Sweet Home’s softball team continued its non-league schedule last week with a 4-2 win at Molalla, followed by two blowout double-header wins over Siuslaw.
That followed a 2-1 performance at the Hidden Valley Tournament March 27-29, in which the Huskies defeated Glide 17-15, lost to the hosts 4-2, and then rebounded to beat Marshfield 5-0.
“I feel like our team has been doing what they need to do to beat the teams that we’ve been playing lately,” Coach Emily Marchbanks said. “I feel like there’s not a lot of holes and that we’re doing a good job.”
Katriana “Peanut” Harris pitched the entire game at Molalla, finishing with three strikeouts and three walks, and allowing just one earned run. She only threw 97 pitches, while her team worked Indians pitcher Brenna Jackson for 123.
“Peanut’s been pitching well,” Marchbanks said. “And (catcher) Natalie (Smith) has been doing a really good job defensively, getting pitches called for her.”
The Huskies got off to an aggressive start at Molalla with three runs in the first inning as freshman Kaylee Silacci scored on a single by fellow freshman Emma Rosa, then Rosa and Jocelyn Fairchild scored on a single to center field by sophomore Kaitlyn Kennedy, who led the team with those two runs.
The hosts managed to close the gap to 3-2 by the bottom of the third. But that was it for Molalla at the plate and
Junior Aaliyah Brown added one more run for Sweet Home in the top of the seventh, scoring on an error by the Molalla third baseman.
Statistics for the 17-3 and 13-2 Siuslaw wins were not available.
Marchbanks said that the competition has not been as stiff as she expects it to get, especially once the Huskies get into league play next week, but she said her players have been aggressive at the plate, which is what she wants to see.
“We haven’t played the strongest teams, but we’re doing a good job against the ones we have played. I think that when we’re playing the better teams in our league, we need to come out hitting confidently.”
Sweet Home, 6-2 going into this week and No. 11 in the pre-league rankings, was scheduled to take on Cottage Grove at home Tuesday, April 8, followed by a home game against Harrisburg, No. 7 in the 3A Division, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
The Huskies then start the Oregon West Conference season on the road against Philomath at 5 p.m. Monday, April 14, followed by a home game versus Cascade on Wednesday, April 16, also at 5 p.m.