Sports
B1
Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
PHOTOS BY ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Kennedy's Tressa Reidman (12) celebrates with teammates after her three-run home run in the Monroe vs. Kennedy softball game, in the first round of the OSAA Class 2A/1A state playoffs, at
John F. Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel last week. Kennedy won the game 5-0.
Homer helps
Trojans advance
in playoffs
BILL POEHLER
STATESMAN JOURNAL
MT. ANGEL - Tressa Reidman has
had the goal since first coming to high
school at Kennedy that she wanted to hit
a home run.
There have been a few times when
she was excruciatingly close, hitting the
outfield fence a couple times and having
a potential homer taken away by an ath-
letic outfielder at North Douglas once
this season.
No one was going to catch up with the
ball she hit out Wednesday.
The sophomore pitcher bombed a
towering three-run home run into the
trees in left field in the third inning of
Wednesday’s 5-0 win against Monroe in
the first round of the OSAA Class 2A/1A
state playoffs.
Reidman finally got her first.
“It’s kind of funny because we talk
about goals, both personal and team
goals, and one of hers was to get a din-
ger,” Kennedy coach Walt Simmons said.
“She hadn’t had one to this point, and so
when she got it, she knew, hey, I got that
goal, which was good to see for her.”
No. 5 seed Kennedy (17-5) advances to
Friday’s second round to play at No. 4
seed North Douglas. This Kennedy team
has exceeded expectations all season.
The Trojans won their first league
championship since 2009 by going 10-0 in
2A/1A Special District 2 and Wednes-
day’s win was the program’s first win in a
state playoff game since 2010.
The team is doing this without any
seniors, but it works.
“The juniors kind of act like the sen-
iors,” said sophomore shortstop Hannah
Arritola, who was 2-for-3. “They’re lead-
Kennedy's Rebecca Pranger (7) throws the ball during the game vs. Monroe.
Kennedy's Hannah Arritola (5) bats against
Monroe.
ers and they’re team captains.
“We just work well together and
they’re like our friends, but they’re lead-
ers at the same time. It’s just really fun
so we get along with them better. It’s just
working out.”
The development of Reidman as a
pitcher has helped, too.
She gave up basketball to focus on her
pitching, and the sacrifice worked as she
went from splitting time with first base-
man Molly Jaeger as a freshman to
pitching all but 20 innings this season.
Reidman struck out six Monroe bat-
ters and held the Dragons to five hits
Wednesday with a combination of pitch-
es.
“I think my mental game was better
because I was pretty young and inexpe-
rienced last year as like a freshman in
school ball,” Reidman said.
“I hit my spots a lot better than last
year. I have better control, definitely.
And my change-up works a lot better and
so does my drop ball and I think my
curveball and rise ball work better.
They’re more dependable. I don’t walk as
many people as I did last year.”
Of course it helps when a pitcher has a
lead to pitch from. Reidman hit into an
error in the first inning to score Rhean-
non Hernandez, and Hernandez scored
on a double by Arritola in the third to set
the stage for Reidman’s heroics at the
plate. But more importantly, for the first
time in a long time, Kennedy moves on in
the playoffs.
bpoehler@StatesmanJour
nal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/
bpoehler
Kennedy players celebrate their victory.
Kennedy's Tressa Reidman, right, celebrates with teammates after her three-run home run.
REACH US: Cliff Kirkpatrick, ckirkpatr@Salem.gannett.com