Wednesday, June 1, 2022
A9
SPORTS
SOFTBALL
BASEBALL
OUTLAWS CONCLUDE
SUCCESSFUL SEASON
Soft ball team
fi nishes with
the most wins
since 2010
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
E
NTERPRISE —
Rilyn
Kirkland
homered
three
times and fi n-
ished with fi ve RBIs, pow-
ering the Wallowa Valley
softball team to a victory in
a high-scoring fi rst-round
playoff game against Day-
ton on Wednesday, May 25,
9-7, for its fi rst state playoff
game victory in eight years.
Kirkland fi nished the day
4-for-4 and added a double
in the win. She also scored
four times. The senior
accounted for roughly half
of the team’s off ense on her
own, as she had four of the
team’s nine hits and runs,
and had fi ve of eight RBIs
credited to the Outlaws.
Abby Straight added two
RBIs, Cooper Nave had two
hits and Liz Rowley scored
twice for the Outlaws.
The last time the program
won a playoff game in soft-
ball was in 2014, a 6-5 vic-
tory earned over Santiam
Christian. The team lost in
the quarterfi nals that year,
interestingly, to Dayton.
Rowley tossed a com-
plete game in earning the
playoff victory despite a
rough day in the circle. The
senior allowed seven runs on
just fi ve hits, walked eight
and struck out four. Two of
the runs were unearned.
On May 27, the Outlaws
saw their season end with a
10-0 road loss in the quar-
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Jaxon Grover earned all-league selections for Wallowa
Valley at infi eld and pitcher.
Eagles earn 11 spots
on all-league team
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
Melissa Kirkland/Contributed Photo
Wallowa Valley players mob Rilyn Kirkland after a home run Friday April 29, 2022, during a
doubleheader sweep of Riverside.
terfi nals to Yamhill-Carlton,
the same team that elimi-
nated Wallowa Valley from
the playoff s in 2019.
Nave and Aimee Mey-
ers had the only two hits for
Wallowa Valley, while the
Tigers had seven hits and
scored 10 runs, six earned,
off Rowley.
The Outlaws wrapped
up the season with a fi nal
record of 20-8, the most
wins for the program since
going 23-5 in 2010.
Wallowa Valley rewarded for strong play
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
The Wallowa Valley soft-
ball team had its best sea-
son in close to a decade,
and could chalk up the suc-
cess to solid play across the
board.
The Special District 2 all-
league selections are evi-
dence of that.
The Outlaws had eight
players garner recognition
on the all-league squad,
including two who earned
honors at multiple positions,
giving the team 10 selec-
tions. Five of those athletes,
in fact, gained fi rst-team
notice.
Leading the way was Liz
Rowley, who had two fi rst-
team nods, one as a fi rst-
team pitcher and one as an
outfi elder. Rowley was part
of a strong 1-2 punch in
the pitcher’s circle for the
Outlaws along with Aimee
Meyers.
Meyers was tapped as
a fi rst-team infi elder, and
also garnered a nod as a
pitcher, landing on honor-
able mention.
Rilyn Kirkland, who pro-
vided a constant force in the
batting order for Wallowa
Valley and was a strong
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Liz Rowley had two fi rst-team nods, one as a fi rst-team pitcher and one as an outfi elder.
catcher, was selected as
a fi rst-team utility player.
Cooper Nave gained a spot
as a fi rst-team fi rst baseman
and Sophie Moeller was
tagged a fi rst-team infi elder.
Alex
Rowley
was
selected to the second team
as an outfi elder, the Outlaws’
lone second-team selection.
Rounding out the selec-
tions were juniors Sydney
Hopkins and Maci Marr,
both of whom were honor-
able mention in the outfi eld.
The 10 selections bested
everyone in Special Dis-
trict 2, including Burns, who
went undefeated in SD2
play. Burns, though, did
land the league pitcher (Ayla
Davies), player (Merissa
Medley) and coach (Robert
Medley) of the year.
The Wallowa Valley
baseball team had 10 play-
ers garner a combined 11
spots on the Special Dis-
trict 5 all-league team,
including three who were
selected to the fi rst team.
Jaxon Grover led the
way by landing two selec-
tions — one as a fi rst-team
infi elder, and one as an
honorable mention pitcher.
Maclane Melville was
tapped as a fi rst-team out-
fi elder, and Caden Fent
rounded out fi rst-team
nods, landing a spot at
fi rst base.
Wallowa Valley
ends season 14-12
By RONALD BOND
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
MEDFORD — The
season is over for the Wal-
lowa Valley baseball team.
The Eagles, who drew a
tough fi rst-round matchup
against top-seed Cascade
Christian in the 3A state
baseball playoff s, fell on
the road to the Challeng-
ers on Wednesday, May
25, 13-3, in fi ve innings.
The Eagles never led,
as Cascade Christian
scored the game’s fi rst
nine runs, got home runs
from both Austin Waits
and Cole Shields, and had
13 hits.
Owen Thompson did
it all for the Challengers,
going 4-for-4 with fi ve
RBIs. He doubled in the
game’s fi rst run in the fi rst
inning and later scored,
added a two-run double
as part of a fi ve-run fourth
that ended with Cascade
Christian ahead 9-0 and
had two RBI singles along
the way. He also pitched
all fi ve innings, striking
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The Eagles had two
additional players earn a
spot on the second team
— Jackson Decker as an
infi elder, and Lane Rouse
as an outfi elder.
Receiving
honorable
mention, in addition to
Grover, were Drew Beachy
and Cody Fent as pitch-
ers, Spencer Decker as an
infi elder, Kyler McQuead
as an outfi elder and Trace
Collier as a utility player.
The Eagles posted a
record of 14-12 overall,
and went 8-4 in SD5 to
take third place. The slate
included a regular-season
sweep of district runner-up
Vale, and two close losses
to district champion Burns.
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out 12 batters and keeping
the Eagles off the board
until the fi fth inning.
In that frame, Gabe
Nobles reached on a
dropped third strike,
moved to third on a one-
out single by Spencer
Decker, and scored on a
bunt by Maclane Mel-
ville. On the play, an error
by the Challengers also
allowed Decker to score.
Melville scored later on a
Caden Fent RBI single to
pull the Eagles within 9-3.
But Cascade Christian
put an end to the game in
the home half of the frame.
Thompson had his fourth
run-scoring hit, an error
led to two runs and Liam
Benade hit an RBI single
to enforce the 10-run rule.
Lane Rouse had two of
the Eagles’ six hits. Four
pitchers struggled to con-
tain the Cascade Chris-
tian off ense, combining
to allow 13 hits in 4⅔
innings, walking six and
striking out fi ve.
The Eagles wrapped
the season with a fi nal
record of 14-12.