Mt. Hood goes 5-1 on the road

It’s been a long and busy week for the (30-1, 13-1 South Region) Saints softball team.

Mt. Hood took five of six road games, and preserved a one-game lead in its division.

On Monday, the Saints’ school record 29-game win streak came to end, after Mt. Hood lost to division rival (31-3, 12-2 South) Clackamas Community College, 5-2, in the second game of their double-header.

Mt. Hood won the first game in extra innings, 5-4.

In Game One, the Saints were the first to score as they brought in two runs in the top of the first and once more in the third. The Cougars would rally, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth. With the game tied going to the final scheduled inning, the Saints would score once in the seventh when sophomore shortstop Teauna Hughes got the go-ahead run to bring the Saints to four.

Clackamas also scored in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. In the eighth, sophomore Morgan Entze’s solo home run gave the Saints the lead and sophomore Ann-Marie Guischer then closed out the game on the mound.

In the second matchup, Mt. Hood again was first to get a run on the scoreboard, going up  1-0 in the top of the second. Mt. Hood also got a run in the fourth inning, but the bottom of the inning would hurt as the Cougars got their revenge, bringing in five runs. After that, no more runs would be scored in the 5-2 Clackamas win.

Saints head coach Meadow McWhorter said her team’s first defeat of the season won’t sting much. It could even help.

“Any time you take Game One away from a quality team at their place, you know Game Two is going to be a battle. We scored early, but got a little complacent mid-game and it hurt us,” said McWhorter.

“My goal was to win at least one game at Clackamas. It’s a tough house to play at and it was important for us to get one game,” she said.

“This team has fought hard all season and we still fought in the loss. I am grateful to get the first loss out of the way. It keeps us humble and makes us even more hungry to improve. That was the longest win streak in the history of the program,” McWhorter said.

This was the Saints’ first loss since May 19, 2013,when Mt. Hood lost to Douglas College in the NWAACC championship tournament. The Clackamas showdown was originally scheduled for April 22, but was set back twice (the first time to April 25) because of weather.

On Wednesday, Mt. Hood brushed off the Clackamas loss by defeating Southwestern Oregon in two games played in Coos Bay, 8-2 and 15-2.

In Game One, the Saints got to work early, scoring four runs in the second inning, one in the third and two more in the fourth. Sophomore Kristen Crawford earned the win, pitching a complete game. In seven innings pitched, she gave up four hits, one earned run and added six strikeouts.

Freshmen Kasidee Lemberger, Chelsea Spanier and sophomores Hughes and Entze all had multiple hits and Hughes and Lemberger also added two RBIs each. Spanier also hit a solo home run.

In Game Two, Mt. Hood’s five runs in the third and eight in the sixth were the game-changers. The Saints’ top hitters, Lemberger and Hughes, both had three hits to go along with two and three RBIs, respectively. Hughes hit two doubles and freshman Kelsey Reams added a triple. Entze contributed three RBIs and Reams and freshman SheaLee Lindsey had two RBIs. Sophomore Ann-Marie Guischer was the winning pitcher, striking out seven Laker batters and pitching three innings before sophomore Nicole Kellams came in.

Last Saturday, tuning up for the Clackamas games, Mt. Hood gave a thumping to Lower Columbia Community College, beating them 11-0 in both match-ups and combining for 10 home runs in the two games, played in Longview, Wash.

The Saints’ 13 hits, compared to Lower Columbia’s four, were a big part of the game. Saints freshmen Mercedes Green and Reams and sophomore Emma Bird and Entze all homered. Crawford picked up the win, pitching a shutout and giving up four hits in five innings and adding six strikeouts.

In Game Two, Guischer got her share of success against the Red Devils, going for a shutout in five innings pitched. She gave up two hits and recorded 11  k’s. The reigning South Region pitcher-of-the-year is now 11-1 on the season with a 2.39 ERA.

The Saints got another boost on Wednesday, when Clackamas was knocked off by Chemeketa, 3-0. That pushed the Saints back into the South Region lead.

For the week, Mt. Hood played six games in five days, all on the road. They return home for a double-header on Saturday against Clark College. Last time the two teams met in Vancouver on April 9, Mt. Hood dismantled the Penguins, 17-0 and 9-1.

“It is so exciting to be at home this weekend. We have some of the best fans,” said McWhorter.

“I am proud of the resilience this team showed in these six tough road games. To go 5-1 against Lower Columbia, Clackamas and SWOCC on the road is quite the accomplishment.”

Freshman SheaLee Lindsey attempts to lead off a base against Chemeketa on April 21.

Freshman Megan Reed connects with the ball against Chemeketa.

Advocate Staff