Wild weekend on the diamond for local teams
· Yahoo Sports
The Astoria girls softball team dominated another top five team on Friday, Warrenton boys suffered a surprising defeat in baseball, Knappa’s baseball team faced off in a crucial three-game set against Portland Christian, Knappa’s softball team kept rolling — and the Astoria boys found their baseball footing.
Here’s what happened on the diamond this weekend.
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Astoria’s softball team puts on a clinic
Like they have done the last couple seasons, the Astoria girls softball team seems to be flipping a switch into playoff mode.
After a recent three-game losing streak the Fishermen have responded with three impressive wins against Seaside, St. Helens and now North Bend.
Taking on previously undefeated North Bend on Friday night, the Fishermen made sure the battle of 4A top five teams was their own personal show. The Fishermen played host to North Bend/Reedsport and handed them their first loss of the season with a 10-0 victory. The Bulldogs came into the game ranked No. 3 in 4A and 10-0 on the season.
Junior hurler Taryen Wray was the standout for Astoria in this one as she gave up just one hit in her six innings of work. Wray also struck out 12 batters to continue her battle with Ashlynne Franssen of Gladstone. As of April 23, they were the only 4A pitchers to be over the 100 strikeout mark at this point in the season.
At the plate, Wray tallied three hits and knocked in two runs. Wray had two doubles and one triple in a stellar performance. Hailey Svensen and Lyla Carlson also had three hits in the game. Svensen had two RBIs and two stolen bases, while Carlson also had a walk. In total, the Fishermen accumulated 12 hits in a dominant victory.
The win kept them at No 2 in 4A behind league rival Scappoose.
Banks boys baseball v. Warrenton boys baseball a late stunner
Chaos has ensued in the boys 3A Coastal Range League.
After Horizon Christian defeated both Warrenton and Banks recently, the Hawks looked to be on cruise control. But crazy things can happen in baseball.
Horizon Christian was upended by both Corbett and Neah-Kah-Nie to drop to 5-2 in league. This made Friday afternoon’s game between old rivals Warrenton and Banks all the more important.
Based on the rankings, this should have been a Warrenton victory, but the Banks team has been showing signs of life the last couple of weeks after many believed them to be dead in the water.
Like many of the games played between these two teams, it was a pitchers duel. Warrenton starter Ryan Palmer and Banks pitcher Cris Medina engaged in a classic back and forth affair with both starters throwing up zeroes through five innings.
The Warriors broke through with a run in the top of the sixth inning, but Banks struck back in the bottom half with a death punch. The Braves finally got to Palmer and reliever Dylan Ballard to score three runs and defeat Warrenton 3-1. This victory catapulted Banks to the top of the 3A standings.
With one more round to go in the Coastal Range league there are still multiple teams with a chance to win the league. Banks is 6-1, Warrenton and Horizon Christian are 5-2, while Corbett and Neah-Kah-Nie sit at 4-3.
Knappa baseball falls to Portland Christian
The Knappa boys baseball team fell flat against Portland Christian.
In a key three-game series, the Loggers ultimately got swept by a very good Royals team. The Royals took game one by a score of 4-1, game two 5-4 and game three in decisive fashion by a score of 12-2.
The win moves Portland Christian to 6-0 in league and up to No. 11 in the 2A rankings. Knappa falls to 3-3 in Northwest League play and is ranked No. 22. It won’t get any easier for Knappa as they are set to take on No. 9 Clatskanie in a three-game series starting Tuesday. The Tigers spot a 5-1 league record after losing one game to third-place Nestucca.
Knappa will need a hot finish of the season to qualify for the 2A state playoffs as the team is currently on the outside looking in.
Hillsboro Stadium proves to be Astoria’s good luck charm
If the Astoria and Seaside boys played every game at Hillsboro Stadium, they might have finished the season undefeated.
After the Seagulls won two games in Hillsboro to open up the year, rival Astoria followed suit. The Fishermen took a break from league action to take on North Bend and Valley Catholic in a Friday double-header. Astoria defeated 4A North Bend 7-4 and 3A Valley Catholic 7-6 to solidify its first winning streak of the year. The Fishermen are now 6-10 on the year and on a three-game winning streak.
In game one against North Bend, the Fishermen were opportunistic. Despite having only three hits to North Bend’s eight, Astoria found a way to manufacture enough runs.
Sam Schacher and Jack Johnson did a good job of setting the table for Astoria. Schacher went 1-3 and scored two runs, while Johnson worked two walks and ended up scoring both times. Joey Gramlich went 1-3 with an RBI, Colt Kelly went 1-2 with an RBI and Sam Mather knocked in two runs. Gramlich pitched the full seven innings and gave up just two earned runs in his outing.
Game two against Valley Catholic was about the bottom of the Fishermen lineup.
Sixth-place hitter Archer Hawkins went 2-3 with an RBI and Dallas Norris knocked in three runs from the seventh spot. The two also combined to give up just two earned runs on the mound.
Hawkins started the game and pitched 2.1, then Norris got the final 13 outs.
Astoria is set to continue a non-league stretch with a game against Estacada on Wednesday.
Knappa girls extend winning streak
the Knappa girls softball team kept its winning streak going with a two-game sweep of North Douglas on Friday.
The 7-4 and 12-11 victories were Knappa’s fifth and sixth in a row. The Knappa girls are now 8-5 overall, 3-0 in league and No. 12 in 2A.
They are set for a crucial three-game set with Clatskanie starting Tuesday. The Tigers enter with an 11-5 overall record and are 5-1 in league. This will be one of two key series for Knappa to close out the softball season. Success in the series against Clatskanie and Nestucca would have them well positioned to return to the 2A state playoffs.