HANNAH MCNERNEY is greeted by her teammates as she nears home plate after hitting a two-out, two-run home run during Friday’s playoff game against Pendleton.
HANNAH MCNERNEY is greeted by her teammates as she nears home plate after hitting a two-out, two-run home run during Friday’s playoff game against Pendleton.
Photos by Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Lauren Decker beats the throw to Buck first baseman Alexi Brehaut.
An inspired playoff run by the HRV softball team came to a close Friday evening at Steve Cary Field in Pendleton, where the No. 3 Pendleton Buckaroos edged the No. 6 Eagles 4-2 in the quarterfinal round of the 5A state tournament.
In the state playoffs for the first time since 2014 — a year when Columbia River Conference rivals Pendleton also eliminated HRV from the postseason — the Eagles couldn’t produce enough offense to get by the Buckaroos, who, with 51 runs allowed, are the stingiest team by far in 5A softball.
The Bucks, who have been to the state finals four times and have two state titles in the past six seasons, played mistake-free softball and pounced when the Eagles made errors — four in all. Two of those came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Pendleton ended what had largely been a pitchers’ duel up until that point between HRV ace Hannah McNerney and Pendleton’s Lauren Richards. Pendleton singled twice and was able to put runners on first and third with two outs, before scoring their first run on an error and then two more on singles before grounding out to end the inning.
“They put the ball in play and put a little pressure on us. The defense bobbled the ball and rattled under pressure and made some errors… It’s just the magnitude of the situation. It’s hard to make one error and refocus and clear yourself. The errors just compound, the pressure compounds and we struggled to deal with that today,” HRV Head Coach Eric Keller said after the game, adding, “We know with Pendleton we had to play our best and we didn’t play our best and that was the difference.”
That being said, the Eagles have been a late-inning team this year, and have been good at winning close games, particularly against Pendleton. The Bucks only had four losses heading into Friday’s game; two of those were against HRV, and Pendleton had the lead heading into the seventh inning of both contests.
True to form, in the top of the sixth, McNerney hit her second two-out home run in as many games and only her second homer of her high school career, knocking a pitch by Richards over the center field wall. She batted in Lauren Decker, pulled within one run of Pendleton, and reenergized her teammates in the process. However, HRV flied out the next play, Pendleton added an insurance run on a hit to shortstop in the top of the sixth, and Richards struck out two of three HRV batters in the bottom of the seventh to put the Eagles’ hopes of reaching the 5A semifinals on ice.
Though neither team was able to generate much offense, with each club managing five hits, Pendleton was better at parlaying those hits into runs. Outside of McNerney’s homer, HRV’s best opportunity to score came in the third, when the Eagles loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Decker (2-for-3, singles) and McNerney (2-for-3, single, home run, two RBIs), who lead the team in batting averages (.381 and .346, respectively), comprised most of HRV’s offense with their multi-hit efforts; Haylee Baker (1-for-2) added a single.
On the mound, McNerney pitched a no-hitter until the fifth inning. She gave up five hits, a walk, and three earned runs while striking out eight batters in six innings.
“She’s been our backbone,” Keller said of McNerney. “There’s been so many games that we have leaned on her and leaned on her. I feel like she’s made of granite. She takes it on the shoulder and seems to relish it… She’s becoming one of the great ones.”
McNerney, a junior, will be one of the many returning players on HRV’s 2018 roster, as once again, the Eagles are light on seniors this season. The only starter they will lose is outfielder Makena Zeller, who is also a top-five hitter on HRV’s roster. They will lose reserves Emily Mason, Mackenzie Booth, and Lorena Johnson as well. A team that has been young for three seasons will have three talented senior starters in 2018 with McNerney, catcher Zoe Munn, and first baseman Kaylin Winans returning, and will look to build on their breakout season and be a state title contender next year.
“This team has been an incredible team to be a part of. I love the resilience this team shows… this team proved that they’re legit,” Keller said.
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