So far, so good for Jesuit's softball team as it runs a gauntlet of state contenders in its nonleague schedule.
The Crusaders – ranked seventh in the OSAAtoday 6A preseason coaches poll – stand 7-0 after winning all four of their games Monday and Tuesday in the Jesuit/Mountainside Tournament. They finished it off with a dramatic 6-5 home win over No. 2 West Linn.
The upcoming schedule is daunting for Jesuit. The Crusaders, who defeated 5A No. 9 Canby and 5A No. 7 Crater in the first week, will face a steady stream of 6A ranked teams – No. 3 Sherwood, No. 5 McMinnville, No. 4 Oregon City, No. 10 Central Catholic and No. 6 Glencoe – before starting Metro League play.
“I'm not going to schedule anybody I know we're going to beat 18-1,” Jesuit coach Jim Speciale said. “That doesn't do us any good at all.”
The Crusaders, who brought back all but one starter from a team that went 20-9 and lost in the second round of the 6A playoffs, are winning with depth and versatility.
“We've got 14 kids, we're playing 14 strong,” Speciale said. “In close ballgames, we're hanging on. We're not panicking, we're playing through stuff. We're doing the stuff we need to do. It's been a fun year so far.”
Jesuit is getting solid pitching from juniors Makena Boynay and Aubrey Rhodes. Boynay, the Metro pitcher of the year last season, has a 2.00 ERA and has fanned 28 in 27 innings. Rhodes, has a 4.12 ERA and has struck out 21 in 19 innings.
“We're playing great defense behind both of them,” Speciale said. 'We'll probably be a little heavy on Makena in Metro because Aubrey can play shortstop for us. But I'm not worried about if I have to go with Aubrey on the mound. I've got a great one-two punch.”
The Crusaders don't have any shutouts, but the offense has consistently produced, averaging 5.9 runs per game. Freshman Liz Jacobs is batting a team-high .625. Junior Olivia Hildreth is hitting .545 with 12 RBIs.
Senior Sam Blachly swung a big bat Tuesday as the Crusaders beat Tualatin 3-2 and West Linn 6-5. She went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs in each game.
The only starter Jesuit lost from last season was catcher Mary Cunningham. The Crusaders added two key pieces in Jacobs, who plays infield and outfield and can pitch, and sophomore Selah Greene, a transfer from Reno who plays right field and second base.
Speciale likes how he can mix and match players and positions.
“We're very versatile to move kids around,” he said. “It doesn't hurt us for me to sub kids in and out of the lineup. I feel comfortable in the fifth inning to put a kid in that's been on the bench.”
Senior center fielder Berkleigh Tuck, batting .476, can slap and hit for power in the leadoff spot. Sophomore left fielder Mason Rethwill hits second, followed by Hildreth, Blachly and Jacobs.
The Crusaders needed some clutch play to beat West Linn, handing the Lions (4-1) their only loss so far.
The game was tied 2-2 through six innings – Jesuit getting a solo homer from senior first baseman Riley Smith and an RBI single from Hildreth – before going to the international tiebreaker in the seventh inning.
The Crusaders, the visiting team despite playing on their home field, took a 3-2 lead on an RBI single by Tuck. Blachly made it 6-2 by ripping a three-run homer.
West Linn drew within 6-5 when junior Emily Sakys hit a three-run homer off Rhodes in the bottom of the seventh. With two runners on base, though, Jesuit escaped with the win when Rethwill made a diving catch in left-center field for the final out.
The Lions also got solo homers from senior Meg Allen and junior Piper Ruthrauff in the game.
Jesuit's win over Tualatin on Tuesday marked Speciale's 500th victory with the Crusaders. He is 501-232 in 29 seasons at the school. Overall, he is 536-284 in 35 seasons at Lincoln and Jesuit, No. 5 on the state's all-time list.
Notes: Freshman Presley Sorano-Ramos pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead 6A No. 3 Sherwood past 5A No. 2 Dallas 2-1 on Tuesday at the North Medford Spring Break Tournament. Sorano-Ramos has struck out 20 in 12 innings and has a 0.58 ERA for the unbeaten Bowmen (5-0), who went 4-0 in the tournament. Hollie Maughan (.545) and Maisy Schindler (.500, five stolen bases) lead Sherwood's offense. … Reigning 4A champion Pendleton is off to a 5-0 start, outscoring opponents 85-6. Junior Avery Quaempts helped lead the Buckaroos to four wins Monday and Tuesday in the Battle at the Beach tournament at Newport, going 7 for 8 with three home runs, nine RBIs and nine runs scored. …
South Albany's Emily Tschida went 8 for 14 with nine RBIs in four games at the North Eugene Tournament on Saturday through Monday. In Monday's 17-5 win over North Salem, she went 4 for 4 with a triple, home run and five RBIs for the RedHawks (1-3). … Violet Siegel hit a walk-off grand slam as McNary defeated 6A No. 9 Southridge 5-1 on Monday in the Battle of the West Tournament at Glencoe. Josalyn Netzel went 4 for 9 with a double and a homer and Ashlyn Wittnebel struck out 19 in 17/ 1/3 innings as McNary (4-0) won all three of its games at the tournament. …
St. Helens, ranked No. 8 in 4A, is 6-1 after winning three of four games at the North Medford Spring Break Tournament. Addy Ellis went 3 for 3 with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs to lead the Lions past 5A No. 10 Thurston 5-1 on Tuesday. … Sunset (6-0) outscored its foes 52-2 in winning all four of its games at the Nelson Spring Break Tournament on Monday and Tuesday. Sydney Arnold tossed a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts to beat Sandy 7-1. Keana Cooper led the way in a 10-0 win over Roosevelt, going 3 for 4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. … Avery Rust carried Tigard to a 6-1 win over Mountainside in the Jesuit/Mountainside Tournament on Tuesday. She recorded the complete-game victory, fanning seven, and went 3 for 3 with three doubles and three RBIs.
jerryu@osaa.org
Subscribe
