A second-inning home run helped fuel the Central Linn Cobras to a 15-5 win over Culver Wednesday in Special District 3 softball action.
The game against Central Linn was the final regular season game of a very tough season for the Bulldogs. After opening with a win against the Bend JVs, the Bulldogs lost their final 20 games. They went 0-12 in Special District 3 competition.
The losses on the field paled in comparison to losing a team leader in Jorja Nelson, who was killed in a car accident in early April. Nelson was honored by the school and team with her number, 13, chalked in behind third base, her position, and a banner for her on the left field fence. The team also wore teal (Jorja's favorite color) ties in their hair in games following her passing.
"This has been a tough season for sure. Not something that you can really prepare for as a coach," said coach TJ Foltz. "But we as a staff did the best we could with the situation at hand. Losing a player is never easy and not something that we can just get over. We still need time to heal both individually and as a team."
Taste of victory
But the season didn't end without another taste of victory for the players who toughed out the schedule. Another chance for victory was added and on Thursday, May 16, the Bulldogs traveled to Mill City to take on the Santiam junior varsity in a doubleheader and came home with a pair of wins, 18-6 and 19-9.
The games Thursday were supposed to be makeup games with the Santiam varsity, but they agree to let their JVs play instead. They don't count as league wins ... but who's counting anyway.
On the field this spring, coach TJ Foltz fielded a team of very young and in many cases inexperienced players. They team had no seniors and six freshman.
While Culver had to hunt and scrape for enough players to field a team — their roster at year's end included six freshmen — Santiam has a stout program. Their varsity squad won Special District 3 with a perfect 12-0 record. They were 20-3 overall.
Led by the offense of Haleigh St. Clair and Shelby Bunting, who both had triples, and the pitching of Dakota Tanori, the Bulldogs got it done, winning both games handily. Foltz said that Ashlynn Marlatt at second and shortstop Cooper Roff played very well in the field.
"We are really a young team," noted Foltz. "We had six freshman this season and most of them had never played softball before this season. They all came along way this season and if they put in the work this offseason, look out."
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