Eugene Sports Zone: May 8 Capsules

BASEBALL

#18 CHURCHILL (7-13)
■ Leading off: After upsetting No. 11 Ashland 8-3 on Tuesday behind 3 hits, 2 runs, and 1 RBI from Andy Womack, the two teams now face off in a doubleheader on Friday at Churchill. A doubleheader win would keep Churchill’s slim postseason hopes alive.

#4 MARIST CATHOLIC (15-9)
■ Leading off: With Sky-Em League play already wrapped up, and almost two weeks between now and the start of the Class 4A postseason, the Spartans have two non-league games scheduled against top teams to prepare for the postseason. On Tuesday, Marist faces Class 3A No. 3 Warrenton, with a matchup against Class 6A #20 Willamette slated for Wednesday.

#16 NORTH EUGENE (9-12)
■ Leading off: The Highlanders are currently one ranking spot out of the final at-large bid for the Class 5A playoff bracket. North Eugene, 8-7 in the Midwestern League, has a chance to move up in the rankings, but can also grab the third and automatic playoff spot in the MWL from Ashland (9-4) with some luck.

#31 SHELDON (9-15) 
■ Leading off: Sheldon currently holds one of the final two at-large playoff bids for the Class 6A postseason bracket. Star senior Nolan Miller and the Irish can lock in their postseason bid, and potentially move up in the rankings, with a win during Saturday’s doubleheader at No. 17 Grants Pass. 

#32 SOUTH EUGENE (11-14)
■ Leading off: South Eugene has already finished all its Southwest Conference games, but has two non-conference games next week to end the regular season. Senior right-handed pitcher Tavo Santiago and the Axe face off with No. 2 South Salem on Monday before hosting No. 24 Century on Wednesday to end the regular season.

#20 WILLAMETTE (14-8)
■ Leading off: After starting 10-2 in the Southwest Conference, Willamette has stumbled of late and lost its last four. The Wolverines can bounce back this weekend as they host last place South Medford in a Saturday doubleheader, but they’ll likely need freshman Myles Cox to pitch well in one of the two games.

SOFTBALL

#23 CHURCHILL (5-16)
■ Leading off: Churchill continues Midwestern League play this week with a doubleheader against Ashland on Friday. The Lancers already took down Ashland 22-13 in Game One of the series behind Nicole Conway’s 4 hits, 3 runs, and 5 RBI, but a doubleheader win on Friday would give Churchill momentum heading into the final series of the season – one against rival North Eugene.

#12 MARIST CATHOLIC (11-13)
■ Leading off: Marist has a game on Thursday against No. 19 Cottage Grove to determine the 4th-place team in the Sky-Em League. The Spartans already have a play-in spot locked up, but a win for star Avia Tuguldur and the Spartans could secure that play-in game being at home.

#24 NORTH EUGENE (9-14)
■ Leading off: North Eugene has this week off from competition, but returns next week for its final series of the season against Churchill. The Highlanders are already eliminated from postseason contention, but can still garner some momentum heading into next season as the team loses only 5 seniors.

#1 SHELDON (21-3) 
■ Leading off: The defending 6A champs have climbed back to the top overall ranking in the state behind stellar pitching from last year’s pitcher of the year Payton Burnham. The Irish attempt to go undefeated in the Southwest Conference as they finish the conference season off with a doubleheader on Saturday at Grants Pass.

#30 SOUTH EUGENE (8-14)
■ Leading off: South Eugene hosts Grants Pass to end the conference season before traveling to Class 5A Summit on Saturday for a doubleheader. The Axe currently hold the final at-large bid in Class 6A, so a pair of wins this week could secure a postseason berth for pitcher Abby Langan-Forbes and South Eugene – a program that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014.

#40 WILLAMETTE (4-19)
■ Leading off: Willamette closes its season out this Friday with a doubleheader against No. 17 South Medford. The Wolverines bid farewell to their three seniors: Abby Aylworth, Shaylinn Rhode, and Erin Aylworth.

BASEBALL

■ Churchill took down No. 11 Ashland 8-3 on Tuesday in its only game last week. Senior Andy Womack spearheaded the win with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 1 RBI, and Jackson Jorgenson chopped in 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 RBI.

■ Marist Catholic faced off with No. 6 Junction City on Tuesday in a doubleheader. The Spartans needed to win both games to secure their fourth-straight league title after losing to Junction City earlier this season. In Game One of the doubleheader, Marist fell 6-5, giving Junction City the Sky-Em crown. The Spartans did bounce back in Game Two, winning 19-8 behind Peyton Tyner’s 4 hits, 4 runs, and 5 RBI.

■ North Eugene went 2-1 in a series against No. 9 Crater last week to stay alive in the postseason race. In a 3-0 Game One win, Kellan Justice pitched 6 innings, striking out 6 and allowing only 3 hits. In Game Three, the Highlanders won 2-1, Logan Brown leading the way with 2 hits and 2 runs.

■ Sheldon kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a doubleheader split against No. 26 Roseburg on Monday. The Irish won Game Two of the doubleheader 1-0 in the 8th inning behind a late RBI from Quincy Peterson.

■ South Eugene pulled off a major upset on Tuesday, beating first-place No. 17 Grants Pass 4-3 in walk-off fashion to win the season series. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Landon Lea smacked a solo home run to tie the game up. Later in the inning, Gavin Bush drew a walk with the bases loaded to secure the win.

■ Willamette fell to No. 26 Roseburg 4-2 on Tuesday in a key Southwest Conference matchup. Freshman MasonChristian pitched 3 innings in the loss, ending with 5 Ks and only 1 hit allowed.

SOFTBALL

■ Churchill was swept by No. 12 Thurston in a series last week, but bounced back with a 22-13 win over Ashland on Tuesday. Nicole Conway drove in 5 on 4 hits, and scored 3 times herself in the win. Freshman Sahalie Hoberg chipped in 2 hits, 2 runs, and 4 RBI – including a grand slam in the 2nd inning.

■ Marist Catholic dominated Cottage Grove in both games of a doubleheader last Thursday, winning Game One 13-3 and Game Two 20-4. Avia Tuguldur led the way in Game One with 3 hits, 1 run, and 3 RBI, while Tuguldur and Blakely Hauck each had 2 hits, 3 runs, and 3 RBI in Game Two.

■ North Eugene lost all three games of its series against No. 6 Crater last week, though two of the games were close losses. In Game One, the Highlanders fell 1-0 despite freshman Gracie Hibler pitching the whole game and allowing only 6 hits. North Eugene then fell 3-1 in Game Three as Alexa Stiles contributed 2 hits and 1 RBI.

■ Sheldon stayed undefeated in the Southwest Conference with a doubleheader win over No. 18 Roseburg on Monday, then beat No. 5 Sherwood 4-2 in a non-conference game on Tuesday. In the Sherwood victory, Payton Burnham pitched the full game, striking out 19 and allowing only 2 hits.

■ South Eugene split a doubleheader with No. 17 South Medford on Monday. The Axe won Game One 7-6 as Brynn Zeigler went 3-for-4 and scored twice, and Abby Langan-Forbes chipped in 9 Ks in the circle.

■ Willamette lost to No. 18 Roseburg 11-0 on Tuesday in its only game of the week. Junior 3rd-baseman Cabbi Eads had Willamette’s only 2 hits on the day.