By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SCAPPOOSE, Ore.– From the start of Saturday’s non-league game between the Scio and Scappoose Softball teams, both teams made a statement:
That the other was going to have to make that one or two defensive adjustments to come out victorious on this day.
The Loggers struck first in the top half of the first inning. Freshman Gracie Ferguson hit a three-run home run, and Skylur Brown backed her up with a solo home run the very next at-bat that pushed Scio ahead 4-0 going into the bottom half of the first inning.
But it was that bottom half of the opening frame the bats of the Indians chipped at the deficit. Hitting on base by either base hit or creating errors to eventually knott the game up at four after the first inning of the game.
“Hitting that home run and us coming after it, and it carried us into the game. Coming into defense, we had some errors, but we just stayed as a team and did it for each other,” said Ferguson. “It kind of surprised us a little bit, but we just stuck in there and had some good plays and bounced back.”
That shakey first inning happened to be the only crooked number, an inning where two or more runs were scored, was credited against the Scio defense in the 8-6 victory between two Top 5 teams in 3A and 4A. The Loggers, ranked number one in 3A, held Scappoose to a run in the third and fifth innings that pulled themselves steady against the fifth-ranked team in 4A in the contest.
Scio’s offense came around with a run in the third and three runs in the fourth inning, the only inning after the first inning that saw multiple runs scored in a single inning that had helped the Loggers pull ahead 8-5 prior to the Indians’ run in the sixth that made Scio settle in down the stretch.
Coming off of their defeat to Dayton on Monday and with Willamina, Cascade and Clatskanie upcoming, to see this grit and perseverance and come out on top with a victory moving forward is a huge confidence booster moving forward.
“This is a huge game for us. They’re a great team, and for us to come back from losing this past week and to come back and win this game helps us a lot with our confidence as a team,” said Myleigh Cooper. “It’s a huge game. It brought up our spirits, and I think it boosts our confidence a little bit and gets us mentally prepared to play these next few challenging games up ahead.”
Scio will travel to Willamina on Monday to start the final week of 3A Special District 3 play before playing Cascade, Clatskanie, and Pendleton the week of May 19.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
