In a week of highs and lows, the local baseball team faced off against two strong opponents, showing signs of struggle but also considerable promise under the guidance of Head Coach Evan Teter. Despite falling to the Sisters Outlaws (2-3) and the Junction City Tigers (4-2), the team’s resilience and learning spirit were on full display.
March 19, the team encountered a challenging game against the Outlaws, culminating in a 1-12 loss due to the ten-point mercy rule. Teter expressed concern over the team’s performance, highlighting a notable “lack of confidence” among players. However, he also pointed out a significant positive aspect of the game, where the team’s defense limited the Outlaws to only three hits. “A bright spot was Sisters only got three hits off of us,” Teter said.
The free bases given to the Outlaws, however, turned the game’s tide against the team. Teter reflected on the importance of such challenging games for growth, stating, “However, games like this are needed to grow. We learned a lot from this one.” In response to the loss, the team dedicated significant effort to practice on Wednesday, aiming to refine their skills and strategy for the upcoming game.
March 21, the team played against the Junction City Tigers which showed marked improvement, despite a 5-14 loss. The Tigers, holding a 4-2 record, presented a challenge with their strong batting lineup and pitching. Teter, however, saw this match as a “great bounce back game” for his team. He praised their enhanced energy, intensity, and discipline at the plate, which led to early advantages against the Tigers’ pitcher.
“Our approach and plate discipline was levels above what we’ve seen in any other game this year,” Teter said, highlighting the team’s six hits in the game, a significant improvement given their season total of eight hits prior to the match. The effort put into practice over the past week was evident in the team’s performance, reflecting a strategic and disciplined approach to batting that had been lacking.
The game remained competitive into the late innings, with Junction City securing their lead through extra base hits. According to Teter, the majority of Junction City’s runs resulted from hard hits in challenging positions, not from a lack of effort or skill on his team’s part. “This game showed us what we can do as a team when we play our brand of baseball,” Teter concluded.
With these recent performances, the team has demonstrated both the challenges they face and their potential for growth and success. Under Teter’s leadership, they have shown a capacity for learning from their defeats and improving in key areas. The team will be away this upcoming week, playing in a tournament at Newport. March 27 at 9 a.m., they will play against Astoria (3-4) and on March 28 at 4:30 p.m., they will face Seaside (3-3).