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PREP SOFTBALL: Crater falls prey to McNary rally By Mail Tribune staff Updated: May 03, 2022 10:01 PM A A KEIZER — For 5 1/2 innings Tuesday afternoon, the Crater softball team was doing more than just hanging with one of the top teams in Class 6A. Then the rug got pulled out from underneath the Comets. McNary, ranked sixth in the 6A coaches poll, came alive offensively, scoring six runs against three different Crater pitchers to flip a 3-0 deficit in its favor and hand the Comets a 6-3 loss in nonleague action. “In the sixth inning, we had to go through the heart of their order one more time,” said Crater coach Chris Arnold, “and their kids did a good job squaring up the ball.” Crater, ranked third in Class 5A and currently sitting atop the Midwestern League standings, fell to 15-5 overall and saw its eight-game winning streak come to a halt. The Comets took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth on Lilli Reid’s two-run single. An inning later, Abigail Foster — who reached on a McNary error — scored on Taylor Kenworthy’s groundout. Crater starting pitcher Alexis Perez limited McNary (13-3) to just three hits in the first five innings. But in the sixth, the Celtics’ bats came alive. McNary hit four straight singles to cut the Crater lead to 3-2, then tied the game on a fielder’s choice. Ellie Martin drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with an RBI single before Heather Ebner gave the Celtics a pair of insurance runs with a two-out, two-run single to make it 6-3. Ebner finished with four of McNary’s 11 hits. “Alexis Perez threw five fantastic innings and just held (McNary) at bay,” said Arnold. “We made some baserunning mistakes and left a couple of potential runs on the field and just made some mistakes that we don’t normally make. ... We did some good things, but some of those baserunning mistakes were costly.” Crater0000210—351 McNary000006x—6113 Perez, S. Foster (6), Lundeen (6) and Reid; Vasas and Ebner. W — Vasas. L — Perez (5-3). SOUTH MEDFORD 3, SHELDON 2: At Eugene, South Medford pitcher Kaycee Hudson struck out 10 and allowed five hits and three walks to lift the Panthers to their ninth straight victory and move atop the Southwest Conference standings. Maleyah Thoele doubled and scored on an error to give the Panthers (18-3, 9-1 SWC) a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, and Kirsten Morgan scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth when she walked and scored on a single by Nicole Ledendecker. Payton Burnham went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for Sheldon (16-5, 8-2). South Medford0110010—332 Sheldon0010010—251 Hudson and Hillyer; Burnham and Pappas. W — Hudson. L — Burnham. 2B — SM: Thoele; S: Sain, Burnham. ROSEBURG 3, NORTH MEDFORD 0: Host North Medford left a pair of baserunners on in the fifth and sixth innings to suffer its seventh loss in the last eight games since sweeping Roseburg on April 9. Samara Miles managed the lone hit for the Black Tornado (9-11, 3-7 SWC) with a sixth-inning single against Kami Gibson. Emily Dunn and Alyssa Hartzheim each drew consecutive walks to lead off the fifth inning before three straight strikeouts, while Gabbi Urban walked in the sixth as Miles advanced as far as third base. Gibson struck out 12 and Stephanie Blix had a two-run home run in the third to lead Roseburg (8-12, 4-6). Roseburg0120000—330 North Medford0000000—012 Gibson and Stribling; Hartzheim and Lawton. W — Gibson. L — Hartzheim. HR — R: Blix. ASHLAND 5, MT. SHASTA (CALIF.) 4: At Mt. Shasta, Calif., Ashland used a four-run fifth inning to complete the comeback and pick up a nonleague victory that gave the Grizzlies their second-highest single-season win total since 2006. Gabby Heiken and Glory Pistole hit RBI singles to pull Ashland (14-7) within one at 4-3. Heiken scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 4-4 before Pistole gave the Grizzlies the lead when she scored on a Tessa Hobein fielder’s choice groundout. Heiken, Pistole, Ivy Clason and Shelby Brown all had two hits against Mt. Shasta (12-10). Pistole had a pair of RBIs and picked up the save after coming back in to throw the final two innings in relief of Heiken, who got the win. Heiken and Pistole combined for five strikeouts. Ashland1000400—592 Mt. Shasta1201000—493 Pistole, Heiken (4), Pistole (6) and Theobald; Powers and Wolmar. W — Heiken. L — Powers. S — Pistole. 2B — MS: Chandon, Wolmar. HENLEY 20, PHOENIX 1, 5 inn.: At Klamath Falls, Phoenix was held to two hits as host Henley picked up the Skyline Conference win. The Pirates (8-10, 6-3 Skyline) got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Carsyn Gallegos scored on a wild pitch after reaching base with a walk, stealing second and advancing to third on a Violet Harper single. The Hornets (9-10, 9-0), who compiled 15 hits in the contest, got the win in five innings via mercy rule. Phoenix00010—122 Henley3647x—20150 Goff, Vos (3) and Brite; Campos and Fitzpatrick. W — Campos. L — Goff (5-2). 2B — H: Campos, Hudson. 3B — H: Powell . HR — H: Powell, Harper. BROOKINGS-HARBOR 16, CASCADE CHRISTIAN 1, 4 inn.: At Brookings, Bella Williams singled home Callie Sweem in the second inning and also had a double for Cascade Christian in the Far West League loss. Katelynn Reed also had a double among her two hits for the Challengers (0-19, 0-7 FWL). JoJo Pryor and Kami Koepnick each had two doubles for Brookings-Harbor (13-3, 6-1). Cascade Christian0100—187 Brookings-Harbor5335—16100 J. Crosby and Pryor; Sweem and Williams. W — J. Crosby. L — Sweem. 2B — CC: Williams, Reed; BH: Pryor 2, J. Crosby, Koepnick 2.