Perhaps no softball team had a more gut-wrenching finish to the 2024 season than Sunset.
In the first round, the Apollos took a 3-0 lead and a perfect game by pitcher Keana Cooper into the seventh inning, but lost 4-3 to eventual 6A runner-up Glencoe.
“I think it definitely still is in the back of our head a bit,” coach Montana Evens said. “Especially because we had a decent year and expected to make a little bit of a playoff run. It definitely was a little bit of fuel for this year.”
So far this season, the Apollos aren't letting any wins get away. Eight of the their victories are by three or fewer runs, with three coming on walk-offs. At 16-2 overall, 4-0 in the Metro League, they have risen to No. 1 in this week's OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll.
“They're just battling,” Evens said. “We don't have our best stuff every game, but one thing they do have is a lot of grit. Kudos to them. A lot of our close games, they don't give up very easily.”
Last week, Sunset took the inside track in the Metro with three hard-fought victories. They beat Southridge 2-1 in eight innings, went on the road to defeat No. 2 Jesuit 3-0 and gutted out an 8-7, nine-inning home win over Mountainside.
Against Southridge, the Skyhawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, but the Apollos answered with two runs in the bottom half, the winner scoring on an RBI double by Cooper, now a senior.
At Jesuit, freshman Sydney Arnold pitched a four-hit shutout and drove in two of the team's three runs. The Apollos got outstanding defense from senior first baseman Sofia Santana, Cooper at shortstop and senior center fielder Jordan Pena, who threw out a runner at the plate.
On Friday, Mountainside scored three runs in the top of the seventh to tie 6-6 and took a 7-6 lead in the ninth, but Sunset countered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Santana scored the winning run from second base on an infield single by Cooper.
“I'm getting gray hair by the minute with all these close games,” Evens said.
The white-knuckle wins have become a pattern. On April 9, Sunset won 9-6 in eight innings at No. 3 Sherwood, scoring a run in the seventh to force extra innings and putting up three runs in the eighth. On April 11 at home against Tigard, the Apollos trailed 2-0 and 4-2 before winning 5-4 on a walk-off wild pitch.
Sunset's offense has improved from a year ago. The Apollos hit .301 and averaged 7.8 runs in finishing 18-9 last season. Now they are batting .359 and averaging 8.3 runs.
“We're just putting the ball in play better, making better contact, having better quality at-bats,” Evens said. “We've got a lot of kids that are consistent across the board.”
Cooper has been the catalyst in the leadoff spot, batting .412 with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 13 RBIs and 26 runs. Pena (.383, one home run, 22 RBIs), sophomore first baseman Shelby Townsend (.420, 15 RBIs) and freshman third baseman Claire Townsend (.378, eight doubles, 10 RBIs) also are having big seasons.
Arnold has emerged as the team's No. 1 pitcher. In 65 2/3 innings, she has allowed 53 hits, struck out 86, walked eight and has a 2.03 ERA.
“She's pretty poised,” Evens said. “She doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. She wants the ball. She doesn't get easily rattled. You can see it in her face, she digs deep when it gets tough and finds a way to grind it out.”
Evens said that the Apollos compare favorably to their 2019 team, which won the Metro and made the 6A semifinals. That team had pitcher Grace Kimball (Boise State, Portland State) and shortstop Abby Wingo (Seton Hall).
“We love that 2019 team. The difference between now and then is we didn't have depth back then,” Evens said. “We had two, three, four really standout kids, but we didn't have depth. This year, I've got one through 15, and these kids can play ball. We've got a lot of kids that are interchangeable.”
Sunset has lost only to No. 4 McMinnville 4-3 and No. 7 Glencoe 4-0 in nonleague games.
La Grande takes two from Pendleton
No. 1 La Grande swept a doubleheader at No. 5 Pendleton in a showdown between 4A Greater Oregon League powers Friday.
The Tigers (19-0, 6-0) won the first game 7-5. Carlee Strand hit two home runs, including a two-run shot that opened a 7-2 lead in the fifth inning. Marti Anderson and Cassidy Hogge also went deep for La Grande. Kallyn Harnack pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits, to earn the win.
Pendleton got home runs from Reese Furstenberg and Kendall Murphy in the loss. Murphy pitched seven innings, allowing nine hits, striking out 11 and walking nine.
The Tigers took the second game 11-5. Strand belted a three-run homer in the first inning as La Grande opened a 4-0 lead, but Pendleton came back with five runs in the third inning – keyed by a two-run double from Josie Jenness – to pull ahead 5-4.
The Tigers scored four runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth inning to open an 11-5 edge. They finished with 13 hits off Furstenberg, led by Maddie Seavert (4 for 5).
Harnack recorded the win in the circle.
Pendleton (13-3, 4-2) entered last week unbeaten but lost to No. 2 Scappoose 6-5 in a nonleague game April 22. In that game, Scappoose's Sophia Bloyd went 3 for 4 with two homers and three RBIs.
Wins vault West Linn to first place
No. 8 West Linn moved into first place in the 6A Three Rivers League by beating Tigard 5-4 on Friday and Oregon City 3-1 on Monday. The Lions (13-3, 5-1) hold a one-game lead over the Tigers (8-9, 4-2) and Pioneers (6-11, 4-2).
Kendall Atwood went 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs, McKayla Castro hit a home run and Vivienne McGrew had two hits in the win at Tigard. Meg Allen ripped a two-run homer and McGrew had three hits as the Lions topped Oregon City at Rosemont Ridge Middle School.
Avery Wolf pitched complete games in both wins. She gave up six hits and four earned runs against Tigard and tossed a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk, allowing one unearned run, against Oregon City.
The Lions got payback from losing at Oregon City 7-4 in the first round of league play.
Notes:
Sofia Forbito hit a walk-off home run in the seventh inning to lift Nelson to a 10-8 win over visiting Gresham in a Mt. Hood Conference game Monday. Forbito went 3 for 4 with a double, home run, three RBIs and a stolen base. Abigail Huspeck went 3 for 4 with a double, triple, two RBIs and four runs for the Hawks (8-9, 4-1). … Malia Scanlan helped 4A No. 3 Cascade (17-0) remain unbeaten with three wins last week. She went 7 for 8 with double, triple, two home runs and seven RBIs. She also stole two bases. …
Creswell's Kaylee Waller went 8 for 12 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in three games last week for the Bulldogs (8-6). In an 18-17 loss at La Pine on April 22, she went 5 for 6 with a triple, two home runs and eight RBIs and threw out two runners at home plate from center field. For the season, she is batting .614 with five home runs and 30 RBIs and has 16 stolen bases in 16 attempts. … Mariah Walker of Douglas drove in 13 runs in four wins last week, including a grand slam and two-run homer in the same inning. … Kassidy Anderson hit four home runs, including a grand slam, and had 11 RBIs in Thurston's three-game series against Eagle Point last week.
jerryu@osaa.org
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