Riverhawk softball topples another ranked foe

“It was a great win and it really gets the girls excited and pumped up,” said first-year Coach Danielle Sayres. “It’s very exciting being No. 3 and it’s probably been a few years since The Dalles has been ranked that high. The girls showed up ready to play; they have the talent and as long as they have trust in themselves and each other and play well together, then they can do great things.”

Hawk junior hurler Kennedy Abbas had a remarkable performance in the pitching circle, as she tossed a one-hitter and struck out 10 to help lead The Dalles to the victory. The Hawks had 15 hits, including home runs by Abbas, Sydney Newby, Despina Seufalemua and Kaleyah Crichton-Tunai.

The Hawks recorded two nonleague victories last week; the other was a 6-5 victory over the Class 6A Reynolds High Raiders (7-4) April 5 at 16th Street Ballpark in The Dalles. Freshman Maddie Brock hit the game-winning RBI single to help propel the Hawks to the win. That marked their second win over the Raiders, of the Mt. Hood Conference. The Dalles won 10-0 over Reynolds on March 22.

On March 29, the Hawks won 6-3 over the No. 10-ranked Silverton High Foxes (7-3), who were ranked No. 3 prior to that contest. The Hawks will get another chance to get a win against a highly ranked team Friday, when they’ll face the No. 2-ranked Pendleton High Buckaroos in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pendleton High School.

“I think the girls definitely have a chance and we can play with Pendleton for sure,” said Sayres, who attended a contest last week between Pendleton and the No. 1-ranked Wilsonville High Wildcats at Wilsonville. “I scouted them, and I definitely learned some things about Pendleton that will be good. They (Pendleton) always have a good program; they’re always a tough team, they have good pitching, and they have good hitting, but so do we. As long as we come ready to play, I think it should be an exciting day. I definitely think we have a shot. It’s going to be exciting and fun to see what the girls can do.”

That matchup is the Hawks’ opening contest of their 15-game Intermountain Conference schedule. Pendleton earned its high ranking following its 10-4 win over Wilsonville. Pendleton is 8-1 this season and has not lost an IMC game since May of 2019. The Buckaroos were 9-0 in league play last spring.