Sweet Home 8, Molalla 6
As well as they played in their first appearance, the Huskies overcame mistakes and a lackluster performance at bat to defeat Molalla 8-6 on the softball field at home on March 12.
“It was a close game the whole time,” Coach Steve Hummer said. “As good as we played against Cascade, we came out against Molalla and showed how young we are.”
The Indians scored two runs in the first inning. The Huskies didn’t get any runs in until the third inning, when they went ahead 3-2.
It took awhile to adjust to Molalla’s pitcher,” Hummer said.
Molalla scored three in the top of the fourth, but the Huskies added another three in the fourth and two in the fifth to secure the win. Molalla scored only one more run, in the seventh.
The Huskies had five errors on the game, Hummer said. “Being young, that’s going to happen. They still found a way to win the game.”
Partly, Molalla had six errors, but the Indians hit the ball nine times. The Huskies hit it five times.
On the mound, Tasha Saunders struck out eight batters and gave up six hits, walking only one Molalla batter.
Bayli Riggs went 2-3 to lead the Huskies with a double and a couple of RBIs, Hummer said. She is leading the team after two games with a .500 batting average.
Hummer would like to see better hitting, he said, and “we will. It’s just a matter of time before we get our bats going right now.”
Veteran senior Jessalyn Seiber will return to the team this week, he said, and that will help.
As well as improving its hitting, the team needs to get more consistent on the field, Hummer said. The Huskies played great defense against a tough Cascade squad, but then didn’t play so well against Molalla.
He is happy with the team’s progress, he said. “If you would’ve told me we’d be 2-0 right now, I would’ve called you a liar.”
He has six freshmen on the field, he said, with a couple of older players out for different reasons.
“I’m pretty happy to be 2-0,” he said.
In any case, “you can’t take a pause,” he said. “You can’t take a break. You’ve got to keep getting better.”
The Huskies had games rained out on Thursday and Saturday and were expecting a rainout on Tuesday, Hummer said. To be ready for league, they need to get games in and work on things, so he’s looking forward to a break in the rain. They are scheduled to play at Pleasant Hill on Thursday and at home Friday against Willamette.