Eugene Sports Zone: May 1 Capsules

BASEBALL

#21 CHURCHILL (6-13)
■ Leading off: Churchill has a week off from Midwestern League games and faces Class 6A No. 17 Willamette in its final non-league game of the season. The Lancers attempt to stop a six-game skid, and will need a stellar game from lead-off hitter Tyler Mikel if they hope to do so.

#6 MARIST CATHOLIC (12-8)
■ Leading off: The Spartans continue Sky-Em play with a Thursday doubleheader at Cottage Grove this week. Marist beat CG 7-0 in the team’s only meeting this season. Sophomore pitcher Gianni Lombardi had 8 Ks in only 3 innings in that matchup, and has been key on the mound for the Spartans.

#22 NORTH EUGENE (7-11)
■ Leading off: North Eugene battles with No. 7 Crater in a series this week. Crater is 9-0 in the Midwestern League, while North Eugene continues to battle with Ashland for the third and final automatic playoff bid. Sophomore right-hander Michael Buschelman will likely get a start in one of the games.

#32 SHELDON (8-14)
■ Leading off: Sheldon currently holds the final at-large bid for the Class 6A postseason bracket, but the Irish have a tough doubleheader on Saturday at No. 24 Roseburg. Grabbing a win in the doubleheader is important for senior pitcher Nolan Miller and the Irish.

#29 SOUTH EUGENE (10-12)
■ Leading off: South Eugene already has its first double-digit win season since 2021, but can build on that this weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday at South Medford, the last place team in the Southwest Conference. The Axe did already lose to South Medford this season though, so senior Tavo Santiago and South will be out for revenge.

#17 WILLAMETTE (14-7)
■ Leading off: Willamette is locked in a battle with Grants Pass, North Medford, and Roseburg to see who can grab the three automatic playoff bids from the Southwest Conference. The Wolverines split a doubleheader against Roseburg earlier this season, so next Tuesday’s game against Roseburg serves as the season-series tiebreaker.

SOFTBALL

#24 CHURCHILL (4-16)
■ Leading off: Churchill tries to stop a four-game skid this week as the Lancers play their final non-league game of the season – a home game against Class 6A Willamette. Sophomore Sienna Brown had a solid week on the mound and at bat for Churchill last week, and will be central to the team’s success if they grab a win.

#15 MARIST CATHOLIC (9-13)
■ Leading off: Marist is 1-4 in its last five Sky-Em League games, but has a chance to turn things around with a doubleheader on Friday at Cottage Grove, a team the Spartans already beat 10-0 earlier this season. Senior Aaliyah Martinez went 3-for-3 in that win, and has been a catalyst on offense all season for Marist.

#23 NORTH EUGENE (9-11)
■ Leading off: North Eugene has a series this week against No. 8 Crater – the back-to-back defending Midwestern League champions. If the Highlanders hope to pull off an upset, it’ll likely be on the arm of freshman pitcher Gracie Hibler.

#3 SHELDON (18-3) 
■ Leading off: Sheldon is 14-0 in Southwest Conference play, and likely has the conference title locked up. As long as star pitcher Payton Burnham and the Irish grab one win during their doubleheader at No. 17 Roseburg on Saturday, they’ll officially secure their second-straight conference title.

#33 SOUTH EUGENE (6-13)
■ Leading off: The Axe are teetering on the edge of the postseason bracket, but can get a huge boost with an upset win this week during a doubleheader at No. 14 South Medford. South Eugene did already lose to South Medford 7-0 earlier this season, but could pull off an upset if senior pitcher Abby Langan-Forbes throws a great game.

#37 WILLAMETTE (4-18)
■ Leading off: Willamette searches for its first conference win of the season next Tuesday with a game against No. 17 Roseburg. Willamette came close to beating Roseburg earlier this season, falling 2-0 despite Jadynn Ireland allowing only 2 hits on the day.

BASEBALL

■ Churchill was swept in a series against No. 2 Thurston, the closest loss coming in a 3-0 Game Three defeat. Blake Mikel pitched 6 innings and allowed only 3 runs, while Tyler Mikel grabbed two hits for the Lancers.

■ Marist Catholic won its 6th game in a row in the Sky-Em League Tuesday with an 11-0 win over No. 17 Marshfield. Peyton Tyner led the way, scoring 4 times and hitting a home run. Drew Wooten (6 Ks) and Niko Leyba (5 Ks) combined for 11 strikeouts in the win.

■ North Eugene was swept by No. 10 Ashland last week, with the closest game being a 3-2 loss in Game One. Logan Brown had a solo home run for the Highlanders in the loss.

■ Sheldon took down South Medford in both games of a doubleheader Monday night, winning Game One 7-0 and Game Two 9-3. Jake Jorgensen finished Game One with 2 hits, 1 run, and 2 RBI, and Nolan Miller chipped in 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 RBI. In Game Two, Miller finished 4-for-4 with 1 run and 3 RBI, and Quincy Peterson contributed 3 hits, 4 runs, and 1 RBI.

■ South Eugene took down Sheldon 4-2 on Tuesday night behind a 2-run 5th inning. Tavo Santiago had a 2-run home run for South, while freshman Andrew Roadman pitched the whole game and had 4 Ks.

■ Willamette lost a crucial doubleheader to No. 19 Grants Pass last Friday in a matchup between the top two teams in the Southwest Conference. In the 1-0 Game One defeat, Mason Christian pitched the full game and allowed only 2 hits. In Game Two, a 4-3 loss, Tyson Rather and Joey Garboden each had 1 hit and 1 run.

SOFTBALL

■ Churchill faced No. 13 Thurston and lost all three games of the series, though two games were by one run. Churchill fell 6-5 in Game One despite 8 Ks from Sienna Brown. In the 11-10 Game Two defeat, Nicole Conway finished with 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI to lead the way.

■ Marist Catholic split a doubleheader last Friday with No. 11 Junction City, losing Game One 11-10 before bouncing back and taking Game Two 16-11. Avia Tuguldur led the Spartans in the loss, finishing with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 3 RBI – including a 2-run home run in the 1st inning. In the Game Two, Aaliyah Martinez propelled the team to victory with 3 hits, 1 run, and 5 RBI. Martinez hit a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning.

■ North Eugene got its first series win of the season with a sweep over Ashland last week. The Highlanders took game one 11-4 behind freshman Gracie Hibler’s 10 Ks, 2 hits, 1 run, and 3 RBI. In a 9-2 Game Two win, Lydia Taylor pitched a full game and had 9 Ks, and North Eugene won Game Three 11-7 as Hibler threw 11 Ks and Peyton Ebert had 3 hits, 2 runs, and 4 RBI.

■ Sheldon, the defending Class 6A state champs, moved to 14-0 in Southwest Conference action with a doubleheader win over No. 14 South Medford last Saturday. In Game One, a 9-1 victory, Kinley Pappas had 1 hit, 3 runs, and 3 RBI, and Payton Burnham had 11 Ks. Burnham led the team in the 7-0 Game Two win, pitching the full game and striking out 14, while also adding 2 hits and 2 RBI.

■ South Eugene’s only win last week was a 6-0 victory over Willamette last Tuesday. Abby Langan-Forbes pitched the full game, allowing only 2 hits and adding 10 Ks. On offense, Grace Joseph and Kawon Kim each had 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 RBI.

■ Willamette fell to 0-15 in the Southwest Conference with four losses last week. The Wolverines did have a close 6-0 defeat to South Eugene in which Jadynn Ireland threw 11 Ks.