by Wayne Lee – Sports Editor
Thanks to Mother Nature, it was a wild week for the baseball and softball teams of Eagle Point High School. The Lady Eagles began the week by hosting Henley on March 31 where they dropped a narrow 9-7 decision in extra innings.
The Hornets got the scoring started with a two-out rally in the top of the first. A double up the middle and a base on balls put runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved both up one base before Henley belted a fly ball double to right, scoring both runners for an early 2-0 lead.
Eagle Point responded in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own. Allison Martin began the rally with a one-out single and Lilli Holcomb followed with a single to short and both runners advanced thanks to an error by the shortstop. With runners at second and third, another error by the Henley shortstop allowed Olivia Skogseth to reach first and both Martin and Holcomb scored, but Skogseth was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning.
Mady Dean lead off the bottom of the third with a single and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Following a strike out, Riley Jacoby hit a grounder to the shortstop, but Jacoby beat the throw and Kady Ledbetter received a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Martin stepped to the plate and took one for the team, getting hit by a pitch to drive in a run for a 3-2 Eagle Point lead. Lilli Holcomb lashed a double up the middle to drive in two more runs and Skogseth singled to short to drive in another run and the Lady Eagles were up 6-2.
Henley responded with a run in the fourth thanks to a walk, a wild pitch and an RBI single and added another run in the fifth on a lead-off single, a walk and a sacrifice bunt down the third base line allowed another run to score, making it a 6-4 game. Eagle Point responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a towering home run over the center field fence by Kady Ledbetter for a 7-4 lead. However, it was not to last.
Down to their last three outs, the Hornets came roaring back. Two singles and a double drove in two runs to pull within one at 7-6. With a runner on second, a wild pitch moved the tying run to just 60 feet away and that runner tagged up and scored on a fly ball to left to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Henley added two more runs in the top of the eighth thanks to three consecutive walks to load the bases, followed by an RBI single up the middle to give the Hornets the lead and added an insurance run when, with two outs and the bases loaded, a hit batter scored another run for an 9-7 lead. Eagle Point managed a ground out to the pitcher and two strikeouts in their last at bat to seal the defeat.
Martin led the Lady Eagles’ offense going 2×3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Holcomb was 2×4 with two RBI and a run scored while Ledbetter was 1×3 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Brylee Leonardo took the loss, tossing eight full innings. She gave up nine earned runs on 11 hits with nine K’s and six walks. She threw a total of 164 pitches in the game with 91 strikes, 73 balls and three wild pitches.
The Lady Eagles went on to host Ashland April 7 where they mounted a furious comeback to post a 9-7 walk-off victory thanks to a two-run home run by Kady Ledbetter. The Grizzlies drew first blood with a lead-off single. The runner then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out.
Eagle Point answered back in their half of the inning with a run of their own on a lead-off double by Jacoby followed by an RBI single by Kady Ledbetter. However, Ashland responded in the top of the second. A walk and an error put runners at first and second and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on another infield error.
The score remained 3-1 until the Grizzlies scored another pair of runs in the top of the fifth when, with one on and one out, Ashland drew a walk and added a pair of stolen bases to put runners at second and third with two out. Another infield error allowed two more runs to score and the Grizzlies had a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.
That’s when Eagle Point’s bats came to life. Jacoby led off with a double to right and stole third base. Elaina Almaraz drove her in on a single to left. Kady Ledbetter followed with a single. A force out at third retired the lead runner but an error by the pitcher scored Almaraz and moved Ledbetter to second. Leonardo then singled to left to load the bases. Reese Zirkle singled to left to score Ledbetter and then the other Ledbetter, Kolbie, singled up the middle to clear the bases and put the Lady Eagles up 7-5.
However, the lead didn’t last long. In the top of the seventh, Ashland mounted a two-out rally with three consecutive base hits that tied the score at 7-all. In the bottom half of the inning, Almaraz singled and Kady Ledbetter blasted another home run to deep center for a walk-off 9-7 win.
Eagle Point was then set to play a doubleheader at Ashland but despite moving the location to U.S. Cellular Field, rain and lightning prevented them from playing the games. The games will need to be rescheduled at a future date. In the meantime, the ream will host Springfield in a twin bill April 18.
Baseball
The Eagles kicked off the month of April by traveling south for a pair of games at McKinleyville where they lost the opener 3-2 thanks to a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers opened the game with a run thanks to an infield error. A one-out single scored the runner and McKinleyville was up 1-0. They later added a second run in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-base error and a pop fly single. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly scored the runner at third for a 2-0 lead.
Eagle Point finally got on the board in the top of the sixth with a walk to Sean McFall who was sacrificed to second and scored on a double to right by Colton Pierce. The Eagles then added a run in the top of the seventh to tie the game when, down to their final out, Carson Robinson reached on an error, Colby Stockton singled to right to put runners at the corners and Sean McFall singled up the middle to tie the game. However, a pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh put the winning run in scoring position and an RBI single to left ended the game.
Sean McFall got on base four times in the game, going 2×2 with a pair of walks with one run and one RBI. Stockton went 2×3 with a walk, Robinson was 1×4 with a run scored and Pierce went 1×3 with an RBI double. Sean McFall pitched five complete innings, giving up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. However, his brother Ryan took the loss in relief.
The second game again saw the Panthers jump out to an early lead. With one out in the bottom of the first, a double and a triple up the middle scored the first run and a groundout scored the runner from third for a 2-0 McKinleyville lead.
However, Eagle Point responded in the top of the second loading the bases with no outs when Sean McFall singled, Nugent doubled up the middle and Pierce was hit by a pitch. Trysten Skinner hit a sharp ground ball to third that was misplayed, allowing a run to score, and Nugent scored on an error to tie the game at 2-2. McKinleyville was able to turn a double play, but Skylar Tribur hit a line drive single to left that allowed Nugent to score on an error by the Panthers’ third baseman to tie the game as both Skinner and Pierce advanced to second and third on the same error.
Tribur then slapped an RBI single to left, scoring Skinner while also advancing to second on the throw home. Ryan McFall followed with a single up the middle to drive in Skinner and the Eagles had a 4-2 lead. Unfortunately, that was the only inning Eagle Point would score for the remainder of the game.
The Panthers came back with a run in the bottom half of the second by turning a walk, a fielder’s choice and a single into a run to close within 4-3 and then tied the game in the third when, again with two outs, a hit batter advanced on a passed ball and scored on an error. It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth that McKinleyville erupted for three runs to go up 7-4 and hold on for the win.
No Eagle Point player managed more than one hit during the game. Nugent had the only extra-base hit with an RBI double. Tribur went 1×3 with an RBI and a run scored while Sean McFall was 1×2 with a walk and a run scored. Robinson took the loss in relief, giving up three runs on just two hits in the final two innings. Nugent started the game going four innings, scattering four runs (three earned) over four innings on six hits. He struck out three and walked only one batter.
The Eagles returned from sunny California for a three-game series against Ashland beginning with a home game where they pounded the Grizzlies 10-0 in a game that was called after six innings. Eagle Point opened the game with two-out rally that provided a three-run outburst.
Ryan McFall led off the game with a walk, was bunted over to second and went to third on a ground out. Sean McFall singled to drive in his brother, Ryan, and the Eagles had a 1-0 lead. Sean McFall then stole second and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Nugent who also stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on an error to put Eagle Point up 3-0.
The Eagles added a run in the second when Ryan McFall lashed a double to right and then scored on a misplayed ground ball. They also added a run in the fifth with a pair of walks that put Stockton and Sean McFall on base. With one out, Pierce reached base on a dropped third strike to load the bases, and Stockton scored on a fielder’s choice to make it a 5-0 game. Eagle Pont put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when Stockton walked, Ryan McFall walked, and Robinson singled up the middle to make it a 6-0 game. McFall then scored easily from third after Stockton doubled to left to drive in both McFall and Robinson for an 8-0 lead. Sean McFall followed with a double to left to drive in Stockton and then stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pierce and that was enough to invoke the mercy rule and end the game early.
Sean McFall led the Eagles offensively going 2×3 with a double, walk, two runs scored and a pair of RBI and also went the distance on the mound giving up just four hits and three walks while striking out seven for the complete game victory. He threw 91 pitches, 56 for strikes. Brother Ryan went 1×2 with a double, two walks and scored three times. Stockton went 1×3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored while Robinson went 1×3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Next up was a doubleheader at Ashland that took two days to complete due to the weather. The two games were scheduled for April 10, but were moved up a day due to a large storm coming in. The move backfired when the storm arrived early and the first game went only one inning when it was called due to lightning. An open field is no place to be in a lightning storm.
The two teams tried again the next day which included a change of venue to U.S. Cellular Fields with artificial turf that can better handle wet weather. It took most of the day to play the two games, which suffered rain delays, but they completed both with the Grizzlies winning the opener 7-5 and the nightcap 2-1.
Ashland opened the first game with a pair of doubles for an early 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies added three more in the third as they opened with a pair of singles and a base on balls to load the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly scored the first run and after a strike out, another walk loaded the bases again. However, a misplayed ground ball resulted in two unearned runs, making it a 4-0 game.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the fifth when Stockton drew a two-out walk and Ryan McFall doubled up the middle to drive in the run. In the sixth, Stockton had a lead-off single and trotted home after Sean McFall blasted a pitch over the left field fence to pull within one at 4-3. A sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch put Nugent on third with two out and John Beals-Garcia singled to left to drive in the run and tie the game. That was as close as the Eagles would get.
In the bottom of the sixth, a single, a walk and a home run to left erased the three runs scored in the top of the inning and Ashland was back on top 7-4 with Eagle Point down to their final three outs. With two on and two out, Nugent lined a single to right, scoring Ryan McFall, who had walked to lead off the inning. However, a strike out ended the brief rally.
Nugent led the Eagles’ offense going 3×4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sean McFall was 2×4 with a home run and a pair of RBI and Ryan McFall had a double and a pair of walks to score a run and drive in a run while Stockton went 2×4 and scored a run.
The second game was a pitchers’ duel that was decided within the first nine outs. Ashland opened the game with a fly out and a strike out, but the third batter reached first on a third strike passed ball. The next batter doubled up the middle to score the runner and go up 1-0 and the next batter did the same to put the Grizzlies up 2-0.
The Eagles top of the second began with lead-off singles by Nugent and Pierce. Garcia’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over and Tribur hit a pop fly to right that found an opening to drive home Nugent and Eagle Point was on the board, but that was the last of the scoring for the rest of the rain-interrupted day.
The Eagles managed just five hits, one each by Nugent, Piece, Tribur and both McFalls. Nugent took the loss although he held Ashland to just two runs on three hits with two walks and four strike outs.
Flag Football
The Lady Eagles played three games, hosting Grants Pass before traveling to Grants Pass April 9 for games against Coquille and North Bend/Marshfield. In the Grants Pass game, the Lady Cavers scored early and often in a 56-0 win. Due to Eagle Point turnovers, Grants Pass scored three times in the final three minutes of the first quarter and never looked back. Eagle Point then played a pair of games April 9 falling to Coquille 15-7 and 53-7 to North Bend-Marshfield.
