Josie Dickson has at times played in the shadow of hitters like Ashley Feltz and Maranda Hanson. However, it was her turn to shine in the spotlight as she went 3 for 3 at the plate, harvesting 4 RBIs and scoring a run as the Elmira rebounded from late season losses to punish Newport 11-1 in the five inning play in contest. The Lady Falcons return to the play offs with a first round date on the road Wednesday May 22 at third ranked Banks.
Ashley Feltz chipped in two hits and two RBI's as well as a sacrifice.
Newport never was in the game, falling behind 7-0 before tallying a single run on a double by Kalea Blodgett. They struggled because the hard throwing Hanson never let them off the mat. Hanson twirled a glistening one hitter, giving up only the double to Blodgett and that single run. She did throw 4 walks, one of which scored and only threw four strikeouts. However, she never seemed threatened and was playing with house money with a 7 run lead.
While Banks is the third ranked team in the state they have endured six losses this season and are by no means an unbeatable team, especially if Hanson is in a groove and the top of the batting order gets some support from rest of the line up. The boys baseball team will open the playoffs the same day at Banks. First pitch for the girls is 4PM Wednesday.
Monday, May 20, 2019
Nagle Elmira's Top Finisher at the 4A State Track and Field Championships
Brady Nagle rebounded from a sluggish start to rally for a third place finish in the 200m dash at the Oregon 4A state track and field championship, Saturday May 18 at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham.
Nagle finished second in his preliminary heat on Friday, with a time of 23.37, getting him into the top 8 qualifiers for the finals the following day. Nagle then found another gear searing down the track at a personal record 23.03 to finish a narrow third, only a hundredth of a second behind behind Gladstone's Abran Leal whose 23.02 was also a personal record. Both finished behind the state champion Ben Carringer of Mazama who posted an electrifying 22.68, the only sub 23 second dash of the meet.
Nagle also placed 8th in the 100 meter dash after winning his preliminary heat on Friday. Elmira's 4x100m boys relay team with Nagle, Colton Zsiga, Gavin Laing, and Brady Scroggins finished with a 10th place finish. Cobyn Herbert finished the discus competition with an 8th place finish.
Nagle finished second in his preliminary heat on Friday, with a time of 23.37, getting him into the top 8 qualifiers for the finals the following day. Nagle then found another gear searing down the track at a personal record 23.03 to finish a narrow third, only a hundredth of a second behind behind Gladstone's Abran Leal whose 23.02 was also a personal record. Both finished behind the state champion Ben Carringer of Mazama who posted an electrifying 22.68, the only sub 23 second dash of the meet.
Nagle also placed 8th in the 100 meter dash after winning his preliminary heat on Friday. Elmira's 4x100m boys relay team with Nagle, Colton Zsiga, Gavin Laing, and Brady Scroggins finished with a 10th place finish. Cobyn Herbert finished the discus competition with an 8th place finish.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Nagle, Herbert, Boys 4 x 100 off to 4A State Championships in Track & Field
Senior Brady Nagle dominated the 4A Sky-Em District Championships by winning the 100m and 200m dashes as well as leading the boys 4x100m relay to a second place finish and sending them to the 4A State Track and Field Championships in Gresham May 17-18. Nagle out dueled Marshfield's Micah Tardie in both sprints with times of 11:58 in the 100 and 23:31 in the 200.
Cobyn Herbert came from behind to place second in the boys Discus with a toss of 131-03. For schedules of events next weekend you can access Athletic.net or the OSAA website.
Cobyn Herbert came from behind to place second in the boys Discus with a toss of 131-03. For schedules of events next weekend you can access Athletic.net or the OSAA website.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Falcons Win Finale to Secure Playoff Spot
0-10. That was the Elmira baseball teams' record in league play last year. They were the worst team in the Sky-Em conference. Then the 2019 season started with several players being injured in a team bus accident earlier this year. A shaky start gave no indication that league play would be any different especially playing 4A powerhouses Junction City and Marist three times each.
But a funny thing happened on the way to what expectations might have been. The Falcons beat Junction City in the league opener and earlier this week, Elmira managed to go 3-3 vs the top two teams in the conference by sweeping Marist Catholic with an unlikely pair of walk off wins that were both secured by bases loaded walks to end the games, 8-7 and 7-6. Blake Whigam and Landon Parker got the winning RBIs respectively.
The two victories gave the Falcons a tiebreaker with Marist. All that remained was securing one victory in the road double header with Marshfield in Coos Bay. Perhaps too tight and tense, the Pirates
drilled Elmira in the opener 10-0 as Marshfield's Ryan Knight spun a gem; no runs, scattering 5 hits and striking out 8 going the distance in the shortened six inning game.
However, the perscription for Falcons baseball has been rallying late. Again in a Danskin tight game, tied at 2 apiece, Elmira rallied for 4 runs in the sixth inning taking advantage of a hit batter, a dropped strike three, an error and two walks by the suddenly generous Pirates. The Falcons gave up only one run beyond that and the Falcons who were the cellar dwellers last year found themselves not only in the playoffs but will be sporting a first round bye by being the second place team in the 4A Sky-Em Conference, with a 6-3 victory Monday May 14 at Marshfield High School.
Perhaps the most encouraging thought moving forward is not that the accomplishment has been so remarkable, but that the trip might go into next year as well as this is a young team that is making its mark in the state rankings.
But a funny thing happened on the way to what expectations might have been. The Falcons beat Junction City in the league opener and earlier this week, Elmira managed to go 3-3 vs the top two teams in the conference by sweeping Marist Catholic with an unlikely pair of walk off wins that were both secured by bases loaded walks to end the games, 8-7 and 7-6. Blake Whigam and Landon Parker got the winning RBIs respectively.
The two victories gave the Falcons a tiebreaker with Marist. All that remained was securing one victory in the road double header with Marshfield in Coos Bay. Perhaps too tight and tense, the Pirates
drilled Elmira in the opener 10-0 as Marshfield's Ryan Knight spun a gem; no runs, scattering 5 hits and striking out 8 going the distance in the shortened six inning game.
However, the perscription for Falcons baseball has been rallying late. Again in a Danskin tight game, tied at 2 apiece, Elmira rallied for 4 runs in the sixth inning taking advantage of a hit batter, a dropped strike three, an error and two walks by the suddenly generous Pirates. The Falcons gave up only one run beyond that and the Falcons who were the cellar dwellers last year found themselves not only in the playoffs but will be sporting a first round bye by being the second place team in the 4A Sky-Em Conference, with a 6-3 victory Monday May 14 at Marshfield High School.
Perhaps the most encouraging thought moving forward is not that the accomplishment has been so remarkable, but that the trip might go into next year as well as this is a young team that is making its mark in the state rankings.
Friday, May 10, 2019
Streaking Falcons Make Postseason Push in Softball
After suffering a dismal pounding from third ranked Junction City two weeks ago as well as the loss of JV pitcher Imari Gabica to injury, the Lady Falcons softball team found themselves at 11-7 and outside the possibility of the play in games. Ah... what a soothing balm a 5 game winning streak can be.
Coming off the deck from the bludgeoning that the Lady Tigers took to them, Courtney Haffner took the rubber against Cottage Grove on the road and was spectacular going all the way in a shortened 5 inning game. Haffner wound up giving up a stingy 2 hits and collecting 8 strikeouts with her baffling off speed pitches. 76% of Haffner's pitches went for strikes. Meanwhile, Maranda Hanson and Ashley Feltz both homered as part of a brutal 16 hit attack that also feasted on 8 Lady Leo walks as Elmira punished Cottage Grove 19-0.
Elmira then pulled off a stunning road upset of Thurston 11-10. Hanson got the win and needed to pitch her best because her teammates committed 5 errors, 3 in the second inning that helped stake Thurston to an early 5-1 lead.
But the Lady Falcons' murderer's row answered in the top of the third. Hanson doubled, followed by Feltz, who also doubled, scoring Hanson in front of her. Then Cheyenne White crushed a 2 run homer over the left field fence scoring Feltz and drawing Elmira within one.
In a back and forth contest by two heavyweight teams, Elmira wrestled the lead away for good in the sixth inning when Madison Wisner walked to open the inning enabling the top of the order to come to the plate. After a Carly Grossmiller ground out, Hanson doubled again, scoring Wisner. Back to back doubles by White and Josie Dickson gave the Falcons a lead they would never loose.
Hanson then took control winning the next three consecutive games including a sweep of a road double header against Marshfield 16-9 and 7-3. Dickson jolted a 3 run homer in the first inning to set the table for Hanson's win.
Finally, Hanson was again solid in a final road win against Siuslaw. She gave up only 1 earned run, going the full 7 innings and tallying 12 Ks in the 12-1 victory. The win saw Carly Grossmiller step up as the offensive hero, moving into the lead off position and going 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
So now it comes down to Friday, May 10, as 8th ranked Marist comes in with a 20-3 mark in virtual tie with Junction City for the league championship. Both teams are assured of a playoff spot. A sweep of the Lady Pirates would almost guarantee that Elmira would probably rise in the rankings and secure a home field play in game next week. A split will probably keep them in the remaining top 8 in 4A. Two losses could spell an early summer for the softball this year.
Coming off the deck from the bludgeoning that the Lady Tigers took to them, Courtney Haffner took the rubber against Cottage Grove on the road and was spectacular going all the way in a shortened 5 inning game. Haffner wound up giving up a stingy 2 hits and collecting 8 strikeouts with her baffling off speed pitches. 76% of Haffner's pitches went for strikes. Meanwhile, Maranda Hanson and Ashley Feltz both homered as part of a brutal 16 hit attack that also feasted on 8 Lady Leo walks as Elmira punished Cottage Grove 19-0.
Elmira then pulled off a stunning road upset of Thurston 11-10. Hanson got the win and needed to pitch her best because her teammates committed 5 errors, 3 in the second inning that helped stake Thurston to an early 5-1 lead.
But the Lady Falcons' murderer's row answered in the top of the third. Hanson doubled, followed by Feltz, who also doubled, scoring Hanson in front of her. Then Cheyenne White crushed a 2 run homer over the left field fence scoring Feltz and drawing Elmira within one.
In a back and forth contest by two heavyweight teams, Elmira wrestled the lead away for good in the sixth inning when Madison Wisner walked to open the inning enabling the top of the order to come to the plate. After a Carly Grossmiller ground out, Hanson doubled again, scoring Wisner. Back to back doubles by White and Josie Dickson gave the Falcons a lead they would never loose.
Hanson then took control winning the next three consecutive games including a sweep of a road double header against Marshfield 16-9 and 7-3. Dickson jolted a 3 run homer in the first inning to set the table for Hanson's win.
Finally, Hanson was again solid in a final road win against Siuslaw. She gave up only 1 earned run, going the full 7 innings and tallying 12 Ks in the 12-1 victory. The win saw Carly Grossmiller step up as the offensive hero, moving into the lead off position and going 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
So now it comes down to Friday, May 10, as 8th ranked Marist comes in with a 20-3 mark in virtual tie with Junction City for the league championship. Both teams are assured of a playoff spot. A sweep of the Lady Pirates would almost guarantee that Elmira would probably rise in the rankings and secure a home field play in game next week. A split will probably keep them in the remaining top 8 in 4A. Two losses could spell an early summer for the softball this year.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Cottage Grove: the Cure for a Three Game Losing Streak
While Maranda Hanson has been the primary pitcher this season, there have been notable pitching by other Lady Falcon hurlers. Stepping into the spot light was Courtney Haffner, who spun a nearly flawless 5 inning gem as Elmira crushed Cottage Grove 19-0 at Elmira High School, Tuesday April 30.
If not for an error in the top of the 5th, she would have faced only one batter over the minimum. Her line was no runs on 1 hit with 7 strikeouts. Lady Leo hitters were completely baffled by her continual off speed pitches which called to mind crafty former Seattle Mariner Jamie Moyer.
The Lady Falcons offense made it easy for Haffner to pitch in a relaxed state as they pounded Cottage Grove pitching for 13 hits. Highlighting the offense eruption was Hanson, who lofted a grand slam homer and Ashley Feltz who crushed a 3 run homer; a line drive laser beam over the center field fence.
The victory raised the girls' record to 12-7 (6-4 in the 4A Sky-Em League). They travel to Thurston for a make up road game on Wednesday before playing two on the road at Marshfield on Friday.
If not for an error in the top of the 5th, she would have faced only one batter over the minimum. Her line was no runs on 1 hit with 7 strikeouts. Lady Leo hitters were completely baffled by her continual off speed pitches which called to mind crafty former Seattle Mariner Jamie Moyer.
The Lady Falcons offense made it easy for Haffner to pitch in a relaxed state as they pounded Cottage Grove pitching for 13 hits. Highlighting the offense eruption was Hanson, who lofted a grand slam homer and Ashley Feltz who crushed a 3 run homer; a line drive laser beam over the center field fence.
The victory raised the girls' record to 12-7 (6-4 in the 4A Sky-Em League). They travel to Thurston for a make up road game on Wednesday before playing two on the road at Marshfield on Friday.
A Week of Woe for Elmira Diamond Teams
The Falcon Baseball and Softball teams are licking their wounds as they make the turn into the second half of the league season. Promising records (22 wins between the two teams, including the boys' early season victory over Junction City) had this reporter as well as fans thinking that this would be the year where the Falcons would challenge for post season opportunities. But a strange and common thing happened to both teams... Marist and Junction City.
The girls were beginning to show chinks in the armor in their last victory as lowly Siuslaw rallied from a 10 run deficit before falling 11-10. Unfortunately, the Lady Falcons would see crooked numbers posted against them in their one game against Marist and a double header at Junction City, wilting 11-0 to the Spartans and falling 14-1 and 13-2 to arch rival JC.
The boys' coming to earth was no less frustrating. First was a 10-2 loss at Marist where pitching phenom Tyler Feltz seemed rattled by a squeezed strike zone. Marist got up early and cruised to an easy victory. That was nothing compared to the debacle at Junction City. Many of the fans said it was the worst defensive inning any had seen.
After staking the Falcons to a 1-0 lead on a Bryson Estrella RBI sacrifice ground out, the Tigers then preceded to take the better part of the next hour elongating the bottom half of the first inning into something grotesque. Forensics on the results were a smorgasbord of errors, passed balls, walks and timely hits that wound up totaling 14 runs as part of a gruesome 20-1 shortened blow out.
The nightcap was perhaps more gut wrenching as Elmira rallied to take the lead in the top of the six 5-4 as Tyler Feltz scored on a passed ball. However, again the bottom of the inning payed no dividends as the Tigers hung a six spot and a sweep of the double header.
The girls were beginning to show chinks in the armor in their last victory as lowly Siuslaw rallied from a 10 run deficit before falling 11-10. Unfortunately, the Lady Falcons would see crooked numbers posted against them in their one game against Marist and a double header at Junction City, wilting 11-0 to the Spartans and falling 14-1 and 13-2 to arch rival JC.
The boys' coming to earth was no less frustrating. First was a 10-2 loss at Marist where pitching phenom Tyler Feltz seemed rattled by a squeezed strike zone. Marist got up early and cruised to an easy victory. That was nothing compared to the debacle at Junction City. Many of the fans said it was the worst defensive inning any had seen.
After staking the Falcons to a 1-0 lead on a Bryson Estrella RBI sacrifice ground out, the Tigers then preceded to take the better part of the next hour elongating the bottom half of the first inning into something grotesque. Forensics on the results were a smorgasbord of errors, passed balls, walks and timely hits that wound up totaling 14 runs as part of a gruesome 20-1 shortened blow out.
The nightcap was perhaps more gut wrenching as Elmira rallied to take the lead in the top of the six 5-4 as Tyler Feltz scored on a passed ball. However, again the bottom of the inning payed no dividends as the Tigers hung a six spot and a sweep of the double header.
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