Ken Roberts
Sports Writer
In a busy week, the Huskies started out strong, winning one non-league game before starting their Capital Conference schedule.
After a one day rain delay, Sweet Home traveled to Stayton where they lost a heartbreaker in nine innings. Unfortunately, Makenzie Marchbanks suffered a strain in her right forearm that forced her out of action after only a couple of innings against Molalla. With Marchbanks out, the Huskies struggled, though they put together a good second game in their non-league doubleheader at Central. The Huskies are now 4-5 for the season, 0-2 in league.
To Coach Rob Younger, the defense has been an important aspect in determining the outcome of the games.
“If you look at the games we have won or played well, the defense has been strong,” said Younger. “But we also have had games where the defense has been spotty. We need to be consistent.”
Marchbanks may be back in the lineup this week as Sweet Home resumes its league schedule with Sisters at home on Tuesday and then at North Marion Thursday.
SHHS 3, Junction City 0
Though the Huskies had a difficult time getting hits off the Junction City pitchers, they managed to turn walks and Tiger errors into three runs, which is all Makenzie Marchbanks needed to chalk up her fourth victory of the pre-season.
Sweet Home pushed across two runs in the third after two errors and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs for Michelle Cliver, who lined a single into center, scoring Ashley Wall and Mickenzie Draper. The Huskies added an insurance run in the seventh, again using two walks and an error before pinch runner Sarah Winslow dashed home on a wild pitch.
Marchbanks gave up only three hits and struck out eight. The Huskies played flawlessly in the field, including two great plays in the fourth, the only inning in which Junction City mounted a threat. After giving up two hits, the Husky defense took over, starting with a throw by second baseman Nicki Aerni to catcher Jenna Anderson to cut down a runner at the plate and ending with a great running catch by Kendra Greene in center field.
Stayton 2, SHHS 1 (9 innings)
In the opening game of league play, Sweet Home and Stayton locked up in a pitching and defensive duel that took nine innings before the Eagles put together two of their four hits with their first two hitters in the ninth.
The scoring opened in the bottom of the first when Stayton’s leadoff hitter got on after a dropped ball at first base. After stealing second base, she eventually scored on a slow infield grounder. From there, it was all pitching and defense. Marchbanks only allowed one hitter on until the sixth inning. While the Huskies outhit Stayton 6 to 4, they couldn’t string anything together until the seventh inning.
With one out, Cliver slapped a shot up the middle for her second hit of the game. Marchbanks followed with a grounder to short, but on the force attempt, the second baseman failed to tag the base. After a second out strikeout, Nicki Aerni, the ninth hitter in the order, rapped a solid single, her third consecutive hit, to right center that scored Cliver. Greene followed with a line drive directly at the left fielder to end the Husky threat.
The Huskies were shut down in both the seventh and eighth inning. Sweet Home was able to hold the Eagles at bay after a leadoff error in the 8th. But Stayton used an opening single and stolen base to start the ninth and followed that with a sharp single just outside the stretched out glove of Aerni at second to nip the Huskies.
Molalla 9, SHHS 3
Marchbanks made a valiant attempt to get through the game with the Indians but had to be relieved by Ashley Wall after suffering an unknown injury in her forearm region. She had begun to feel the twinge of the injury in the Stayton game and was unable to challenge the Molalla hitters, who put together 4 runs and 5 hits, including three doubles, in her two plus innings.
That is all Molalla needed as they held the Husky bats in check for most of the game. Sweet Home managed six hits and scored all three of their runs in the 4th inning when the game was out of reach. Cliver and Aerni continued their hot hitting with two hits apiece.
Central 11,3; SHHS 1,2
In the opening game of the Saturday doubleheader, the Huskies’ defense wilted, allowing Central to score 11 runs, 8 of them unearned. Central also showed power with nine hits, five of them for extra bases as the Panthers ten-runned Sweet Home in five innings. The Huskies’ lone run came in the fourth inning after Cliver tripled and scored on an infield grounder.
In game two, Cliver took the mound for her first pitching appearance of the year as the Huskies tried to work through the injury to Marchbanks. After giving up single runs in the first three innings, Cliver settled in and retired the last nine batters.
However, it wasn’t quite enough. Although Sweet Home managed to tack up 11 base hits, they left 10 stranded as they couldn’t come up with the key hits in crucial situations. They scored their two runs in the third to tie the game with Sara Brocard and Ashley Horn each contributing run-scoring singles.
In the top of the 7th inning, Wall and Greene both singled. After a double steal, and with just one out, the Central pitcher ended the threat with two strikeouts.