So far, so good for the Sweet Home softball team.
The Huskies entered their Oregon West Conference schedule this week with an 8-2 record and a No. 8 ranking in the 4A Division after wins at home over Harrisburg and Cottage Grove last week.
They are playing this week at Philomath on Monday, April 14, at home against No. 9 Cascade on Wednesday, and on the road at Newport Thursday. All games are at 5 p.m.
Sweet Home 8, Harrisburg 2
Against Harrisburg, the Huskies dominated from start to finish against the No. 11-ranked (in 3A Division) Eagles.
Jocelyn Fairchild pitched all seven innings for the Huskies, as starter Katriona ‘Peanut’ Harris was out with an injury.
“I have a lot of faith in our team to step up and play in adverse conditions” said Head Coach Emily Marchbanks. “Fairchild did an excellent job pitching and kept us in the game.”
The senior threw 86 total pitches, 53 of which were strikes.
“Defensively, we had a really solid game all around.” Marchbanks said. The Husky defense only allowed two runs over the course of the game, holding the Eagles scoreless for the first four innings, and recording zero errors throughout the entire game.
Kaitlyn Kennedy had two singles and a double in her three at-bats, recording two RBI’s, and scoring twice.
“Offensively, Kaitlyn Kennedy had really great at-bats,” Marchbanks said. Sweet Home got on base over 50% of the time as a team. Addy Vannice led the team with four hits and two RBIs in her four at-bats.
Sweet Home 4, Cottage Grove 2
Against Cottage Grove on Tuesday, the teams only got through the first inning before being postponed by heavy rain until Saturday, April 12, with the hosts down 2-1 before the downpour.
Fairchild was a woman on a mission over the course of the contest, throwing 71 strikes in her 118 pitches, striking out eight, and only allowing three hits all game, two of which came in the first inning on Tuesday.
The Huskies couldn’t get going on offense and relied heavily on their defense throughout the delayed contest, which paid off as they did not allow a single run for the last six innings.
Kaylie Silacci and Kennedy King both had one hit and each scored one run, Silacci’s coming off a triple.
This win improved Sweet Homes record to 8-2 and improved their win streak to six games as they broke into the top 10 in the 4A Division.
“I am really proud of all the hard work the girls have put in, not just at practice but in the off-season,” Marchbanks said. “All of their work is paying off. We just need to continue that work as we gear up for the league.”