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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2015)
B Section B S PORTS South Lane County Sports and Recreation Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Cottage Grove’s rally comes up short at Junction City Lions scored eight runs in fi nal three innings BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel C ottage Grove scored eight runs in the fi - nal three innings of Thursday’s Sky-Em League game against Junction City, but it was not enough to overcome the Tigers, who prevailed 10- 9. Brett Ollivant hit an RBI double, T.J. Bellamy scored one on a triple and Ryan East belted a three-run home run for the Lions, who have lost seven of their previous nine games. For Junction City (8-14, 5-8 Sky-Em), Bryon Brown went 3-for-4 and scored three runs, and Trent Keeler went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. With just two games left in the regular season, phto by Greg East Ryan East's three-run homer in the fi fth helped Cottage Grove cut into a major defi cit, but Junction City prevailed 10-9. Cottage Grove (14-9, 6-7 Sky-Em) is likely to fi nish fourth in the league. And while the Lions could still be a candidate for one of three at-large bids to the postseason, the team was devastated by Thursday’s loss. “I think it’s still mathematically a possibility to reach the playoffs but so remote that I don’t think its even worth talking about,” said Cottage Grove coach Dan Geiszler. “We've just got to play the last two games against a good team, and hopefully play well.” The Lions got off to an inauspicious start against the Tigers. They went 4-and-out in each of their fi rst three trips to the plate and allowed Junction City to build a 7-0 lead through three in- nings. During this stretch, the Lions committed many of the same miscues that have plagued them throughout their mid-season slide. “The consistency of being inconsistent has been our problem,” Geiszler said. “You never know what you’re going to get from each individual, each game; it could be great, ok or terrible, and Please see BASEBALL, Page 3B Changes for youth football Plan calls for K-1 fl ag league in new 'South Lane Youth Football Association' BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel Y outh football in Cottage Grove will have a bit of a different feel when it picks up this summer and fall, according to Pop Warner offi cials. The organization has renamed itself as the South Lane Youth Football Association, and for the fi rst time ever, it will offer a fl ag football program to kin- dergarten and fi rst-graders. In addition to Cottage Grove, South Lane Youth Football Asso- ciation will encompass neighbor- ing communities Crewell, Drain, Lowell, Oakridge, Pleasant Hill and Yoncalla. “The youth football coaches in this area have always been col- laborative and supportive of each other, and we need to acknowledge that this organization is more than just Cottage Grove,” said board member Gary Roberts. “We hope that by recognizing the breadth of our organization in a more formal way we will be able to better tailor our programs to meet the needs of each individual community.” Roberts, who is also the Head Football Coach at Cottage Grove High School, said that fl ag football has become a frequent topic in con- versations among area coaches. “Kids are able to play tackle foot- ball through our program starting in kindergarten, but many families choose to wait until their child is in fourth grade or older. We want to provide an alternative activity that will allow them to start learning the game and building skills at a young photos by Matt Hollander Athlete of the Week Courtney Hammel Above: Celeste Pelham won her heat of the 100 hurdles and placed fourth overall. Left: Courtney Hammel took second in the discus. Ciochetti Time! Lions shine at 11th annual home invite BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel Cottage Grove’s Courtney Hammel has made a habit of breaking barriers in the discus this season. Since open- ing the year with a personal best, she has progressed through various other benchmarks — 95’, 100’, etc. — with the type of consistency that makes a coach proud. After the prelims of Friday’s com- petition at the 11th annual Wally Cio- chetti Invitational, Hammel ranked third with a mark of 102-02. But she Please see YOUTH FOOTBALL, Page 2B found a familiar zone heading into the fi nals. “I wasn’t feeling fully there in my fi rst set, but when I came around [for fi nals] I found my Zen,” she said. “I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, placed myself in the right position and told myself that I was going to PR.” On her fi nal attempt of the evening, Hammel launched a throw of 112- 02. It was an improvement of over four feet from her previous best, and moved her into second place — where she fi nished. “It’s exciting and It feels good to be in a good place now. I hope to be in that same place for the next couple Please see TRACK AND FIELD, Page 2B Cottage Grove's playoff dreams dashed by Junction City Tigers score six runs in sixth inning to rally past Lions BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel With a trip to the postseason likely in the balance, Junction City scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cap a 9-4, come-from-behind vic- tory over visiting Cottage Grove last Wednesday. Taylor Sayles and Liz Wiltse each had two hits, and Kassidy Whisler, Maria Pardee and Lexie Flaherty each scored a run for the Lions (8-13, 5-8 Sky-Em). Becca Bumcrot hit a double and a triple to lead the Tigers (7-14, 7-6 Sky-Em). Angel Pitchford and Nicole Snyder also had two hits for Junction City. Coming into the week, the teams were tied for third place in the league. But as Junction City had won the fi rst meeting on April 20, Wednesday’s game was a must-win for the Lions and their playoff hopes. “Those are hard games because you’re both fi ghting for the same thing,” said Junction City coach Mike Campbell. “I feel for them because we’ve both shared the same struggles this year. We’ve seen games slip away and it was nice to be on the other end for a change.” The Lions came out fi ring on all cyl- inders against the Tigers, as they built a 4-1 lead through 3 1/2 innings. But a 15-minute rain delay before the bottom of the third inning gave Junction City a chance to regroup. The Lions would manage just three more hits after the break. While Cottage Grove’s offense cooled off, its defense remained stout. Twice the Lions got out of innings with the bases loaded, and they didn’t allow Please see Softball, Page 3B photo by Matt Hollander Cottage Grove's Taylor Sayles beats the tag to steal second base in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 9-4 loss to Junc- tion City. JOIN US FOR ARMED FORCES NIGHT MAY 16TH • MILITARY $5.00 Clark Printing Extreme Sprints, IMCA Modiϐieds, IMCA SportMods, Street Stocks, Quality RV Repair Hornets
