It’s been a tough run so far for Lebanon’s baseball and softball teams, as both sat in seventh place in the Mid-Willamette Conference coming into this week, after facing some of the league’s top teams.
Warrior Baseball Face League Top Teams
The Warriors played three baseball games last week, a home-and-home with league-leader Corvallis on Monday, April 20, and Wednesday, and a road game at Dallas Friday, April 24.
Corvallis is undefeated and leading the league 7-0. Dallas is close behind in third place with 6-1. The Warriors took their lumps.
The first Corvallis game was a very well-played, closely contested game with excellent pitching and defense on both sides.
Trenton Lewis threw a fiv- hitter at the Spartans and the Warriors turned a classic Von Runden-to-Vandiver-to-King double play.
Unfortunately, the Spartans threw a four-hitter at Lebanon’s batters, and the hosts managed to score a lone run in the bottom of the seventh to win 1-0.
Coach Jeff Stolsig was very impressed.
“This was a great game,” he said. “It was a tremendous pitching performance by Trenton Lewis.” The second game, on Lebanon’s home diamond, was all in the Spartans’ favor.
They threw a two-hitter at the Warriors.
Corvallis managed only seven hits but worked nine walks, leaving Lebanon with a 13-1 loss.
At Dallas, the Warriors fell 11-5.
Lebanon outhit its hosts 9-6, but gave up 10 walks.
“We outplayed Dallas in many categories,” Stolsig said. “ We played pretty good defense and we swung the bats well. We have a couple things to clean up and we will be a very good squad.”
Jaidyn Von Ruden, Cohen Vandiver and Lewis each collected two hits for the Warriors.
This week, the Warriors host Dallas on Monday, April 27, and have a home-and-home with South Albany on Wednesday and Friday.
– Mike Warner
Huskies beat defending league baseball champ
Sweet Home opened its Oregon West Conference campaign last week, losing a series with defending champion Philomath 2-1 – a big change from last year, when the Huskies lost all three games by a combined score of 56-5.
In the first game, Sweet Home started off hot, taking a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the third. After giving up a double, the Huskies gave up multiple free bases, walking five batters and hitting another.
Along with solid hitting Philomath was able to rattle off 10 runs in the inning and end the game due to mercy rule.
Game 2, on Thursday at Philomath, was a big difference.
Luke Rosa pitched all seven innings, throwing a season-high 97 pitches, with 61 going for strikes. He and the Huskies defense only allowed seven hits and three runs, keeping the Warriors to just one run for the first six innings, then allowing just two in the seventh.
The game was very close; the Huskies were up by one going into the top of the fifth, where Sweet Home scored two more to make the game, 4-1.
The Huskies then broke open the game with four runs in the top of the seventh, Philomath responded with two runs, but it was too little too late.
Kyle Zajic led the team with three hits, two of them doubles, and three runs. Three Huskies had two RBIs each: Connor Northern, Rosa and Damon Lawrence, who delivered a triple.
As a team they had 10 total hits, with two sacrifice flies and seven RBIs.
This was the Huskies’ first game with zero errors
The Huskies struggled again in Game 3, with four Sweet Home pitchers making appearances on the mound, walking a total of 10 batters in the 16-6 loss.
Zajic started on the mound, and things were going well, with the Huskies defense keeping Philomath scoreless through two innings.
In the top of the third Philomath started to get some momentum with two singles but another good tag at the plate by Jake Smith kept the Warriors from getting a score. After another single, though, AJ Altishin hit a home run to even the score at three runs apiece.
Sweet Home was able to score after a single from Eddie Taylor brought Tregon Francis home to stay on top 4-3.
But things went downhill after that, as a combination of walks, a hit batter gave the visitors some traction and a 8-4 lead coming into the bottom of the fourth.
Caleb Babcock, last year’s 4A Player of the Year and First Team All-State left-hander, took over on the mound then for the visitors.
It wasn’t over yet, as Luke Rosa banged a fastball over the centerfield scoreboard to put the Huskies back in it, 8-6, but back to back innings of poor defense and now stalemated offense allowed the Warriors to score four more runs in each of the fifth and sixth frames to once again end the contest on the mercy rule.
In the second week of league play, Sweet Home hosts Cascade on Monday and Thursday, with a visit to the Cougars Wednesday.
– Keeghan Gittins
Warrior Softball Face Tough League Competition
The Warriors finished last week 1-2 after a close win at home against Crescent Valley, sandwiched by a 1-9 loss at West Albany on Monday, April 20, and an 18-8 defeat at Silverton Friday. Silverton and West Albany are second and third in the league, respectively, coming into this week.
West Albany was a tough test for Lebanon. The Bulldogs jumped on the Warriors early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Bulldog pitcher throttled the Warrior hitters holding them to just two hits and one run.
The Warrior defense was much better the rest of the game. But, Albany added insurance runs in the fourth and sixth for the 9-1 win.
The Crescent Valley game was much more in Lebanon’s favor. The Warriors outscored the Raiders 11-10.
The Warriors plated single runs in the first and fourth innings to take the lead. Crescent Valley, held scoreless until the fifth inning, exploded for nine runs in that frame. That might have signaled Lebanon’s demise, but not so fast.
The Warriors rallied for a big inning themselves scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to one. Warrior pitching held Crescent Valley scoreless in the top of the seventh and the Lebanon bats scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the win.
Lebanon bats were much more active in this game. Going 11-34, and drawing seven walks. Tatum Cole went 2-5 with a home run and a double. Scarlett French also recorded two hits including a double. Majestah Nida also recorded two hits.
On Friday, the Warriors outhit the Foxes 9-7, but had four errors and gave up 14 walks as Silverton got away with an 18-8 win.
Bright spots for the Warrior offense included Cole, who went 1-3 with another home run and three RBIs. Hailey Myers and Taelyn Whitney each collected two hits for the Warriors.
This coming week, Lebanon has only two games, hosting Dallas on Monday and traveling to South Albany on Wednesday, April 29.
– Mike Warner
Lebanon Boys Tennis
Lebanon’s boys won two matches against West Albany April 23 in a 5-2 team loss that included three doubles matches.
Micah Zderad defeated the Bulldogs’ Gage Penselin 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 1 singles match and Colton Parrish downed Javier Soto 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4. At No. 2 singles, Ryan Robinson took West Albany’s Alek Milburn the distance before falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Zderad, playing No. 1 singles, was the only winner for Lebanon against Corvallis in a 7-1 team loss on April 21, beating Kellen Reeve 6-3, 6-0.
The Warriors had two other matches that were battles, both Hunter Jacobsen (7-5, 6-3) in the No. 2 singles match Robinson at No. 4 (6-3, 7-5), keeping the scores close in their matches.
“The big bright spot from those two matches were Micah Zderad getting a win in both matches in two sets each,” Coach Jacob Butler said. “He is our No. 1 singles player, who has been playing well the last couple weeks and is positioning himself well for a district run. We are hoping that he can even get seeded fourth going into the district bracket.”
Lebanon Girls Tennis
Lebanon tied West Albany 4-4 on April 23, winning all four of its singles matches.
Alison Frey won the No. 1 match 6-1, 6-3, Hailey Destowet won No. 2 6-4, 4-6, Gwyn Wheeler won the No. 3 match 7-6 (2), 6-4, and Anne Workman took the No. 4 match 6-2, 6-2.
Against Corvallis on April 21, Frey was the only winner for the Warriors in a 7-1 team loss, beating Cosette Torres Torres 7-5, 6-2 in the No. 1 singles match. Hailey Destowet gave the Spartans’ Callie Bennett a fight in the No. 2 match, but lost 6-3, 7-5.
Lebanon Boys Golf
Sam Tunstill shot a one-over 73 to win a Mid-Willamette Conference tournament hosted by Lebanon at Mallard Creek on Monday, April 20, leading the Warriors to a fourth-place finish in a field of nine teams.
Lebanon finished with a 320, behind Corvallis (309), West Albany (314) and Crescent Valley (319).
Corvallis’ Thomas Mendoza finished two strokes behind Tunstill for second, with a 74.
Austin George finished as the Warriors’ second-lowest scorer with an 80, followed by Jaden Offutt (83), Tanner Lee (84) and Joey Squires (97). Jeremiah Emerson was seeded sixth for the Warriors, so couldn’t score for the team, but finished with a 97.
Lebanon played Monday, April 27, at the OGA course in Woodburn in its final match before districts on May 11-12, which will be hosted by the Warriors at Mallard Creek.
Lebanon Girls Golf
The Warriors played their fourth MWC match of the season Monday, April 20, at Trysting Tree in Corvallis, finishing seventh in a field of eight scoring teams.
Lebanon finished with a 435. Crescent Valley, led by individual winner Anna Rivers, who shot seven-over 78, finished with 349. Woodburn was second (391) and West Albany third (393).
Sophomore Sierra Miller led the Warriors with a 98, with Sierra Miller finishing with 100 , Bailey Lester 110, Kari Collins with 127 and Carmen Johnson with 128.
The girls played Monday, April 27, in their own tournament at Mallard Creek, their final regular-season match of the year. They will host the MWC tournament May 11-12 at Mallard Creek.
Sweet Home Boys Golf
Trent Harvey shot an 80 to place third and pace the Huskies to a third-place team finish in a Oregon West League golf match at Langdon Farms hosted by North Marion Monday, April 20.
Henry Gainer finished with a 93, followed by Evan Malabago (95), Lynkin Royer (101) and Blayne Schuster (102).
The Huskies played Monday, April 27, at Cross Creek and will finish their regular-season match schedule May 4 at Diamond Woods. Districts are May 11-12 at Tokatee.
Sweet Home Girls Golf
Sweet Home’s girls were eighth in a field of nine teams Wednesday, April 22, at Bar Run in Roseburg, hosted by North Bend.
The Huskies were matched against some of the best small schools in the region, along with 5A Division Silverton and North Eugene.
Sweet Home finished with a 437, led by Tori Victor, who was 12th overall with a 98. Isabella Wagner finished with a 109. Taelyn Coleman and Lynmikka Damag both with 115, and Eleanor Larsen with 123.
Salem Academy won with a 309, led by Ellie Gladow, who shot a one-over 71 to win the individual honors. North Bend was second (372), followed by Silverton (397) and North Eugene (401).
In a nine-hole junior varsity 4A/3A/2A/1a Special District 3 match Monday, April 20, at Santiam Golf Club, hosted by Stayton, the Huskies placed second.
Freshman Ava Murry led the Huskies with a 59, with fellow freshman Caira Erspamer right behind with 60. Kylie Melkvik finished with 71 and Aiaih Duran 72.