EUGENE – Sherwood's softball team could have melted down after giving up a four-run lead in the sixth inning of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A final Saturday at the University of Oregon.
But the third-seeded Bowmen (29-3) didn't flinch, answering with a six-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning and going on to a 10-6 win over No. 4 North Medford (24-7) for their first state championship.
First-year Sherwood coach Kris Moore said his team specifically prepared for such a scenario in practices leading up to the game.
“We talked about there's likely to be times in this game where we'd have to claw our way back,” Moore said. “Exactly what we prepared for happened. The girls, it didn't faze them at all.”
After North Medford's stunning rally tied the game at 4-4, Sherwood hit back harder North Medford sophomore pitcher Julia Edwards. Junior Hollie Maughan hit a one-out double to right-center to score freshman Berklee Henning with the go-ahead run, and the hits just kept coming.
“I haven't been hitting the greatest throughout playoffs,” Maughan said. “But it didn't matter anything in the past. I just knew that I would do anything in my power to get that run in.”
Maughan stole home to make it 6-4. Junior Daisha Cornwell hit an RBI single and junior Maisy Schindler smacked a two-run homer – her second blast of the game – off senior reliever Malia Baker as the lead grew to 9-4.
Senior McKenna Parmalee finished the rally with an RBI double to left-center, extending the lead to 10-4. North Medford scored twice in the seventh on a two-run double by junior Natalie Tlascala, but Sherwood closed it out.
Entering the sixth, the Bowmen didn't have a hit since the first inning. But faced with the situation, their offense stirred to life.
“I don't know that happened there, but we all knew this was the time to do it,” Schindler said. “We had to do it now. We put it all out there, and it worked out in our favor.”
Moore could see it coming.
“When they came off the field, they were excited to go hit,” Moore said. “I didn't have to motivate them, they were already motivated.”
Sherwood lost in the semifinals in 2023 and the quarterfinals last year, both times to eventual champion Sheldon. This team -- which made the championship game for the first time in school history -- was different, according to Maughan.
“We made it far in playoffs. We had the talent,” Maughan said. “But this year we all came together. We were the best team we could be. We were all selfless.
“Getting that title, being the first in our school, is the biggest honor that I've ever accomplished in my life, and it is for many of us.”
North Medford, which lost at Sherwood 8-1 in a playoff tune-up game May 20, showed its resilience with the late comeback.
Down 4-0 in the sixth, the Black Tornado rallied against Sherwood freshman pitcher Presley Sarono-Ramos, who replaced senior starter Destiny Cornwell in the fourth inning.
They got RBI singles by seniors Maleyah Thoele and Caileigh Raines to make it 4-2. Cornwell replaced Sarono-Ramos in the circle, and Edwards greeted her with a two-run double to left-center, tying the game 4-4.
Cornwell struck out senior Sadie Hall for the third out with the potential go-ahead run standing on second base.
“My team battled hard,” Edwards said. “I knew that we were not going to drop the ball until the last second. I'm so proud of how we've battled like this all year. I wish we didn't wait for the last second, but it is how it is.”
Edwards had kept Sherwood's offense under wraps after giving up four early runs, but the Bowmen's bats got going again.
“I think they knew that they were doing to have to fight for this win,” Edwards said. “They did. They put on a fight.”
Schindler, who also homered in a semifinal win at Jesuit, said the Bowmen were confident they could strike again off Edwards.
“We knew that we could do it,” Schindler said. “We scored four in the first two innings off that girl, and we knew we could come back. We knew all that we needed to do was just base hits, and not try to hit it completely over the fence.”
Sherwood finished with nine hits, seven off Edwards. Schindler went 2 for 3 with two home runs and four RBIs. Maughan, Parmalee (2 for 4) and Daisha Cornwell also drove in runs.
Destiny Cornwell pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs, striking out one. Sarono-Ramos pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and fanning five.
Sherwood came out swinging in the first inning. Schindler, hit a deep blast over the left-field wall for a 1-0 lead. Junior Jordyn Henderson, up next, hit a triple to center field and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the second inning. Maughan reached on a swinging third strike that got away from the catcher and scored on a fielder's choice ground ball by Daisha Cornwell. Schindler added a sacrifice fly.
jerryu@osaa.org
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