Sports
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Cougars fastpitch defies injury, gets win
(Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News)
Emma Deters makes contact during the second game against Lakeview Friday, April 29. The girls went 1-1 on the day, winning the first and narrowly losing the
second.
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
On Easter weekend, the Lady Cougars fastpitch team
earned its first win in a double-header at St. Mary’s High School
April 23.
They did it again Friday, April 29, beating Lakeview 12-11
in overtime play after a comeback and an injury to one of their
lead pitchers, Cindy Moore.
“I think the girls are just getting it,” said girls’ head coach
Cathy Pope. “They’re at the point where something lights up, the
switch goes on and they’re understanding the game, absorbing
the information we’ve been giving them.”
With Moore out from a direct hit by a Lakeview line drive
early in the first game, Thea Barker-Cortrecht ended up pitching
both games Friday.
In game two, the IVHS softball team fell behind again ear-
ly, and this time didn’t quite catch up, losing 7-9. But in the loss,
left-handed batter Keyanna Augustadt hit a home run while oth-
ers scored in a second comeback effort.
Part of the team’s recent success could be tied to extended
practices, in which Pope says softball players are learning new
positions instead of just focusing on their favored spot on the
field.
“Every practice we learn something new,” Pope said.
“[Lately] we have worked on defensive angles…broadening our
view of where the ball is at all times as well as pushing our bat-
ting, now that fundamentals of defense are getting under con-
trol.”
According to Pope, many freshman players took time out
of their weekend April 30 in a pitching clinic, where younger
athletes had the chance to develop skills in an unfamiliar area.
“We have such a young group and there’s such potential, I
want everybody to get a chance to learn something new,” Pope
said.
On any team, cohesiveness plays a fundamental role, boost-
ed in part by team bonding activities. The morning of April 30,
Pope said the whole team met together for breakfast to help get
in the right mindset.
“We spend a lot of time together and I think that helps them
get to know each other as a team and as people,” Pope said. “It’s
really developing into a family-type atmosphere.”
The IVHS softball team was scheduled to play another dou-
ble-header at Cascade Christian starting at 4 p.m. Friday, May 6,
where the team hopes to continue building confidence.
“I’m proud of where they’re at right now, and their mind-
set,” Pope said. “Everybody out there just loves [softball]. That’s
something you can’t really coach or teach.”
Cougar baseball
battles back, gets
fourth straight win
By Darcy Wallace
IVN Staff Writer
A tenth-inning victory against Rogue Riv-
er on April 26 might have redefined the season
for the Cougars baseball team, which is 5-11
overall and 4-2 in the league as of May 2.
Illinois Valley edged out Rogue River 5-
4 last Tuesday, overcoming a few early errors
to clamp down on pitching and gain hits when
they needed them most.
“We made good plays when we needed
to make them,” said head coach Bob Johnson.
“[Curtis] Paulson pitched all ten innings and
did an excellent job on the mound.”
Johnson said Rogue River’s starting pitch-
er was a second-team All State player last year,
giving Illinois Valley confidence that they could
combine strong defense and offense and hold
their own against teams of any skill level.
“I think this was a big thing in our sea-
son because…[the Cougars] showed they could
play a good team and eventually outlast them,”
Johnson said. “I think we came of age a little
bit. It gave us a pretty good boost of confidence
and we needed it then.”
On Friday, April 30, Illinois Valley played
Lakeview in a double-header at home, winning
the first 6-4 and taking control of the second,
12-2.
Johnson said Bryan Biggs pitched the first
game against the Honkers, striking out five in
the win. In the second, Zach Anderson had three
hits including a double, and freshman Seth
Arias had possibly his best game so far with
two doubles.
“That’s part of the reason we’re starting
to win now: some of the young guys are getting
to the point they know what they need to do,”
Johnson said. “Not only are they contributing,
they’re playing a lot better in the outfield.”
Johnson said the team has had to over-
come losing the first game in the double-header
against St. Mary’s April 23. They’ve been prac-
ticing hitting and continuing to refine the ba-
sics so the foundation for their games can be
strong.
Illinois Valley has also worked on strength-
ening its on-field defense, such as forcing dou-
ble-plays for quick outs, as the Cougars vie for
a playoff spot.
“Our hitting is coming around gradually,”
Johnson said. “When you get all the fundamen-
tals down, sooner or later they can gel as a team
and play together; it seems like we’re starting
to do that now.”
The Cougars last played Cascade Chris-
tian April 19, and hope to win both games in
the upcoming double-header May 6. The Chal-
lengers are 11-5 overall and 5-1 in the league as
of May 2.
(Photo by Darcy Wallace, Illinois Valley News)
#4 senior Zach Anderson safely reaches second base during the home game
against Lakeview.