Everything seemed to be going in Hood River’s favor last week, as the Eagles and Gorge rival The Dalles battled for the third and final Intermountain Conference softball playoff spot.
The No. 14 ranked Eagles (7-8 IMC, 11-15 overall) needed one win in the May 17 doubleheader to clinch a playoff berth. They held a five-run lead in the opener, then, in a dramatic momentum shift, the Riverhawks came-from-behind with six runs in the top of the seventh to pull out a 9-8 Game 1 win at Westside Elementary School in Hood River. The No. 8-ranked Riverhawks (9-6 IMC, 16-10 overall) maintained their momentum and won, 4-2, in Game 2 for a sweep to advance to the 5A playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Riverhawks, guided by first-year Coach Danielle Sayres, will play the Scappoose High Indians (18-7) in a first-round playoff game 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at 16th Street Ballpark in The Dalles. The winner of Wednesday’s game advances to the May 27 quarterfinals to play the winner of the Pendleton-La Salle first-round game.
“We did make an incredible comeback against a good team, and it was a great day for us,” said Sayres of the doubleheader sweep. “I think the girls were nervous, but they seem to play well under pressure and when they’re behind. We needed a doubleheader sweep and we got it done and I’ve never felt more proud of them than I do now.
“It’s pretty exciting to be in the playoffs, especially since it’s been a few years since we’ve been there. It fulfills one of our goals and now we’re going to just play one game at a time and hopefully get past the first round.”
In the pivotal Game 1 against HRV, The Dalles built a 3-0 lead in the first inning, highlighted by a leadoff home run by sophomore catcher Zoe LeBreton - her seventh homer this season. The Eagles trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the second on an RBI-single by Sienna Davis. The Eagles batted around their lineup with 10 batters going to the plate to face Riverhawks junior starting pitcher Ella Smith in the third inning.
“We made a great comeback,” said LeBreton. “You just have to keep playing hard and if you don’t look at the score, then it’s just a game that you try to focus on playing as best as you can. I think our team is very excited to be going to the playoffs, especially since we haven’t been there in a long time.”
HRV seemingly took control of the game, building an 8-3 lead through six, as The Dalles was down to its final three outs. The Riverhawks sent 10 batters to the plate to face Eagle freshman pitcher Grace Rowan, who relieved senior starting pitcher Kyra Davis (six strikeouts) after six innings. Aided by an Eagle error, the Riverhawks put together a five-hit rally, highlighted by LeBreton’s two-RBI single and Despina Seufalemua’s game-winning sacrifice fly RBI to help propel the Riverhawks to the win. Keliani Crichton-Tunai and Smith also drove in runs with key hits to contribute to the Riverhawks’ 11-hit offense. Smith strike out six and allowed nine hits.
“I feel like we kept playing with a good attitude and that’s what helped us pull through,” said Smith. “If we can continue to play like we did today, then we’ll enjoy more success in the playoffs, too. I wasn’t worried after we fell behind. I knew that my team would back me up. I had confidence in them, and we all pulled through.”
In Game 2, The Dalles ace junior hurler Kennedy Abbas had 10 strikeouts and allowed eight hits in leading the Riverhawks to the playoff-clinching victory. Capitalizing on two Eagle errors, The Dalles scored four runs in the third inning, highlighted by Seufalemua’s two-run homer to help the Riverhawks build a 4-0 advantage. Following three scoreless innings, HRV scored two in the seventh for the final score.
“Ella was a stud in the circle, and she definitely did a great job and helped us pull out the Game 1 win,” said Abbas. “It doesn’t matter if you struck out in every (other) at-bat, because one hit can change the game. We don’t look at the scoreboard because that doesn’t matter. We just always try to continue playing tough. The earlier loss to them (Eagles) helped motivate us to come out and get a win in Hood River.
“We showed up here because we knew we were the better team, and we really wanted this win. It feels great to be in the playoffs. I’m very proud of our team. Our expectations were to just get better throughout the season, and we’ve definitely done that.”
The Riverhawks held off the Eagles, as Kaleyah Crichton-Tunai scooped up an infield grounder at third base and threw the ball to freshman first baseman Sydney Newby for the final out of the game. The Riverhawks then celebrated with a high 5s, hugs, cheering and yelling at the conclusion of the contest.
HRV Coach Ryan Munn said: “These two teams are very closely matched. … we just had one really bad inning that cost us the game. They (Riverhawks) are a good ball club and I’ll tip my hat to them.”
The Dalles played one final regular season nonleague contest May 19 in Beaverton against the Class 6A Mountainside Mavericks (18-7) and lost, 7-3.
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