Philomath 7, Sweet Home 6
The Huskies softball team lost an epic 10-inning outing to Philomath 7-6 Friday on the road.
“What a game,” Coach Steve Hummer said. “We got four runs in the first. It was a good game. It had a little bit of everything.”
Philomath caught up to the Huskies with two runs each in the second and third innings and then got ahead with a run each in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Huskies brought two more runs in during the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
Philomath brought in one more run during the 10th to win the game.
Hummer said the Huskies accomplished “a lot of really positive things,” and he was proud of them.
They’ve been struggling running bases, and Friday, they improved their performance there. They also hit better, actually out-hitting their opponent; and both pitchers, Tasha Saunders and Bayli Riggs pitched outstanding innings.
Riggs struck out nine batters, giving up six hits but no walks in the first six innings. Saunders pitched three and a third innings, striking out seven batters, giving up two hits and no walks.
“We pitched very well,” Hummer said. “I’m very impressed with the pitchers.
“We got 11 hits, so we out-hit them. It was a game we should’ve won.
“We lack some consistency mentally in our game – just little spots where we just had mental breakdowns that cost us runs.”
The Huskies must learn to play consistent defense every inning, Hummer said. Consistency will determine whether they make the state playoffs.
“Softball is a mental pressure cooker, and the first team who cracks is going to lose,” Hummer said. “We need to become the team that refuses to crack.”
The team and coach have been talking about fighting, scratching and clawing its way to a win even when they’re down, Hummer said. This time, when they were down, they put together two runs to tie the game and go into extra innings.
Hitting, Jessalyn Seiber, Saunders, Becky Spencer and Riggs all had two hits. Spencer had three RBIs.
The Huskies are 5-4 overall and 0-2 in league.
Sweet Home 400 000 200 0 6 11 4
Philomath 022 011 100 1 7 8 1
Central 13, Sweet Home 0
Central shut out Sweet Home 13-0 on April 1 at home in five innings.
“There’s not much I can say other than they’re just tougher than nails,” Hummer said. Central is the defending state champion, and the team returned every player. They’re experienced, and they’re good. “You’ve got to give them lots of credit there.”
The Huskies had a rough game as they faced Central, Hummer said. They had more mental errors than anything else. They had only three physical errors on the game.
Central 070 15 13 11 3
Sweet Home 000 00 0 0 3Sweet Home 8, Elmira 2
Pressuring their opponents, the Huskies forced Elmira to make mistakes on the softball field and won the first game of a doubleheader 8-2 on the road Saturday.
“We were hitting the ball,” Coach Steve Hummer said. “They were making some mistakes.”
The Huskies scored a run in the first inning of the game and added six more in the second inning to take a dominant lead.
“Defensively, we played very well,” Hummer said. On the mound, Bayli Riggs, 2-1, had been in a slump. She came out and pitched a good game, striking out six and giving up one walk and six hits while adding two hits and an RBI at bat.
At bat, Paige Niemi went 1-2 with an RBI, and Lacey Mink went 1-2, reaching base a second time on a walk. She stole three bases on the day. Tasha Saunders hit a sacrifice bunt to bring a teammate home.
“We are a very good bunting team,” Hummer said. Both Saunders and Shelbey Gillespie put down good bunts Saturday.
Last year, the Huskies were hitting long shots into the gaps, Hummer said. This year’s team doesn’t hit that way. It’s more of a contact hitting team, and the girls do it well. Two or three of Elmira’s five errors were on bunts.
Softball is a short game, and “if you bobble it,” everyone is going to be safe, Hummer said. Husky hitting put pressure on Elmira, and it netted errors in their favor.
“When you put pressure on people, you create opportunities,” Hummer said.
The second game of the day was rained out after three innings, Hummer said. In that time, the Huskies came on even stronger. The score was 7-1 after three. Niemi went 3-3 with a double and an RBI. Sam Johnson went 1-3 with a double. Becky Spencer went 1-2 with a double. Hailee Huenergardt went 2-2.
Total, in just three innings, the Huskies had nine hits, the most ever this season in a single game, team statistician Ken Roberts said. They also hit the most extra base hits in a game so far this season.
The Huskies ended the week the win at Elmira and with two losses, a 17-5 loss to Junction City, their first loss of the season, and a 6-3 loss to fourth-ranked Tillamook, which had just beaten Central, the defending state champion, 2-1. Both games were at home on Thursday.
Hummer was disappointed with the Junction City loss, he said. The Huskies had already beaten Junction City earlier this year.
“But the good news: I really liked how we responded and played the Tillamook game,” Hummer said.
Over the week, the Huskies played 24 innings and came up with only two physical errors, and their batting average as a whole is rising, Hummer said. “I feel pretty positive about going into league.”
The Huskies start league play this week with a game that was scheduled at home with Central on Tuesday.
“Tillamook beat Central 2-1,” Hummer said, but “I think we’re playing well.”
With a few hits and consistent, solid defense and pitching, he thinks the Huskies have a chance.
Sweet Home 160 100 0 8 5 0
Elmira 001 001 0 2 6 5
Junction City 17, Sweet Home 5
The Huskies committed only one recorded error as they lost 17-5 to Junction City Thursday at home, Hummer said, “but mentally, maybe we hit double digits.”
Those errors were things like throwing to the wrong base, not throwing to the cut-off man or not providing good bunt coverage.
“They played very well,” Hummer said of the visitors. “We played very poorly. The combination of the two, it was an ugly game for us.”
Still it was a learning experience, he said. “We learned about what you’ve got to do when things are going badly.”
At bat, Huenergardt turned in a 2-4 performance with 3 RBIs and a run. Niemi, Riggs and Tiffanie Cuilla each had hits.
Junction City 219 010 4 17 20 1
Sweet Home 103 001 0 5 5 1
Tillamook 6, Sweet Home 3
The Huskies turned things around Thursday as they next squared off with Tillamook, losing 6-3.
“We showed a lot of heart,” Hummer said. Tillamook’s sophomore pitcher was all-state last year, and the Huskies got five hits off of her, putting three or four together and getting some runs.
“I saw it as a very positive game,” Hummer said. Gone were the Huskies’ mental mistakes earlier in the day, and they committed only one error, two physical errors total for the day.
Their batting average started climbing, he said. “It was one of those, ‘When you got your fannies whipped, and now you’ve got to play one of the best teams in the state how are you going to respond?'”
The Huskies didn’t win, but they played competitively, he said.
The Huskies trailed early after Tillamook scored two in the first, one in the second and two in the fourth. The Huskies put together three runs at the bottom of the fourth, but didn’t score again.
On the rubber, Saunders, 3-1, gave up eight hits, striking out four batters and walking one.
“She pitched well,” Hummer said. “She’s not a power pitcher. She’s a finesse pitcher. She’s got a great changeup. When things aren’t going well, she just bites her lip and goes at it.”
At bat, Riggs, Mink , Niemi, Huenergardt and Saunders all got a hit. Mink and Niemi hit doubles.
Tillamook 210 200 1 6 8 2
Sweet Home 000 300 0 3 5 1