Early season struggle for softballers
From our weekly issue dated March 25, 2009
Third-base player Tammy Huntamer throws for an out at first. Click pic for more. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News)
The Lady Cougars and their new uniforms seemed a bit tentative and nervous to start the season as they lost to Glide in Cave Junction on Thursday, March 19.
Illinois Valley gave up seven runs in the first inning, with the Bobcats getting five hits, two walks and a hit batter, to go along with three I.V. errors. Glide settled down in the second, as with two outs and bases loaded, I.V. committed an error in the outfield to clear the bases, making the score 10-0.
Natie Diaz put a stop to the Cat attack when she caught a line drive and then picked off the runner at first to complete the double play and end the inning.
From the third to the fifth innings the Lady Cougars put it all together defensively to hold Glide to a single run. The lone Cougar run came in the third when Tammy Huntamer walked, then stole second and third. She scored on Morgan Brown’s second hit to make the score 10-1.
Glide scored in the top half of the fifth to make it 11-1. I.V. didn’t give up, and loaded the bases with one out, but failed to score. The game was called by the 10-run rule.
Said head coach Kenny Hix, “We should have squeezed the run home to keep the game going -- however we had our third and fourth hitters, Brown and Brittanie Brummett, and I didn’t want to take the bats out of their hands. Hind-sight is always 20/20.”
Brown went 2-2 with one walk, and Cindy Moore was 2-3. Pitchers Brummett and Huntamer had three and four strikeouts respectively. Brummett (0-1) took the loss.
The Cougars played all 18 girls in the five-inning home contest.
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Saturday March 21, a varsity double-header at Rogue River was canceled due to Chieftain illnesses and a school trip to Europe. However, the Cougar JV did compete.
The first game for the JV squad was a little like the varsity’s first in the fact that they were really nervous and it showed. They lost 25-0 in five innings.
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Thea Barker-Cortecht (0-1) took the loss. However, in the second game the Lady Cougars played extremely well, but the game was called, due to the JV time limit rule of one hour/45 minutes, at 16-13 in favor of the Chieftains.
“If we would have had more time, I think we would have won the game ... All the momentum was in our favor,” said coach Ken Rienhart, who was echoed by coach Jason Torrance.
Hix stated, “I was so proud of our girls to come back the way they did in the second game. They could have folded but they didn’t.” Rogue River head coach Dennis Artoff expressed those same sentiments, saying, “As usual there is no giving up with those Cougars, they just kept coming at us.”
Lucy Bell was 4-4 on base, all on walks and scored three times. Francine Borth went 2-3 and had 2 RBIs. Diaz also contributed two RBI’s.
“Thea and Lucy pitched really well. I was impressed with their performance on the mound,” said Rienhart.
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