Grizzlies attack early in 10-4 victory over Barlow; fall 3-2 to Jesuit
The McMinnville softball team scored early and often on Tuesday in a 10-4 home victory over Barlow (5-4) at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro. Senior Kaylee Dinger led the Grizzly’s offensive effort with two sky-high home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.
Missing a plethora of players due to injury or sickness this week, head coach Josh Terry said the team remains resilient.
“I did not see us jumping out that quick, but I also didn’t see us controlling things defensively the way we did with all the people out and the people moving around,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Grizzlies traveled to take on Jesuit (10-1), and faced “maybe the best team in the state” without center Hallie Vaughan and starting catcher Ava Fleischman, Terry said.
Mac took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when catcher Vivian Moore belted a double that scored Marley Howard.
After throwing 166 pitches against Barlow, Mackenzie Roberts pitched “a hell of a game” for the Grizzlies, Terry said, noting that Mac’s other top pitcher, Ariel Glynn, was out. Roberts carried a shutout into the fifth inning, but Jesuit’s Selah Greene tagged a home run to tie it at 1-1. Roberts was replaced in the sixth inning by Dinger with two runners on, both who would score to give the Crusaders a 3-1 lead.
Mac took one step toward a seventh-inning comeback when Natalie Fernandez batted in Dakota Mitsche, but stalled there and lost 3-2.
The game boosted Jesuit’s OSAA 6A ranking from No. 3 to No. 1 in the state. Mac is now ranked No. 7.
“I told them afterwards, nothing to hang your heads about,” Terry said. “I don’t like moral victories, but I was pretty proud of the girls for how they competed. It was a good battle.”
On Tuesday, the Grizzlies’ first inning onslaught began with consecutive walks to senior infielder Laney Reed and freshman outfielder Genevieve Thomas. Dinger then stepped to the plate and drove a 2-2 pitch over the center field fence to take an early 3-0 lead.
A walk to sophomore infielder Rylan Carton set up junior Julin Stephens at the plate who proceeded to pull a line drive over the third baseman and into the left field corner to score Carton for the fourth run of the game.
The inning was capped off by a two-run, two-out single from Reed with the bases loaded.
After the first inning, the Grizzlies led 6-0 and held the lead for the whole game.
Reed would end her day 1-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. Being a captain of the team, Terry commended Reed on her effort, but focused on the leadership and flexibility she has brought to the ball club after multiple injuries to players around her, including playing second base as a left-handed thrower.
“They’re selfless kids,” he said of Reed and the other team captain, Mitsche.
Roberts allowed three earned runs, 10 walks and six hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched.
Roberts first saw trouble in the fourth inning, allowing two runs, but the offense responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning with two of their own and took an 8-2 lead. This time it was Thomas who was responsible, driving the ball into right-center field to score Reed.
The Grizzlies scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Dinger’s second home run of the game. With senior Vivian Moore on first, Dinger’s blast floated over the left field wall and extended the lead, 10-3.
Coach Terry revealed the type of player Dinger is with a recounting of events that occurred before her sixth-inning at-bat. Terry wanted her to warm up in case she was needed to pitch in the final inning but she was next to be on deck.
“She goes, ‘I’m just gonna go up here and hit a home run, and then I’ll go get loose,’ kinda tongue in cheek, and she hits a bomb,” he said.
Terry laughed and appreciated the moment with Dinger, but took the time to explain why she is so valuable to the team.
“She’s an A-plus kid on and off the field,” he said. “There’s zero ego. In fact, I probably would say I’d like her to get a little more juice sometimes with just her mindset of confidence. But she is a very level kid, and she’s team-first. She will do whatever it takes, and I’m happy that she’s having the success she’s having.”
On top of Dinner’s performance, Terry also gave credit to Moore for stepping in as catcher for the injured Fleischman. Moore has caught for her summer club ball team, but for the Grizzlies had not seen any time behind the plate. She finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored.
Moore succeeded at what Grizzly coaches often preach in trying to hit the ball the other way and adjust to a pitch as it is given.
“She’s a triple threat,” Terry said. “She can slap. She can use her speed. She can hit for power. And (Tuesday), the two pitchers we faced both had good drop balls. They both moved the ball north-south really well, and she did a really nice job of just taking what was given.”
Before the Grizzlies' Tuesday victory, the team traveled back to Oregon City (2-7) on Saturday to finish out their game against the Pioneers which was postponed due to rain last week.
The Grizzlies led 10-5 when the game resumed and allowed two runs in the bottom of the fifth in dryer conditions. Afterward, sophomore Ariel Glynn was able to shut down the Pioneer’s lineup and pitched two scoreless innings to secure a 10-7 victory.
Preparations were the same for the Grizzlies despite the conditions. Terry ensured the team warmed up as per usual, but said it was a challenge to keep his players in the same routine with the knowledge that they had to continue playing a game that was not yet over. He admitted it was an atypical scenario, but recognized that the offense struggled to get started in a similar fashion to previous games.
“We have been slow starters at the plate, and that showed in that game,” he said. “Our approach needs to be a little bit better, and I think we need to do a little more homework pre-at-bat to see what’s going on.”
Terry said the team has to understand what pitchers are throwing and be able to adjust on the fly, but knowing what an umpire is calling and being able to see pitch locations also come with growth.
“Until they actually see the lead bullets, it’s kinda hard to adjust,” he said.
Ossie Bladine contributed to this article.
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