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APRIL 29, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Elks baseball racks up win in ’Dawg house
By Jon Stinnett
for The Sentinel
An all-too-brief transi-
tion between sports and
two tough early losses
spelled a tough start to
the 2021 season for Elkton
baseball.
And yet, a convincing
win against a non-league
opponent last week may
have the Elks finding their
footing.
Many of Elkton’s players
found themselves compet-
ing on the diamond just
days after a playoff football
game to begin this crazy
six-week,
Covid-short-
ened season. Tough losses
at Glendale and Umpqua
Valley Christian show-
cased the lack of prepara-
tion time.
On Thursday, April 22,
however, the Elks traveled
north for a non-league
contest against the Cre-
swell Bulldogs. Senior
Jayce Clevenger led his
team through 4 1/3 in-
nings, striking out seven.
Conner Anderson came in
for relief, then Alex Allen.
At the plate, Clevenger
joined a group of Elkton
batters including Coo-
per Peters, Trevyn Luzier,
Lady Eagles young, learning
— and eager to earn wings
By Jon Stinnett
for The Sentinel
With a fledgling team
and little time to prepare,
it’s perhaps understand-
ably been an up-and-
down start to this year’s
Yoncalla softball season.
A team that manager
Chad Ashbaugh describes
as “young and learning”
has thus far ridden a see-
saw of wins and losses.
The Eagles eked out a wild
24-23 win against Glen-
dale to start the season,
then dropped both ends
of a doubleheader against
Oakridge.
Yoncalla won 22-10 on
the road at Riddle before
hosting the dangerous
North Douglas Warriors
in another Friday double-
header April 23.
For many Eagles play-
ers, it’s the most softball
action they’ve seen in a
while — heck, maybe ever.
“We had two weeks
of pitchers and catchers,
then six days (of practice)
with the full team,” Ash-
baugh said. “Before that, a
lot of these girls had never
even touched a softball.”
Yoncalla is trying to
restart its youth softball
program, he explained,
to give its young people
the foundational skills in
the sport that will spell
success later on. Many
current players lack that
foundation.
Still, Ashbaugh says he’s
encouraged that the high
school has had enough
players to fill its own soft-
ball team, following a long
stint in which Yoncalla
and Elkton played togeth-
er.
On Friday, the Eagles
saw what years of playing
ball together can accom-
plish at North Douglas,
where the Warriors came
out firing to win 18-0,
then 11-0.
“Friday was rough,”
Ashbaugh said. “Drain is
a very well-oiled machine.
They’ve got a great youth
program. Their girls have
played together for a lot
of years, and it definitely
shows on the field. And
their coach does a really
good job.”
The Eagles showcased
solid defense and had a
few nice hits, but lopsid-
ed innings proved their
downfall. Despite the loss,
though, Ashbaugh cited
strong performances from
senior third-baseman and
pitcher Ceci Potter, and
junior utility player and
pitcher Alison Vanloon.
“For what we’ve got, the
girls are absolutely doing
amazing,” he said. “I ex-
pect much bigger things
by the end of the year.”
The Eagles will have to
wait awhile for those “big-
ger things,” as eligibility
issues forced the cancel-
lation of games against
Oakland and Monroe this
week.
They’ll work to re-
schedule those games to-
ward the end of the sea-
son, and they’ll host Days
Creek for a doubleheader
next Tuesday, May 4, with
games at noon and 2 p.m.
Cash Boe and Allen with
two hits apiece on the af-
ternoon, powering the
Elks to an 18-10 victory.
After the game, Elkton
Manager Devin Luzier
said that despite a satisfy-
ing win, his team has more
work to do.
“It was great to get the
win, but we have a lot of
areas that need improve-
ment,” he said.
Luzier lauded Cleveng-
er’s ability as a team leader
to pitch through tight sit-
uations, in addition to his
team’s production up and
down the lineup.
“I think some of the
younger guys are getting
more comfortable at the
plate, and it shows,” he
said. “If we can tighten up
our defense and keep im-
proving our pitching, we
should be a tough team to
beat.”
The Elks looked to build
on their momentum on
Tuesday when they trav-
eled to Glide to take on the
Wildcats (after press dead-
lines) and will look ahead
to a Friday twin-billing at
home against Oakland.
First pitch goes out at
2 p.m., followed by the
nightcap at 4:30 p.m.
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