Sweet Home knocked down four opponents in softball last week in the two-day Redmond Spring Break Invitational.
The Huskies opened on March 26, beating Madras 13-3 under the 10-run rule and then followed up with wins over Crook County (6-1) and then Corbett (14-13) and Estacada (12-5) on March 27.
Corbett gave the Huskies the hardest time along the way.
“It was back and forth,” said Coach Karyn Hartsook. “We’d give a few. They’d give a few.”
The Huskies were down 13-11 when Marissa Kurtz stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning.
With a 1-2 count, she fouled off the ball four times before tripling and scoring three runs and securing the win.
“It was an amazing hit too,” Hartsook said. “It was a true triple.”
She had “fire in her eyes,” Hartsook said. “She was not going to lose that battle. It was incredible.”
The Huskies had a number of highlights, Hartsook said, but that shot was her big takeaway from the tournament overall.
“It was just a good week, a good tournament for us,” Hartsook said. “We are being so much more aggressive hitting and putting the ball into play. Our strikeouts are decreasing. I am very excited because the girls are excited and performing. We’ve cleaned up our errors.”
The pitchers have been doing well too, Hartsook said. Pitching staff last week included Ally Tow, Savannah Hutchins and Ashtyn Walker as well as Olivia Fairchild up from the junior varsity.
The Huskies are 7-2 overall. Elsewhere in the Sky-Em, Elmira is 8-1, and Junction City is 7-1.
Sweet Home is 11th in statewide OSAA rankings, while Elmira is ranked third and Junction City fourth.
The Huskies were scheduled to host Sutherlin, 4-2, Tuesday; Junction City in a double header, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday; and Cottage Grove, 2-4 , 4:30 p.m. on April 10.
Sweet Home 13, Madras 3
Madras scored two runs on a right field error in the first inning to get the game going.
The Huskies pulled away in the second inning when Kurtz grounded out allowing Kate Hawken to score a run.
Bailee Hartsook reached base on an error, and Graci Zanona doubled to drive her home. Zanona stole third, and Sydney Mauer singled to score her, giving the Huskies a 3-2 lead.
The Huskies scored again in every inning, winning the game under the 10-run rule after five runs in the sixth, while Madras scored just once more, in the fourth inning.
The Huskies had 15 hits and 11 RBIS, led by Mauer who went 3-3 with two RBIs and two runs. Zanona went 3-4 with three RBIS and two runs.
Kurtz went 2-4 with two RBIs and a run.
Also hitting were Hartsook, Sunhee Bitter, Jasmine Carter, Hawken, Hutchins, Allison Miner and Tow. Hartsook, Mauer, Miner and Zanona each had doubles, Zanona with two. Miner and Hartsook added two RBIs each.
Running bases, Mauer stole three bases, and Bitter stole two. The team had 10 total stolen bases.
Lizzie Steuart led Madras at bat, going 2-3 with a run.
Hutchins was winning pitcher, giving up two hits, four walks and three runs, none earned in 3 1/3 innings. She struck out four. Pitching in relief, Tow gave up a hit and struck out five.
For Madras, Steuart gave up 14 hits and three walks with 13 runs, eight of them earned. She struck out one batter. Aspen Holcomb pitched four times, giving up one hit.
Madras 200 100 x – 3 3 4
Sweet Home 032 215 x – 13 15 2
Sweet Home 6, Crook County 1
Bitter opened the game up singling on a line drive to left field and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch.
She moved to third on a sacrifice from Hutchins. Miner reached base on an error, and Bitter scored. Miner advanced to third on singles by Tow and Kurtz and then stole home to build a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Emily Ackley singled, advancing on a single and fielder’s choice before scoring for Crook Count on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.
The Huskies scored four more in the top of fifth to secure their win.
Sweet Home collected 11 hits, with Kurtz going 3-4 with a run to lead the way at the plate. Hutchins and Tow each collected two hits, Hutchins with two RBIs and Tow with a run.
Hitting once each were Hartsook, Bitter, Mauer and Zanona. Hartsook, Mauer and Miner each had an RBI and run, and Bitter scored a run. Hutchins recorded a double.
Ackley went 2-2 with a run to lead Crook County at the plate.
Tow pitched a complete game for the Huskies, giving up seven hits, one earned run and no walks with two strikeouts.
Brooke Dalton threw for Crook County, giving up 10 hits, two walks and six runs, five earned, with two strikeouts. Emma Less threw the final inning, giving up one hit.
Sweet Home 200 040 0 – 6 11 0
Crook County 000 100 0 – 1 7 2
Sweet Home 14, Corbett 13
Corbett took an early two-out lead on a passed ball and a single by Serena Stencil that scored two runs. Kara Moritz doubled to score two more runners and give Corbett a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Miner doubled on a line drive to right field, and Hutchins, who reached on an error, scored on the throw to close the gap to 5-1.
Sweet Home scored three more runs in the second inning and four in the third, with Bitter and Mauer scoring on a single by Miner, to lead 8-5.
Isabella Morales singled and then scored on the throw when Moritz hit a double to start Corbett out in the fourth when it took a 10-8 lead.
Sweet Home tied the game up in the bottom of four with Zanona scoring on a single by Bitter. The Huskies pulled ahead in the bottom of the fifth with Tow tripling on a line drive to left field then scoring on the throw.
Corbett went ahead 12-11 in the top of six when Molly Stratton scored on a throw. Corbett finished the inning ahead 13-11.
Mauer opened the bottom of the sixth walking. Bitter flew out into a double play with Corbett catching Mauer at second base to give Sweet Home two outs.
Hutchins reached bsae on an error at shortstop, Miner singled and Tow walked to load bases for Kurtz, who tripled to score all three and snag the win.
Each team collected 15 hits on the game.
Leading the way for the Huskies, Mauer went 3-3 with three RBIs and two runs. Miner went 3-5 with three RBIs and two runs. Kurtz went 2-4 with three RBIs.
Zanona had two hits with three runs.
Hitting once each were Bitter, Hawken, Hutchins, Walker and Tow. Bitter and Hutchins each had two RBIs, and Tow had one. Hartsook scored three runs. Hutchins scored two runs, while Bitter and Tow each had one.
Hitting doubles were Mauer, Miner, Walker and Zanona. Kurtz and Two each tripled.
Morales led the way for Corbett going 3-4 with two runs.
Hutchins started on the rubber, allowing nine hits, two walks and 10 runs, nine of them earned, with six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. IN relief, Walker gave up one hit and struck out two in one inning. Tow threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up five hits, a walk and three earned runs with two strikeouts.
Moritz started for Corbett, giving up six hits, three walks and eight runs, two earned, with two strikeouts in three innings. In relief, Abigail Fritz gave up nine hits, two walks and six runs, three earned, with no strikeouts in three innings
Corbett 500 503 0 – 13 15 4
Sweet Home 134 213 x – 14 15 1
Sweet Home 12, Estacada 5
The Huskies scored three runs in each of the first three innings to build a 9-1 lead going into the fourth.
Estacada scored again in the fourth, with Sweet Home scoring a run then giving up three runs in the fifth to build a 10-5 lead going into the sixth inning.
Bitter got the scoreboard going for the Huskies in the first inning after being hit by pitch and reaching base at the top of the order. Zanona singled to advance her to second base, and she scored the first run on an error at second base.
Kurtz closed out Sweet Home scoring after stealing third and scoring after Hartsook grounded into a fielder’s choice.
The Huskies collected 13 hits and were led by Walker who went 3-4 with three runs. Tow, Miner and Mauer each had two hits. Hartsook, Bitter, Hutchins and Zanona each had one.
Mayer had three RBIs. Hartsook had two, while Hutchins, Miner, Tow and Zanona each had one. Miner and Hartsook each scored two runs. Scoring one run were Bitter, Kurtz, Mauer, Tow and Zanona.
Hutchins and Miner each hit a triple.
Leading the way for Estacada was Jenna Peterson, going 3-4 with a run.
Walker started out on the rubber for Sweet Home, giving up five hits and an unearned run with no walks and six strikeouts. Fairchild pitched the final two innings, giving up four hits, one walk and four runs, one earned and striking out two.
For Estacada Izzy Hayel pitched the first three innings, giving up nine hits, no walks and six earned runs. Emily Grant closed out the game, giving up three walks, four hits and three runs, two earned and striking out two.
Estacada 001 130 0 – 5 9 2
Sweet Home 333 012 x – 12 13 4