BASEBALL
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove won 2-1 at Creswell on April 1 as Micah Spear threw a seven-inning no-hitter. He struck out 12 Bulldogs. Catcher Anthony Eubanks scored a run after reaching base on a walk. The Lions then won another 1-run game, beating Glide 2-1 on Friday. Colton Cogburg earned the pitching victory, striking out four. Nolan Spear was 1-for-2 with a run scored. The Lions played another 1-run game, this time losing 9-8 to visiting Harrisburg. Both teams had explosive innings, with Cottage Grove scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the second and the Eagles scored 5 runs in the top of the fourth. Trevor Cooper scored four runs for the Lions.
■ Creswell lost 17-4 to visiting Kennedy on April 2, surrendering 13 runs in the first two innings. The Bulldogs’ Colton Hartman was 2-for-2 with a walk and run scored in the loss. Four Creswell pitchers combined to give up 15 hits in five innings. Monday, pitchers Matt Jenkins and Hartman combined to hold Sutherlin to three hits as Creswell beat the visiting Bulldogs 8-1. Hartman was 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.
■ Pleasant Hill traveled to Newport where it scored 11 runs in the final three innings to win 12-11. Caleb Van Orstrand was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Kaden Fisher was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI. Pitchers Alejandro Ziolkowski, Landon Kelley, and Fisher combined from the mound. South Umpqua beat the host Billies 5-0.
■ Springfield lost to visiting Corvallis 15-4 on Tuesday, as the Spartans scored six runs each in the third and sixth innings. Right fielder Jack Sperry was 1-for-2 with a walk and run scored in the loss. The Millers lost 16-3 to Dallas on Friday.
■ Thurston won twice last week, defeating West Albany 8-3 at home on Tuesday and then cruising 13-3 at Caldera on Thursday. The Colts took a 5-0 lead Tuesday against the Bulldogs when Brock Johnson led off the bottom of the first inning with a line drive to left field. Johnson finished the day 2-of-4 with two hits and an RBI. Pitcher Grady Saunders earned the victory. Against Caldera, Johnson was 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. Saunders was 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 3 RBI.
PREVIEWS
#12 COTTAGE GROVE (5-4)
■ Leading off: Cottage Grove heads to Hamlin to play 5A Springfield Millers on Saturday. Both struggling teams thus far, this will be an interesting game for Cottage Grove and Springfields’ fans to see alike. Anthony Eubanks and the Spear brothers lead the Lions.
#20 CRESWELL (5-3)
■ Leading off: Creswell heads off to play Glide in a doubleheader on Friday. Last season, the Bulldogs lost to Glide 15-9. Watch out for the play of Colton Hartman and Matthew Jenkins.
#25 PLEASANT HILL (4-4)
■ Leading off: The Billies play host to 4A Stayton tonight. Against a higher classification, the Billies’ Alejandro Ziolkowski will have to keep steady at the mound. Caleb Van Ordstrand will lead the way batting.
#30 SPRINGFIELD (1-6)
■ Leading off: The Millers play host to 4A Cottage Grove. Watch for Millers’ Timothy James, Blake Wasson, and Matthew Merrifield in batting. Pitcher Dylan Leas owns the mound.
SOFTBALL
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove fell behind Creswell 4-0 after the first inning last Tuesday, then scored 6 runs in the top of the second inning before finishing with an 18-4 victory in five innings. The Lions scored 9 runs in the top of the fourth inning. Pitcher Emily Pacheco was 3-for-4 with three runs and 3 RBI. She also earned the victory with 10 strikeouts. Val Aura was 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. Saturday, the Lions scored in every inning, except the bottom of the final inning, to escape against Tillamook 12-11. Jayda Bruner was 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 runs scored and Pacheco was 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Catcher Addison Hitt was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. Pacheco recorded 11 strikeouts.
■ Creswell lost at Harrisburg 13-3 on Tuesday, falling behind 9-1 after two innings. The Eagles tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, ending the game. The Bulldogs committed 7 errors in the game. Pitcher Hope Ukolov took the loss, giving up 13 runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings. Harrisburg traveled to Creswell for a rematch on Saturday, winning 18-7 in Game One. Creswell led 5-0 after two innings before Harrisburg scored 14 runs in the next two innings, and then added four more runs in the sixth inning. Ukolov took the loss while giving up 15 hits and 7 walks. In Game Two, Harrisburg beat the Bulldogs 13-8. The Eagles scored 13 combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach. Elise Thackara, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, took the loss, giving up 8 hits and 5 walks with 5 strikeouts.
■ Springfield fell behind 2-0 after the top of the first inning against visiting McKay, then scored three runs in the bottom of the inning and held on for a 6-3 victory Monday. Avorie Schneider was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Chloe Sankey earned the victory on the mound, recording 14 strikeouts.
■ Thurston lost 7-2 to West Albany on Tuesday, April 1, then defeated Camby 5-2 on Friday. The Colts scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to open a close game against the Bulldogs. Kendall Miller was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kasey Ogan took the loss, giving up 7 runs on 6 hits. Against Camby, a four-run sixth inning sealed the victory for Thurston. Kassey Anderson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Kendall Miller was 2-for-3 and scored a run. Ogan earned the win.
PREVIEWS
#15 COTTAGE GROVE (4-3)
■ Leading off: The Lions open the Sky-Em League on the road this Tuesday against North Bend. The Bulldogs are a formidable league opponent and went 3-0 against the Lions last year. Emily Pacheco will have to hold down the mound while Makya Alsup collects some hits.
#26 CRESWELL (3-2)
■ Leading off: The Bulldogs play Glide in a doubleheader on Friday. Keep an eye out for standouts Elise Thackara and Regan Gwaltney.
#35 PLEASANT HILL (0-2) ■ Leading off: The Billies head to play 1A North Douglas to wrap up non-league this Saturday. Though a Class 1A school, the Billies shouldn’t underestimate North Douglas who went 23-4 last season and fourth in the state.
#28 SPRINGFIELD (3-5)
■Leading off: The Millers open up league on the road this Tuesday at Eagle Point. Last season, the Millers went 0-3 against Eagle Point in the Midwestern League.
#1 THURSTON (5-2)
■ Leading off: The Colts play 6A Sheldon for their last non-league game of the season. Last season, the Colts lost to Sheldon in a scoreless game of 16-0. To get back their redemption, Gaby Montes will need to be at batting with Kasey Ogan on the mound.
Note: All statistics from GameChanger.com
– Chronicle staff report
