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| Cowgirls earn playoff berth |
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| Cowgirls split with league-leading The Dalles/Wahtonka, defeat Mountain View |
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 | | LON AUSTIN/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Brooklyn Walker throws the ball to first for an out while Sydney Waite backs her up in the Cowgirls game against Mountain View on Monday. Crook county won the game 7-0. |
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By Lon Austin
The Crook County High School softball team is on their way to the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
On Friday, May 2, the team split a doubleheader with league leading The Dalles/Wahtonka wrapping up a state playoff berth.
"It was a real solid trip for us," said Head Coach Tom Decker. "We talked before the games and told our kids that there was really no pressure on us to win the ballgames that there was more pressure on The Dalles, and our kids just went out there and played like they can. They went out there and had fun and we were happy to get out of there with a split."
The Cowgirls came out strong in the first game of the doubleheader, winning 2-0. Kelsey Casey was the winning pitcher for the Cowgirls, pitching seven innings and giving up only three hits, while Riley Parks pitched the entire game for The Dalles/Wahtonka giving up 10 hits and striking out seven batters.
"Casey pitched a tremendous game," Decker said. "It was the best game that I have ever seen her pitch. She was dead on."
At the plate, lefthanders Paige Buswell and Kaitlyn Duncan both had hot bats going three-for-four and two-for-three respectively. Five other Cowgirls had hits in the game with Josi Verity hitting a double and driving in both Crook County runs.
"It was a total team thing for us offensively and defensively," Decker said. "You just can't say enough about Verity. She is very solid as an outfielder and her bat has helped us through some crucial times the whole year long."
The Cowgirls came out on the short end of a 4-1 score in the second game of the doubleheader. Bre Crakes pitched all seven innings giving up seven hits and three earned runs. The Cowgirls had six hits of their own but could only muster one run.
"We had runners in scoring position all through the ballgame and the game could have gone either way," Decker said.
On Monday the Cowgirls played again, downing the Mountain View Cougars 7-0.
Crakes pitched a complete game two hitter for the win while the Cowgirls pounded out 10 hits.
Santana Reece had the big hit of the day hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning, her fifth home run of the season. Sydney Waite also had a hot bat going three-for-four on the night, and Duncan was two-for-four with a double.
The win leaves the Cowgirls with a 9-3 Intermountain Conference record (18-7 overall) with one league game remaining. The Dalles/Wahtonka and Pendleton are playing today and if TDW wins they win the league title outright and Pendleton and Crook County would be tied for second. If Pendleton wins TDW and Pendleton would be tied for first place and the Cowgirls would finish third in the IMC.
"We have still got to play Bend on Thursday, May 8, and we just can't overlook them," said Decker. "They have nothing to lose so they are going to come in and play us tough."
The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. and is the Cowgirls senior night.
"We are sending our seniors off with their last league game and we want to make sure that they go out a winner," Decker said.
If the Cowgirls finish in third place in the IMC they will open the state playoffs next week with a home game against a yet to be determined opponent from the Midwestern League. If they wind up in second place they will have a first round bye then go on the road to face the number one team from the Northwest Oregon League in the second round of the playoffs.
"We are real excited about where we are," said Decker. "Everything that we do now is brand new and has never been done before. We are making Crook County softball history and these kids are setting the bar pretty high for years to come. I am really proud of these kids." |
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