It didn’t start great, but it ended perfectly for the Scappoose softball team who defeated rival and first place St. Helens 10-6 on Tuesday evening, April 23, at Scappoose Middle School.
The home Indians fell behind 4-0 through two-and-a-half innings and with standout Lions pitcher Ava Eib in the circle things looked bleak. But thanks to a little patience, a little more power, and a lot of help from Madison White, Scappoose responded with six runs in the third inning, two more in the fourth, and capped their night with two final runs in the fifth to come away with the win.
White finished 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and two runs-scored at the plate, while pitching four innings in relief of Indian starter Saige Casey, allowing no earned runs on a single hit with five strikeouts.
“She’s a great asset,” Johnson said about White. “Today was an outstanding performance. She’s been a great leader for us.”
St. Helens scored the game’s first run when Maddy Lahey tripled home Eib in the game’s opening inning, then took a four-run lead two innings later when sophomore Addy Ellis hit a three-run home run that plated Eib and Eme Curaming.
Eib had been dealing to that point, retiring five of the first six Scappoose hitters over the game’s first two innings. But it was in the third inning that the Indians seemed to settle in, getting six runs thanks in large part to three big hits, along with a little help from two Lion miscues — and all with two outs.
“We started to be a little bit more disciplined in the box and realized where we were with our counts,” Johnson said. “Our bats came alive and the girls didn’t let two outs stop them.”
Scappoose got a triple from Sophia Bloyd and a home run from White in the six-run third, then got two more in the fourth to take an 8-4 lead thanks to a Bloyd two-run homer
St. Helens battled back in the fifth, pulling within 8-6 as the result of an Ellis two-run double, but the Indians iced the game in the bottom half of that same inning, getting back the two runs they conceded with back-to-back doubles by White and Brooklyn Schmidt, followed by a Kaitlin Ventris RBI-single.
The Scappoose win came on the heels of an April 19 loss to the Lions, along with an earlier season defeat to the same St. Helens team, and pulled the Indians into a tie with the Lions and within a game of first place Astoria in the Cowapa League standings.
“It’s a big win for us because we are in the hunt for league, and especially right now because we have a big mountain to climb with our record,” Johnson said. “So, every win is big.”
That “mountain” is due to the team being forced to forfeit their first 12 games as the result of using an ineligible player. Because of that, the team’s league finish will be vital in qualifying them for the upcoming state playoffs.
Johnson seemed confident in her team being up for the challenge and applauded their response in the wake of the adversity.
“The girls have been really awesome and supportive about it,” Johnson said. “They kind of saw things coming once the eligibility piece kind of came out, so they know that every game is a big game.
“It’s tough, but it is what it is and it was something we couldn’t control. The only thing we could control was how we reacted and how we move on.”
And how are they moving on? Per their coach, by way of hard work.
“The girls have done great,” Johnson said. “Any chance they get to get in extra reps, they’re doing it. They’re focused and have a goal in mind, and they’re playing as a team.”
In addition to White, were led by Bloyd who finished 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs-scored.
St. Helens was led by Ellis who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, double, four RBI and a run-scored.
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