A5
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
SPORTS
Stayton softball shuts out Astoria, 3-0
Eagles advance to semifi nals
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
The Stayton Eagles set the tone early, and
while the Astoria Lady Fishermen displayed
some of their “never-say-die spirit” late in
the game, the end result was a 3-0 win for the
Eagles in a 4A state quarterfi nal softball game
Friday at CMH Field.
Stayton still had to sweat out an Asto-
ria rally in the sixth, but held on for the win,
which advances the Eagles to a Tuesday semi-
fi nal at Marist. The best season in program
history comes to an end for Astoria (21-4
overall), which lost for just the second time in
its last 23 games.
And a stunning loss it was for the Lady
Fish, who had defeated Stayton 9-1 just 11
days earlier.
But the Eagles turned the tables in Friday’s
game, as junior pitcher Jessica Rule tossed a
one-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk.
She was perfect through four innings.
“The last time we played, (the Eagles)
started a lefty, and we scored six runs off her,
then they brought in Rule, and we still scored
three more,” said Astoria coach Junior Israel.
“But she was tough (Friday). She threw a
great game, and we just couldn’t get anything
going.”
Call it a “learning experience” for the
young Astoria team, which will be back next
season. And the year after that, and the year
after that. The Lady Fishermen could be
the team everyone is chasing in 4A softball,
beginning in 2023.
The program has come a long way since
the Tapiola Park, a.k.a., the “Dairy Queen
Field” days. The crowd at Friday’s game
never would have fi t around the old fi eld.
“It was good,” Israel said. “We had good
fan support all year, and we’ve never had that
many fans for a home game.”
In the top of the fi rst inning, Stayton’s
Christine McCants led off with a triple to the
fence. She scored on a sacrifi ce fl y from Rule,
which proved to be the winning run.
As pitcher, Rule retired the fi rst 13 batters
she faced, before Maddie Wilkin drew a one-
out walk in the fi fth.
Meanwhile, the Eagles tacked on two
runs in the third inning. Sophomore Abigail
Archuleta had a one-out single, which was
followed by a pair of crucial Astoria mistakes.
An error on a bunt by Isabelle Trevino
allowed Archuleta to score, and McCants
scored on a ground-out by Rule, who was
Photos by Gary Henley/The Astorian
Astoria infi elder Tenley Matteucci gets set to apply the tag on Stayton’s Brielle Kessler.
LEFT: A long fl y ball by Astoria’s Shelby Bruney was foul by just a few feet in Friday’s playoff game.
RIGHT: There was heavy traffi c on the base path in Friday’s playoff . Stayton’s Abigail Archuleta,
center, was called out for runner’s interference in front of Astoria shortstop Nayomi Holmstedt, right.
0-for-4 at the plate, but drove in two runs.
In the bottom of the sixth, some miscom-
munication by the Stayton fi elders allowed
two Astoria runners to reach base.
Astoria’s only hit was a pop fl y by Avery
Biederman that dropped untouched to lead off
the inning.
One out later, Nayomi Holmstedt reached
on a fi elder’s choice, and all of a sudden the
Lady Fish had the tying run at the plate with
one out and their No. 2 and 3 hitters coming
to bat.
But after a short meeting with her coach,
Rule retired the next two players on ground
outs to get out of the inning.
Likewise, Wilkin had to work out of a few
jams herself.
Stayton had a leadoff triple in the fourth,
and leadoff singles in the fi fth and seventh, but
Wilkin responded and the Eagles left the run-
ners stranded in all three innings.
Astoria’s freshman pitcher scattered four
hits and struck out two with one walk.
“Maddie’s tough. She’s really grown and
matured, just this year,” Israel said.
After the game, he added, “Our two seniors,
Tenley (Matteucci) and Megan (Davis), they
were upset, and the girls were disappointed.
But hopefully this will be a ‘stepping stone’
type year, on our way to bigger things.”
Making the state championship game at
Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, “is our
goal,” Israel said.
Knappa baseball back in familiar territory
The Astorian
They’re back. For the seventh time in the
last eight offi cial post seasons, Knappa base-
ball is back in the Final Four of the state
playoff s.
Oregon’s best 2A baseball program this
century found a way to get it done Friday
against Regis in a state quarterfi nal played on
Knappa’s adopted home fi eld at Tapiola Park.
After falling behind 3-0, the Loggers
scored four runs in the bottom of the third,
and that was it for the scoring, which ended
with a 4-3 Knappa win.
Both teams had fi ve hits, while the Rams
committed four errors.
In Knappa’s half of the third, the Log-
gers took advantage of consecutive errors
by Regis with a single by Jude Miller and
back-to-back doubles from Drew Miller and
Treven Moreland.
Nick Rusinovich was the winning pitcher,
allowing fi ve hits with seven strikeouts and
four walks in fi ve innings.
The Loggers are scheduled to play a semi-
fi nal game Tuesday at Kennedy. The win-
ner meets either Umpqua Valley Chris-
tian or Dufur/South Wasco in Friday’s state
championship.
Knappa has missed the state champion-
ship game just once (2019) since 2015. There
were no offi cial state playoff s in 2020 or
2021.
Excluding the two previous seasons, the
Loggers have missed the semifi nals just
twice in the last 13 years.
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Seattle
64 51
Partly sunny
64 51
64 52
Cloudy
Low clouds may
break
63 51
64 52
60 50
Cloudy with Cloudy, showers
showers
around
Cloudy
61 51
A passing
shower
Aberdeen
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69/52
69/52
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70/50
ALMANAC
UNDER THE SKY
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Astoria through Sunday
Tonight’s Sky: Hydra, the Snake,
is a faint constellation that
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Astoria / Port Docks
Temperatures
High/low ................................ 56/49
Normal high/low .................. 62/49
Record high .................. 85 in 2007
Record low .................... 37 in 1966
Precipitation
Sunday ..................................... 0.06”
Month to date ........................ 6.11”
Normal month to date ......... 3.21”
Year to date .......................... 38.61”
Normal year to date ........... 34.68”
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Time
High (ft.) Time Low (ft.)
1:47 a.m.
3:31 p.m.
8.3 9:06 a.m. -0.7
6.7 8:46 p.m. 3.3
Cape Disappointment
1:28 a.m.
3:10 p.m.
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Hammond
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today .................. 5:28 a.m.
Sunset tonight ............... 8:58 p.m.
Moonrise today .............. 6:03 a.m.
Moonset today ............ 10:42 p.m.
New
First
Full
Last
1:36 a.m.
3:21 p.m.
Warrenton
1:42 a.m.
3:26 p.m.
Knappa
2:24 a.m.
4:08 p.m.
Depoe Bay
May 30 June 7 June 14 June 20
8.3 8:11 a.m. -0.7
6.5 7:55 p.m. 3.6
8.5 8:31 a.m. -1.0
6.8 8:17 p.m. 3.3
8.7 8:50 a.m. -0.6
7.1 8:30 p.m. 3.4
8.6 10:07 a.m. -0.6
7.0 9:47 p.m. 2.8
12:38 a.m. 8.3 7:42 a.m. -1.1
2:27 p.m. 6.6 7:25 p.m. 3.6
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Wash., DC
Wed.
Hi/Lo/W
88/70/pc
74/53/pc
88/62/t
94/76/pc
63/42/pc
85/72/pc
91/76/pc
76/60/s
85/75/t
93/64/s
98/75/s
72/52/s
94/75/s
90/70/s
62/55/t
74/57/pc
94/71/pc
57/43/r
85/73/pc
92/74/s
79/61/s
86/75/t
75/63/t
103/77/s
68/54/s
94/72/pc
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy,
c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.
73/53
Hermiston
The Dalles 77/54
Enterprise
Pendleton 63/42
72/51
79/55
La Grande
68/45
75/53
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi/Lo/W
67/47
Kennewick Walla Walla
71/52 Lewiston
79/54
74/53
Salem
Pullman
74/49
Longview
64/51 Portland
76/56
68/49
Yakima 78/53
72/51
Astoria
Spokane
72/53
Corvallis
74/50
Albany
74/50
John Day
Eugene
Bend
74/50
71/45
68/43
Ontario
70/47
Caldwell
Burns
65/40
67/46
Medford
79/51
Klamath Falls
69/38
City
Baker City
Brookings
Ilwaco
Newberg
Newport
Today
Hi/Lo/W
64/39/pc
65/48/pc
61/51/pc
76/54/pc
59/48/pc
Wed.
Hi/Lo/W
71/45/pc
62/49/c
63/52/c
79/54/c
58/48/c
City
North Bend
Roseburg
Seaside
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Today
Hi/Lo/W
63/50/pc
77/51/pc
63/50/pc
74/51/pc
77/56/c
Wed.
Hi/Lo/W
61/50/c
78/54/c
69/51/c
75/53/c
79/58/c