THE MAIN EVENT: TRACK & FIELD
WALLY CIOCHETTI INVITATIONAL
■ Meet facts: Cottage Grove and Creswell at Wally Ciochetti Invitational (CGHS). … Friday, May 3 at 2 p.m. … Admission: $5 adults, $3 students.
■ What2Know: Cottage Grove and Creswell will be two of 15 teams competing at Cottage Grove for the annual Wally Ciochetti Invitational. Carter Bengtson, a cross country state champion, leads the Lions boys in the 3000 with the best time in Class 4A, and Makya Alsup leads the girls with the 5th-best javelin toss in Class 4A. On the Creswell side, freshman Jordyn Lee has the 3rd-best time in the Class 3A girls 400, and the 8th-best time in the 200.
WEEKLY PREVIEWS
BASEBALL
#27 COTTAGE GROVE (7-13)
■ Leading off: The Lions have their final home stand of the season as they host No. 7 Marist in a Friday doubleheader. Senior captains Isaiah Cushman and Christian Spear will be two of the four Lions honored during the doubleheader, and both have been the leaders on the diamond for Cottage Grove as well.
#25 CRESWELL (5-12)
■ Leading off: Creswell earned its 5th win of the season last week, and can surpass last year’s win total with an upset this week against No. 8 La Pine. Senior left-handed pitcher Evan Jenkins had one of his best games of the season last week and will likely start one of the games against La Pine.
#3 PLEASANT HILL (13-4)
■ Leading off: The Billies face off with Elmira in a series this week as the three-way battle for the Mountain Valley Conference title continues between Pleasant Hill, Sisters, and La Pine. Pleasant Hill’s two main pitchers in Caden Richardson and Alejandro Ziolkowski continue to lead the Billies.
#31 SPRINGFIELD (1-17)
■ Leading off: After a close 8-6 non-league loss to North Salem last week, Springfield returns to Midwestern League play with a series against No. 9 Ashland – a state semifinalist last season. Head coach Alan Embree has stressed the importance of giving the young Millers players more experience as they have seven underclassmen on the roster.
#2 THURSTON (15-3)
■ Leading off: The Colts continue to ramp up their title defense as the calendar flips to May. Thurston clashes with Eagle Point this week as Collin Hernandez and Grady Saunders continue to give the Colts a boost on the mound. Star pitcher Connor Molony has yet to pitch again this year after an opening-night injury, though he has contributed offensively for Thurston.
SOFTBALL
#14 COTTAGE GROVE (8-8)
■ Leading off: Before the Sky-Em League season, coach Adam Dimock said the team wanted to be the first in program history to make the postseason. To reach that goal, the time is now for the Lions to turn on the as they jockey for play-in position. A victory over No. 15 Marist this week would help the Lions’ case for hosting a play-in game to make the playoffs.
#17 CRESWELL (11-8)
■ Leading off: Creswell returns to Mountain Valley Conference competition after three non-league games last week. The Bulldogs are the favorites for the third and final automatic qualifier spot in the MVC as of now, but have a series against the team just below them in La Pine this week.
#10 PLEASANT HILL (10-5)
■ Leading off: The Billies (8-2 in the MVC) and No. 6 Harrisburg (9-3) are still neck and neck in the conference title race, making Pleasant Hill’s series against Elmira all the more important this week. Freshman Sari Strinz has been a revelation in the second-hitting spot for the Billies this season.
#25 SPRINGFIELD (6-11)
■ Leading off: Springfield returns to action after 10 days off to play a series against Ashland, the only winless team in the Midwestern League. Freshman pitcher Lillian Wobbe and senior outfielder Jacey Smith have helped spur the Millers to their best season since 2011.
#16 THURSTON (11-6)
■ Leading off: Thurston remains atop the Midwestern League with its 9-0 league record. The Colts’ key stretch begins now, though, as Thurston plays No. 11 Eagle Point this week and No. 8 Crater next week. A series win over Eagle Point would set up a huge series against Crater next week for the league title.
WEEKLY RECAPS
BASEBALL
■ Cottage Grove dropped its sole game last week to No. 16 Marshfield. In the 10-6 loss, Isaiah Cushman had 10 Ks, and Devon Accord added 2 hits and 2 RBI.
■ Creswell had a week off of conference games and faced Sutherlin in its final non-league game of the season. The Bulldogs took down Sutherlin 12-2 as senior Evan Jenkins collected 5 Ks, 3 hits, 1 run, and 2 RBI. Third baseman Landon Palmer recorded 3 hits, 1 run, and 3 RBI in the win.
■ Pleasant Hill had a series against No. 8 La Pine last week, but the Friday doubleheader was postponed due to weather. The Billies lost the series opener on Tuesday 6-4 as Caden Richardson finished with 8 Ks, and both Hunter Allen and Jon Fitzpatrick added 2 hits and 1 run.
■ Springfield fell 8-6 to Class 6A North Salem in a non-league game last Wednesday. The Millers were led by freshman Jalen Smith, who finished the loss with 4 Ks, 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 RBI.
■ Thurston continued its undefeated league season with a series sweep over Churchill. In a 10-0 Game One win, Grady Saunders pitched all 5 innings and struck out 7, and Connor Molony led the offense with 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. In the 12-1 Game Two victory, Adam Elliott went 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBI, and Kyle Miller led the way in Game Three with 7 Ks as the Colts won 3-0.
SOFTBALL
■ Cottage Grove fell to No. 7 Marshfield 5-2 on Tuesday in 8 innings before having a doubleheader postponed due to weather. Junior Emily Pacheco had another stellar showing in the circle, finishing with 14 Ks despite the defeat.
■ Pleasant Hill took down La Pine 14-4 in Mountain Valley Conference action before losing two non-league games to top teams on Saturday. Bella Black led the way in the La Pine win with 11 Ks. In a 5-2 loss to Class 4A No. 8 Cascade, freshman Sari Strinz grabbed 2 hits and 1 run, and Karley Bloxham led the way in a 7-2 loss against No. 2 Yamhill-Carlton with a 2-run home run.
■ Thurston swept a tight series against Churchill, winning the three games 6-5, 11-10, and 14-6. In Game One, Syren Ferguson led the way with 3 hits and 2 runs, and Kasey Ogan struck out 9. The Colts won Game Two thanks to a three-run 7th inning, led by Ferguson’s 3 hits, 4 runs, and 2 RBI. Emily Spain spearheaded the Game Three win, going 4-for-4 with 4 runs and 4 RBI.
TRACK & FIELD RECAPS
■ Creswell and Pleasant Hill competed in a MVC meet at Creswell. The Billies boys took 2nd and the girls took 3rd, and Creswell’s girls took 2nd and the boys finished 5th. Steven Gunn had a solid day for the Pleasant Hill boys, finishing 1st in the 4×400 relay, 2nd in the discus, 3rd in the javelin, and 4th in the shot put. Meanwhile, Ellie Epperson led the girls with wins in the 400 and 3000. For Creswell, freshman Jordyn Lee won the girls 100 and 200, and Lance Risdal set a personal record to win the boys javelin.
■ Springfield and Thurston both traveled to South Eugene last week. Thurston seized wins in both 100m races as Ashden Weiler won the boys race and Brooklyn Anderson won the girls. Owen Fuller continued his stellar season for the Millers as he won the boys 1500, and freshman Sailor Hall won the girls discus event.
CONFERENCE CALL
Weekly notes from around our area teams’ conferences:
Crater softball takes crucial series over Eagle Point
■ No. 8 Crater and No. 11 Eagle Point faced off last week, with Crater winning games one and two before Eagle Point won game three. Crater has won the past two Midwestern League titles. In the 8-0 Game One win, Amanda Hammer had two runs and 4 RBI for Crater.
Elmira upsets No. 6 Sisters with walk-off double
■ The Elmira Falcons baseball team (7-13) upset No. 6 Sisters in Game Three of a series last week in walk-off fashion. Sisters is the defending conference champions and took games one and two in the series. In Game Three, tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Trentyn Herbert hit an RBI-double to drive in Quinton Marshall and win the game for the Falcons.
RESULTS/SCHEDULES
RESULTS
BASEBALL
Tuesday, April 23
■ Marshfield 10, Cottage Grove 6
■ Creswell 12, Sutherlin 2
■ La Pine 6, Pleasant Hill 4
■ Thurston 10, Churchill 0
Wednesday, April 24
■ North Salem 8, Springfield 6
Saturday, April 27
■ Thurston 12, Churchill 1
■ Thurston 3, Churchill 0
SOFTBALL
Tuesday, April 23
■ Marshfield 5, Cottage Grove 2
■ Creswell 17, Sutherlin 5
■ Pleasant Hill 14, La Pine 4
■ Thurston 6, Churchill 5
Wednesday, April 24
■ Creswell 3, Marist 2
Saturday, April 27
■ Cascade 5, Pleasant Hill 2
■ Yamhill-Carlton 7, PHHS 2
■ Thurston 11, Churchill 10
■ Thurston 14, Churchill 6
SCHEDULES
BASEBALL
Friday, May 3
■ PHHS at Elmira, 2 and 4:30 p.m.
■ Marist at CGHS, 3 and 5 p.m.
■ Creswell at La Pine, 3 and 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 4
■ PHHS at North Bend, noon
■ SHS at Ashland, 1 and 3 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at THS, 1 and 3 p.m.
Monday, May 6
■ CGHS at N. Bend, 3 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 7
■ Elmira at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ PHHS at Siuslaw, 4:30 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at SHS, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Crater, 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Friday, May 3
■ PHHS at Elmira, 2 and 4:30 p.m.
■ Marist at CGHS, 3 and 5 p.m.
■ CHS at La Pine, 3 and 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 4
■ SHS at Ashland, 1 and 3 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at THS, 1 and 3 p.m.
Monday, May 6
■ CGHS at N. Bend, 3 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 7
■ Elmira at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ PHHS at Siuslaw, 4:30 p.m.
■ Eagle Point at SHS, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Crater, 5 p.m.
TRACK & FIELD
Thursday, May 2
■ Creswell at Harrisburg Invitational (Harrisburg HS), 4 p.m.
Friday, May 3
■ Cottage Grove, Creswell at Wally Ciochetti Inv. (CGHS), 2 p.m.
Thursday, May 9
■ Creswell, Pleasant Hill at Special District 4 Championships (Sisters HS), 12:30 p.m.
■ Springfield, Thurston at Midwestern League Championships (S. Oregon University), 2 p.m.
