PLEASANT HILL – Early mistakes led to an early end to Pleasant Hill’s first softball game of the season last Friday.
When Billies pitcher Kendall Carey got a groundout and a strikeout on the first two batters she faced, things were off to a good start for Pleasant Hill. Unfortunately, the throw to first base after the second strikeout, when the ball got away from the catcher, was not in time, and allowed the runner to safely reach first. The Billies were able to record another out on a fielder’s choice two batters later that should have been the third out. Instead, the Brookings-Harbor Bruins capitalized on the earlier errant throw and scored seven runs in the top of the first inning.
The situation only got worse for the Billies in their season opener, which weather postponements and spring break had delayed. Carey and her replacement, Acadia Bloxman, gave up 12 more runs over the next three innings while the Billies offense could not muster a hit in a 19-0 “mercy rule” loss last Friday.
Billies head coach Nikki Derrick’s coaching career started inauspiciously. Coming off a pitching career at Western Oregon University that ended in 2024, Derrick didn’t anticipate going into coaching, but the opportunity felt right.
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“I’m from the Cottage Grove area, so I thought that I’d look into it a little bit, and the more I looked into it, the more I heard about the school district and what they were trying to develop, that’s something I wanted to be a part of,” she said.
Facing a Brookings-Harbor team that is ranked 4th in Class 3A was always going to be a tough way to start the season. Derrick said the team needs time to jell, with very few returning players. “A young team, to me, is exciting,” she said.
She said the loss was a growth opportunity and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with the team. “All these girls are not only going to know how to play the game of softball, but they’re going to know why they’re doing everything,” Derrick said.
