Sweet Home lost a pair of softball doubleheaders last week to its two toughest Sky-Em Rivals, Elmira and Junction City.
The Huskies lost 8-3 and 14-5 to Junction City on April 10 on the road and 10-2 and 15-3 to Elmira Friday at home.
“We’re kind of struggling right now,” said Coach Karyn Hartsook. “These are our two toughest competitors right now. Our youth is showing, the inexperience overall. We’re working hard to get that experience and mental toughness.”
The team is getting hits, with seven girls hitting above .300, she said. The Huskies are getting players on base, but they’re leaving them there.
The team needs more to string more hits together, she said. “We need to hunker down on hitting and just work on making sure we’re extremely focused at the plate – tighten the discipline there.”
On the other side of the ball, “we’re working on our pitches, our placement, ball control,” Hartsook said. “The three girls that are throwing are working really hard on it. It’s just getting it dialed in.”
Defensively, the team has calmed down in terms of errors, she said. Sweet Home is really disciplined and fielding cleanly, particularly Madi Barringer at first base.
The Huskies had two errors in their first game against Elmira and none in the second game, Hartsook said.
The Huskies were scheduled to travel to Cottage Grove Tuesday and to Sisters for a doubleheader Friday.
They will host Junction City next Tuesday, Hartsook said. “We’d really like to step it up and be ready for them.”
The Huskies are 1-4 in league and 5-8 overall. Elmira is 6-0, and Junction City is 5-0. Sisters is 1-2; Sutherlin 1-5; and Cottage Grove 0-3.
Elmira 10, Sweet Home 2
Elmira scored a pair of runs during the first game of a doubleheader to get things going in the first inning and another run on an error to build a 3-0 lead.
Ally Tow shot a home run to center field to score in the bottom of the inning. Elmira scored a run in the second and two more in the fourth to lead 6-1. Tow scored the a second run on an error by the first baseman in the bottom of the fourth, but Sweet Home was unable to score again.
The Huskies collected eight hits. Tow and Sunhee Bitter each had two hits. Kylie Armstrong, Sarita Zanona, Sydney Mauer and Ashtyn Walker each singled.
Anderson hit three times to lead Elmira, with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs. Webber also collected three hits.
Walker threw three innings, giving up eight hits, five earned runs and two walks. She struck out three. Zanona pitched the final four innings, giving up seven hits, four earned runs and four walks. She struck out three.
For Elmira, Jensen gave up eight hits, two earned runs and two walks and struck out seven.
Elmira 310 220 2 – 10 15 1
Sweet Home 100 100 0 – 2 8 2
Elmira 15, Sweet Home 3
In the second game, an Elmira runner singled, stole second and scored on a followup single to take an early lead.
Elmira scored three more times to lead 4-0 at the end of the inning.
With one out, Zanona singled in the bottom of the inning. She advanced to second base on a passed ball and to third on an error at shorstop. Armstrong singled to score Zanona.
Elmira added four more runs and Walker hit a home run to score the Huskies again in the second inning.
Elmira scored seven more runs in the third and fifth innings. The Huskies scored once more, in the fifth, when Mauer doubled on a line drive to left field and scored Tow, who had reached base on a single.
The game ended in the fifth inning under the 10-run rule.
The Huskies had six hits on the game. Mauer went 2-2 with an RBI. Walker, Armstrong, Tow and Zanona each had a hit. Mayer, Armstrong and Walker each had an RBI.
For Elmira, Jensen went 3-4 with three runs, and Hanson went 3-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
Tow pitched three innings, giving up nine hits, 10 earned runs and six walks. She struck out two. Walker pitched two innings, giving up six hits, five earned runs and no walks. She struck out two.
Jensen pitched a complete game for Elmira, giving up six hits, two earned runs and no walks. She struck out one batter.
Elmira 442 05 – 15 15 1
Sweet Home 110 01 – 3 6 0
Junction City 8,
Sweet Home 3
In the first game of a doubleheader, Junction City built a 4-0 lead in the second and third innings, while Sweet Home remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Barringer doubled on a line drive to left field to score Tow, who had singled on a bunt to reach base.
Zanona singled on a pop fly to shortstop and scored Barringer. Junction City scored four more runs to take an 8-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Allison Miner hit a home run on a line drive to left field to make the score 8-3.
The Huskies hit the ball six times. Miner and Barringer each collected two hits, Barringer with an RBI and a home run. Zanona and Tow singled, Zanona with an RBI and Tow with a run.
Junction City had eight hits, with one double.
Zanona threw for three innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs and two walks. Walker pitched two innings, giving up five hits, three earned runs and three walks with one strikeout. Tow finished the game, giving up one walk and striking out two.
Sweet Home 000 002 1 – 3 6 2
Junction City 013 004 x – 8 8 0
Junction City 14,
Sweet Home 5
In the second game, the Huskies built an early lead and stayed with Junction City for four innings.
On two outs, Zanona singled to center field to score Miner, who reached base and advanced to second on a pair of walks, and move Tow, who also reached on a walk, to third base.
Two scored Sweet Home’s second run on a wild pitch.
Junction City answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Neither team scored in the second inning.
Barringer doubled on a line drive to left field to score Tow, who had walked. Mauer singled to score Barringer. Junction City again scored two runs to tie the Huskies.
In the bottom of four, Junction City scored nine runs, culminating in a grand slam, to go ahead 13-4.
In the top of the fifth, Tow singled, and Mauer doubled on a fly ball to center field to score Tow. Junction City added one more run in the bottom of the sixth.
The Huskies had five hits on the game, with Mayer going 2-2 with two RBIs. Barringer Tow and Zanona each had a single, Barringer and Zanona with one RBI each and Tow with three runs.
Junction City had 13 hits with three doubles and two home runs.
Two pitched the first three innings, giving up six hits, eight earned runs and six walks while striking out four. Zanona pitched one-third of an inning, giving up three hits and four earned runs. Walk finished the game, giving up four hits, one earned run and no walks. She struck out two.
For Junction City, two pitchers gave up five hits, five earned runs and five walks, with five strikeouts.
Sweet Home 202 010 0 – 5 5 0
Junction City 202 901 x – 14 13 0