“You’ve got to rock with the white and roll with the red!”

Mt. Hood’s surging softball team played host to Clark College on Tuesday, continuing the string of games within the South Region of the NWAC.

The Saints entered on a torrid pace, while the Penguins were 1-7 entering the doubleheader – Mt. Hood taking five straight behind road victories over tough opponents Lower Columbia and Southwestern Oregon.

Starting Saints pitcher Kayla Byers took the circle in the first game, and limited Clark to just a pair of runs over seven strong innings, recording five strikeouts in the process.

Sophomore shortstop Rachel Rutledge did the most damage for Mt. Hood, drilling a two-run double off the right field fence to put the Saints up. 2-1, in the third inning. The score remained the same into the sixth, until Clark tied it up on a solo homer. Mt. Hood seized its counter opportunity in the bottom half of the sixth, forcing action on the basepaths. With Megan Marcy on third base, Maddy Newkirk took off for second base, and the Penguin’s catcher took the bait, firing across the diamond attempting to nab Newkirk, only to have Marcy take off for home on the throw.

Marcy safely slid in at the plate, the throw back home a little too late, and the Saints went up 3-2. Byers allowed a base hit in the top of the seventh, but otherwise shut the door and sealed the win for Mt. Hood.

While looking strong on the rubber, Byers wasn’t as pleased at the plate, going 0-for-3. “I felt good, but my hitting just… No”, she said, shaking her head. She would bounce back in the second game, though, blasting a solo shot off of Clark pitcher Madison Plummer.

The rest of game two would go the Saints’ way in just about every facet, starting with pitcher Kendal Cox twirling a one-run gem, covering all seven innings. Cox is now 5-2 on the year, with a 3.33 ERA, 9.7 K/9 ratio and 3.47 K/BB ratio. Rutledge drove in three runs and Darian Lindsey, who caught both games, had two hits, two walks and scored three times on the day. Lindsey is hitting a robust .485 on the year, good for sixth in the NWAC.

Mt. Hood’s winning streak stands at seven, with the Saints set to welcome Chemeketa to Gresham on Saturday. The doubleheader begins at noon.

Advocate Staff