by Wayne Lee – Sports Editor
Both the Eagles’ softball and baseball teams are playoff bound after closing out the regular season following a three-game set against North Eugene where the Lady Eagles won two of the last three games to cement a spot in the state playoffs. And it didn’t come easy.
The three-game set began in Eagle Point where the Lady Eagles were able to hold on for a narrow 9-8 decision. The locals were tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third when the Lady Eagles batted through the order and scored seven times for an 8-1 lead,
The inning began with back-to-back walks by Mady Dean and Riley Jacoby. Kady Ledbetter followed with an RBI single to right and advanced to second on the throw home. Following a ground out, Brylee Leonardo drew a free pass to load the bases and set the table for Reese Zirkle, who, after a pitching change by the Highlanders, launched a two-run double to left that put the Lady Eagles up 5-1. It got ugly after that as two hit batters loaded the bases and forced in a run. A ground out and fly out ended the inning but not before Eagle Point was up 8-1.
The Highlanders responded with a run in the fourth, three in the fifth and three in the sixth to pull within one at 9-8, but Eagle Point was able to hang on for the win. Zirkle led the offense going 2×3 with a double, a run scored and two runs batted in. Kady Ledbetter was walked twice but still managed to knock in three runs and score herself. Emary Almaraz went 2×4, knocking in a run and scoring twice. Leonardo went the distance, throwing a complete game, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits with four walks and five strike outs.
The team then traveled north for a season-ending doubleheader which saw Eagle Point win the opener 9-6 but drop the final game 15-3. There was plenty of offense on both sides. Each team scored in the first inning, and the Lady Eagles added three more in the second when, with two outs, Leonardo singled, Almaraz singled and Dean drove a three-run homer to deep center field to go up 4-1.
The two teams scored once each in the fourth before the Lady Eagles added a pair of runs in the fifth when Lilli Holcomb led off with a walk, Leonardo singled and a one-out double down the left field line by Zirkle (combined with an error), put Eagle Point up 7-3. Eagle Point added a pair of runs in the final inning. Leonardo hit a two-out triple to left. Almaraz reached on an infield single and advanced to second before Dean drove in a pair of runs with a double down the left field line to make it a 9-3 game.
The Highlanders were able to score three times in their final at bat, but it was too little, too late. Dean led the Lady Eagles offense going 3×4 which included a double, a home run, five RBI and three runs scored. Riley Jacoby was also 3×4 with a double and an RBI, Almaraz was 3×5 and scored three times while Leonardo went 2×4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored. Leonardo went the distance tossing 7.0 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
The Lady Eagles then came back in the second game and were done after just three innings. North Eugene erupted for six runs in the first inning, three more in the second and four in the third for a commanding 13-1 lead and coasted the rest of the way. The Eagle Point scoring was a solo home run by Allison Martin in the second and a two-run home run by Zirkle in the fourth.
The Lady Eagles finished the season 15-11 overall and 11-7 in league, ranked 13 in the state, which qualifies them for a state playoff date May 26 at Ridgeview where the Ravens are 20-6 overall, 15-3 in league and ranked fourth in the state.
Baseball
The baseball team dropped all three games to Noth Eugene but still managed to make the playoffs. The Eagles began the week with an 8-3 loss at home to the Highlanders as North Eugene jumped out to a 7-0 lead after just three innings. The sum total of the Eagles’ offense was a two-run homer by Sean McFall in the fourth and an RBI triple by Collin Pierce in the bottom of the seventh. Eagle Point then traveled north where they dropped a pair of games, 5-2 and 12-8 to end their regular season.
In the opener, the Eagles weren’t able to manufacture a run until their final at bat, trailing 5-0. Mason DeVry reached on a single and advanced on a wild pitch, later scoring on an infield error. Carson Robinson hit an RBI single to left to drive in Skylar Tribur and that was the sum total of the offense.
In the second game, the Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead only to watch the Highlanders explode for eight runs in the bottom of the second, adding two more in the third for a 10-2 lead as they coasted to the win. Braden Nugent went 3×4 with a double and an RBI while Sean McFall went 2×3 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Ryan McFall went 1×2 with two RBI and Tribur went 2×4 and scored twice. Collin Stockton took the loss, lasting less than two innings while giving up eight runs on three hits and four walks.
The Eagles wrap up their season 10-8 in league and 11-14 overall. Ranked number 13 in the state earns them a date at Summit High School May 26. The Storm won their league with a 15-3 record, 20-7 overall and are ranked fourth in the state.
