Crook County rallies twice to tie, but loses to unbeaten Henley

Published 12:08 am Tuesday, June 6, 2017

CORVALLIS — Crook County was not concerned about facing undefeated Henley on Saturday in the Class 4A softball state championship game. The No. 6-seeded Cowgirls were not worried about trailing after the first inning, nor were they flustered when that deficit grew to four runs after the third.

In fact, Crook County coach Jessica Cross said afterward, it was the least nervous she had been all season.

While there was little anxiety for the Cowgirls on a cool and cloudy morning at the OSU Softball Complex, there were only so many innings to claw back.

After having its four-run lead erased, top-seeded Henley scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to escape with an 8-6 win and complete an undefeated season.

“This is all the effect of all our hard work paying off,” Cross said. “We are here. The girls fought and persevered. Henley’s very good, and they did some really great things, some things that we haven’t seen at that fast of a pace. So it was a big adjustment for us. The girls adjusted, and we fought hard.”

The first Central Oregon team to reach the OSAA softball state championship game, Crook County (21-6) came back twice to tie the Hornets from Klamath Falls. The Cowgirls ended up scoring the most runs Henley had allowed since the fourth game of the season. Henley, though, used its potent lineup that led 4A in runs scored to get past Crook County ace McKuenzie McCormick and become the seventh team in Oregon to finish undefeated.

“Being undefeated actually makes it a lot harder,” said Hornets second baseman Briea Baley, who led off the sixth inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run. “Being undefeated, you have a lot of pressure and a lot of eyes on you.”

Henley (30-0) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Jess Pettigrew singled up the middle to score Kaila Mick. Crook County answered in the second when McCormick led off with a tomahawk single to right field. After Hailey Smith reached first base on a fielding error, Emma Ackley shot a single to right to score McCormick and even things up 1-1.

In the bottom half of the inning, Caitlynn Moore stole second base and scored on Braydee Kaler’s single that gave the Hornets a 2-1 edge after two innings. Henley added to its lead in the third when Tanner Higgins blasted a triple off the wall in left-center field to score Mick from second base. Pettigrew followed with an RBI single to center field and Maddie Hamilton singled in a run to put the Hornets in front 5-1.

“I believed in us,” McCormick said of the Cowgirls trailing by four runs. “I think we fight hard. We just weren’t ready for the gaps they were hitting, and that’s just us.”

Refusing to give in, Crook County loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning, setting up Ashley Owens’ three-run, two-strike double over the left fielder’s head to cut Henley’s lead to 5-4. Caitlyn Elliott then sat on a changeup for a single up the middle to pull the Cowgirls even with the Hornets and send the hundred-some Cowgirls faithful in attendance into a frenzy.

“I was really nervous,” said Owens, a freshman. “But I just had confidence in myself, and I knew my team had confidence in me.”

Continuing a stellar day at the plate, Pettigrew squared up a solo home run to open the fifth inning, breaking the tie and giving Henley a 6-5 lead.

Again, though, Crook County answered. Elliott and Dalton led off the sixth with back-to-back singles. Christiansen then reached on an infield hit to load the bases with one out. McCormick was hit by a pitch to force in the tying run, but the Cowgirls stranded the bases loaded.

“It’s always frustrating,” Cross said of leaving base runners aboard. Crook County stranded nine runners to Henley’s five. “You always want more (runs). No matter how many you get, you always want more. It’s just things that we’ve been working on all season, executing in those moments.”

Kaler began the home half of the sixth with a double down the third-base line and advanced to third base on a throwing error. Baley then lined a hit to right to put the Hornets back on top 7-6. With two outs, Higgins reached on an infield single, and Armantrout sprinted home from second base to score and give Henley a two-run lead heading to the seventh inning. Hornets pitcher Lilly Poe then polished off a complete game by retiring the Cowgirls in order and win the program’s first state championship since 1989.

Owens finished with two hits and three RBIs for the Crook County, and Elliott added two hits and an RBI. McCormick went 2-for-2 and drove in a run, and she also struck out nine in a complete game.

“I’m thankful for everything we experienced this year,” McCormick said. “I definitely think it taught our freshmen a lot. I’m thankful that we made it this far, because nobody thought we would.”

Pettigrew went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for Henley, which stole six bases. Higgins had two hits and two RBIs, and Kaler had two hits and drove in a run.

“We had an amazing season,” Cross said. “It stinks to lose and that this is the end of our season, the last time we’ll all get to play together. But there’s nothing to be disappointed about. They should hold their heads high. I mean, we made it. We made it.”

While the Cowgirls’ season ended in heartbreak, they graduate just four seniors — including McCormick and starters Aspen Christiansen, Hailey Smith and Matney Searcy — as they take aim at redemption next season.

“We want to see what we can do next year,” Owens said. “Do better and win.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, glucas@bendbulletin.com