The Clackamas print., May 16, 2018, Page 6, Image 6

SPORTS
6
Cougars win most games since 2011;
STORY A N D PHOTOS BY JACOB THOMPSON
SPORTS EDITOR
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“ Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas was the play and sat in fourth place in the Southern Region, but
No. 1 song on the radio in May of 2009 and Clackamas the celebration o f sweeping M t. Hood was short lived as
Community College’s baseball team had just broke a 13- Clackamas found themselves being swept by Linn-Benton
year streak of missing the Northwest Athletic Conference Com m unity College and Lane Community College. The
(NWAC) playoffs. Since that 2009 season^ where the Cougars found themselves on a six-gam e losing streak
Cougars fin ish ed 25-23 overall and 16-14 in league, that would have Clackamas on the verge of missing the
Clackamas has failed to return to the NW AC playoffs, playoffs for a ninth straight year.
“ As a team we just need to play fundamental baseball,”
failing to Win at least nine league games in the past six
seasons. This season the Cougars did m anage to win freshm an third basem an Nathan Loranger said after
l i league games, but missed the playoffs for the ninth Clackamas’ 8-4 and 13-2 losses to Lane on April 30. “ Catch
- the ball, throw the ball, hit the ball. Pitchers need to hit
straight season.
Finishing with an overall record of 16-26 overall, the their spots, defenders need to help the pitchers out and
Cougars’ season was full o f ups and downs, but none we need good at-b ats.”
A five-gam e series versus Chem eketa Com m unity
changed the direction of the season more drastically than
College would be the Cougars last chance to straighten
the final 10 games of the season.
After com pleting a sweep of M t. Hood Com m unity the ship and advance to NWAC Cross Regional play.
“We need to get our energy up in the dugout,” sophomore
College on April 23, Clackamas improved to 10-9 in league
outfielder Tyler Oscaf son said on
April 30. “We need to dig deeper
and grab som ething from our
hearts, because We’ re fighting
for a playoff spot right now.”
In game one of the series, the
Cougars held a commanding 9-1
lead through four innings of play,
but Chem eketa came storming
b ack, scoring 10 ^runs in the
bottom of the fifth inning to take
the lead 11-9. Clackam as went
scoreless in the sixth and seventh;
innings, while the Storm scored
six more runs to extend their lead
to 17-9 Clackamas scored a run
in the top of the eighth inning,
but gave up three in the bottom
of the inping, losing 20-10.
“We didn’t play good enough to
w in,” sophomore outfielder Tyler
Parker said at practice following
the loss. “ It was just a bad game
all around.”
Needing to win the next four
games to keep their season alive,
the atmosphere at practice the
day after the 20-10 loss was tense
to say the least.
“ For us sophomores these could
be some of the last baseball games
in our lives. It’ s literally win
or go home for the rest of your
life for some of u s,” sophomore
pitcher Cody Anderson said at
Clackamas Print
-
.
Wednesday’ s practice.
Gam e two and three o f the series were played at
Clackam as Com m unity College on Friday. Freshm an
pitcher Mason Schimmel started game two on the hill for |
the Cougars. Throwing three innings, Schimmel gave up , r
three runs on three hits and left the game with Clackamas 0
trailing 3“ O.
Freshman pitcher Nick White took over for Schimmel •
and threw the last six innings of the game. White gave
up seven hits, five runs and walked three batters.
t
The.Cougars failed to score any runs until the bottom
of the seventh inning, when sophomore outfielder Tyler
Parker hit a solo home run. The HR was Parker’ s eighth of
the season, but would be the only run the Cougars scored
as they fell in game two 8-1.
The loss put Clackam as in a tough spot for m aking -
the playoffs, sitting in sixth place, two games back of |
Chemeketa and one game back of Clark. Clackamas would ’
need to win the next three games of their series, while :
needing.Southwestern Oregon Com m unity College to
beat Clark Community College three times.
Sophomore shortstop Renner Stecki made his fifth
start of the season on the mound for Clackamas in game
three. Stecki surrendered six earned runs through five f
innings and received no run support as the offensive ~
woes continued for the Cougars, recording one hit in;.,
five innings. .
The Cougars made a late offensive surge in the sixth
and seventh innings, putting up five runs on seven hits, j
but it was too little too late, and Chemeketa won 9-5 -
and snuffed out ,,
Clackamas’ playoff hopes.
W it h
tw o
games left but no possibility
to extend th eal^ £ £ | ^ ^ f t e a s o n , Clackam as traveled
■1
to
S a le m
jJH M i
Saturday for games four and
five of the final W H H 5 * ^ - ? e r i e s of the season.
C la c k a m a s ^
C h e m e k e ta ^
sco rin g
four
on
um ped
ns
the top o f the ’
in n in g on a run
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