Despite a a 9-8 upset and loss at Sisters on May 4, Sweet Home defeated Sutherlin twice this week 12-2 at home on May 6 and on the road on May 8 to lock down their hold on second place in Sky-Em League softball standings.
The Huskies will host a play-in game against the third-place team from another league.
“We’re starting to feel pretty confident about it,” said Coach Shane Cochran. “Our hitting kind of went into a slump about two weeks ago, that second round with Elmira.”
It’s coming back now, Cochran said, and he thinks his girls stand a good chance to make it through the play-in round to state playoffs. He also has adjusted the defense in a few spots.
The Huskies are 9-4 in league and 12-6 overall. They trail undefeated Elmira, 13-0, and lead Junction City, 7-6. Cottage Grove, 5-8, is in fourth place, followed by Sutherlin, 4-9, and Sisters, 1-12.
Sweet Home started the week with an unexpected loss to Sisters, the team’s first win in league this year.
“We just didn’t play good,” Cochran said. “They played exceptionally well. We kind of overlooked them, and they beat us. We were just waiting for them to lose, and they didn’t lose.”
The Huskies bounced back and beat Sutherlin under the 10-run rule twice.
In a May 4 no-hitter at home on May 4, the Huskies scored two runs each in the first and second inning, with a big five-run fourth-inning, leading 10-2. They closed the game out in the fifth inning with a pair of runs.
Sierra Thayer and Caytlin Gillespie led the Huskies with three hits each, Gillespie with two RBIs. Mckenzie Cochran and Madi Barringer each had two hits. Natalie Thorpe, Makenna Melbye, Ally Tow and Britney Zook had one hit each.
Cochran, Tow, Barringer and Melbye all hit doubles.
Pitching, Tow gave up two earned runs, three walks and no hits. She struck out five.
On the road on Friday, the Huskies opened the game with six runs in the first inning and repeated the performance in the second to lead 12-1. The Huskies added four more runs by the end, while holding off Sutherlin scoring.
Thorpe, Thayer and Cochran collected three hits each to lead the Huskies. Tow and Gillespie each had two hits. Hitting once were Barringer, Maddee Hawken, Melbye, Zook and Mikayla Spencer.
Cochran and Tow had doubles, while Barringer had three RBIs and Thayer and Melbye had two RBIs each.
Tow pitched 4 ½ innings, giving up one earned run, three walks and two hits, with four strikeouts. Zook finished the game with groundball outs.
The Huskies were scheduled this week to play at Cottage Grove on Tuesday and host Cottage Grove on Friday to finish the regular season.
Sutherlin 000 20 – 2 0 1
Sweet Home 221 52 – 12 14 2
Sweet Home 661 12 – 16 17 2
Sutherlin 010 00 – 1 2 9