Sports
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore.
Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2011
Cougars falter against Brookings-Harbor
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Senior pitcher Curtis Paulson tries to pick off a Glide player who was a little too antsy to get to second base. Senior first baseman Josh Free didn’t get the ball in time to tag
the potential thief Saturday, April 2 at home.
Glide steals two
in the valley
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
Sometimes, one inning can make or break
a baseball game.
After allowing only one run in five innings
against Brookings-Harbor High School, the
Illinois Valley High School baseball team gave
up five runs in the sixth inning in a rescheduled
game Wednesday, March 30.
The Cougar defense kept them in the
game nearly the entire time, though their bats
went cold in their only scoreless game so far
this year. But on Thursday, players were eager
to practice hitting to get the offensive game
back on track.
“The kids knew they weren’t swinging the
bat really well, so they were all eager to get in
the cage [March 31] and learn, and that’s what
Lady Cougars come
together as a team
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
The 2011 softball season has quite a few
firsts for the Lady Cougars: a first-time softball
coach, several first-time players and the first run
scored this past weekend, April 2.
The team has struggled to get wins in
the past few seasons and has undergone many
coaching staff changes. But this year’s coach,
Cathy Pope, has high hopes for the team as her
players may be a more cohesive unit than in
previous seasons.
“I think our team is really preparing
themselves well for the season,” Pope said.
“We’ve done a ton of team bonding and the girls
are really accepting of each other regardless of
playing experience. [They’re] very coachable
and it’s easy to work together.”
Three Illinois Valley softball players
are team veterans, but Pope said the rest are
freshman and first-time players.
So far, the girls have drilled in basic
fundamentals, learning signals and developing
ways to score points and get steals. Pope says
on-field defense is one of the strongest team
elements, but that players are working on
improving their offensive game.
On Saturday, April 2, the Lady Cougars
faced Glide in a double-header, losing the first
game 0-19 but cutting the gap to 1-12 in the
second.
According to Pope, recent practice on
bunting was a factor that helped the team score
the run in the second game.
Pope, who also coaches volleyball at
IVHS, took up coaching softball this season
after playing herself when she was in high
school.
“I’m probably learning as much as the girls
are learning,” Pope said. “I graduated ten years
ago and everything’s changed. I am learning
every game and making my own mistakes,
learning how to better coach myself.”
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Cindy Moore in command of the mound Saturday April 2 at home against Glide.
it’s all about,” said coach Bob Johnson. “We’ll
see if we can correct some of the problems and
next game we’ll see if we can do better.”
Senior Bryan Biggs pitched for Illinois
Valley during the first five innings, allowing
one run from an on-field error, Johnson said.
Fellow senior Zach Anderson pitched
the sixth and seventh innings. According to
Johnson, Brookings-Harbor scored five runs
from three hits, and Anderson struck out four
players. Senior Josh Free had a double for the
team’s lone hit.
“I have a really confident attitude towards
the team,” Johnson said. “They’re hustling and
for the most part playing good defense. If we
hit the ball and score some runs we’re going to
win a lot of games. I think we’ll get going here
shortly.”
The Cougars faced Glide in a doubleheader
Saturday, April 2 and were scheduled to play
Umpqua on Tuesday, April 5.
Against Glide, the baseball team lost
the first game 3-10, but fell just short in the
second game 4-5. They’re next scheduled to
play Hidden Valley High School on their turf
Thursday, April 7.
IVHS golfers
begin 2011 season
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
The rain finally held off
long enough for Illinois Valley
High School golf teams to get
their first few rounds of golf
in this season.
The boys golf team
kicked things off Tuesday,
March 29, at Eagle Point Golf
Course, earning fourth place
overall out of ten teams.
Coach Matt Knight says
the team didn’t quite play at
its best level, but with the
first round jitters out of the
way, he has high hopes for
upcoming matches.
“We can do better as a
team, but the weather was a
factor and some of them just
got off mentally,” Knight
said. “I am looking forward
to this Thursday [April 7]
when we play at Stone Ridge;
our kids do pretty well at that
course.”
Knight said the team
scored 383 March 29, higher
than their average. But
several golfers played well
on Tuesday.
According to Knight,
Roger Hults led the Cougars
with an 88, just one shot
ahead of his brother Fred
Hults who recorded an 89.
Tyler Robbins scored a 95
and Jesse Bethke ended the
day at 111.
Lady Cougar golfers
played in a junior varsity
tournament Thursday, March
31, at the Applegate River
Golf Club in Grants Pass.
This year, they have a roster
of three: freshman Brelyn
Dhenin, sophomore Miranda
Stiles and senior Laurissa
Tausaga.
One of the girls’ golf
coaches, Dave Bullock, said
the match was an opportunity
for the students to see how
they stack up against other
schools and learn how to
handle themselves on an
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Laurissa Tausaga practices Friday, April 1 at the Illinois
Valley Golf Course.
unfamiliar course.
“It helped to see how the
girls reacted to being out on
the golf course,” Bullock said.
“It was [Stiles’] first time ever
playing kids from other areas.
I think they had a really good
time and learned an awful
lot.”
Bullock said Tausaga
is only in her second year,
but believes she could set the
standard for the team. Tausaga
was named Most Improved
last season.
Despite
the
team’s
relative inexperience, Bullock
has high hopes for the potential
for improvement and believes
the students will encourage
their friends to try out next
year.
“Golf is a lot tougher
than people think it is,”
Bullock said. “The big thing
we concentrate on is the
attitude and sportsmanship
on the course. Golf is really a
sport of honesty. You have to
keep track of [yourself] and
it teaches things you have to
learn in life.”
Up next, the boys’ golf
team is scheduled go to Stone
Ridge April 7. Bullock said
the Lady Cougars will have
the chance to compete again
Wednesday, April 6. The
full schedule is still being
finalized.