled and scored Madi Barringer, who reached base on a single.
In the next inning, Sunhee Bitter walked and advanced to second when Sarita Zanona singled. Barringer scored Bitter on a fly ball to right field. Barringer advanced to second and Zanona to third on a sacrifice from Ashtyn Walker.
Allison Miner scored both on a double. Torree Hawken tripled to score Miner and then scored on an error in center field to give the Huskies a 6-0 lead.
Mazama scored eight runs in the bottom of the inning, scoring the first run on an error at second base. Mazama scored on three more errors, earning two runs on the inning.
In the top of four, the Huskies tied the game 8-8 when Ally Tow and Barringer scored on an error.
In the bottom of four, Mazama scored on a line drive and then a throw to take a 10-8 lead. Mazama led 16-8 in the bottom of the fifth. The Huskies scored another five runs in the sixth to trail 16-13.
A couple of the players made valiant efforts, Hartsook said. “Barringer (a senior) had an amazing final game of her career.”
The team asked Tow to pitch the game, Hartsook said, and “she left it all on the field” with inspiring spirit and character.
“The girls competed,” Hartsook said. “It wasn’t the outcome that we planned for. We were prepared, and we were in it. They didn’t give up. Many of the kids continued to give 100 percent. Amazing group of kids.”
Mazama was a comparable team, Hartsook said. “It was a good matchup. It really was.”
Defensive errors, a total of five on the game, were the key to the loss, she said, but Mazama also hit well – as well as the Huskies, with each team collecting 12 hits.
The Huskies were a young team this year, with two seniors, Zanona and Barringer, Hartsook said, and they continue to grow and become stronger.
The team also faced some adversity that day when their bus broke down on the way to Mazama, which sent a bus to pick up the team.
Barriner went 3-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs. Melbye went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run. Torree Hawken went 2-4 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs.
Bitter, Zanona, Tow, Walker and Miner each had a hit, Miner with a double, two RBIs and two runs. Zanona had a run. Tow had two runs. Walker had two RBIs and a run.
Tow threw five innings, giving up 10 hits, four earned runs and three walks. She struck out two. Zanona pitched the last inning, giving up two hits , two earned runs and three walks. She struck out one.
Lotspeich pitched 5 1/3 innings for Mazama, giving up 11 hits, 11 earned runs and four walks. She struck out four. Monteith pitched in relief, giving up one hit and a walk and striking out one.
Yancey led at bat, going 3-4 with an RBI and two runs.
Sweet Home finishes the season with an overall record of 14-11 and a 9-6 record in league. The Huskies are ranked 21st in statewide rankings and were third place in the Sky-Em League.
Sweet Home 015 205 0 – 13 12 5
Mazama 008 530 x – 16 12 2