Despite a crippling injury to a player in game two, the Saints easily swept the Southwestern Oregon Lakers 5-1, 6-2 in a pitching-dominated doubleheader Tuesday.

The home wins propelled them to first place in the Southern Region with a league record of 13-1 and an overall record of 15-3, and extended their winning streak to 12.

In the first game, right-handed pitcher Krystle Brooks allowed one run in the second inning but then shut down the Lakers offense for the final five innings, allowing only five hits and defeating SWOCC’s right-handed pitcher Tessa Looney.

The Saints offense jumped on Looney early for three runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth, ending the game with eight hits. The Saints’ fielding was also up to par, with only one error in the first game and two in the second, compared to the Lakers’ two errors in the first and three errors in the final game.

“In the first game, the Saints’ pitching kept us off-balance. They have really good hitters, too,” said the Lakers’ head coach Jennifer Franklin. “Their offense was very strong.”
The second game of the doubleheader yielded an injury for shortstop Sunny Riskey when she was attempting to steal second after singling up the middle in the bottom of the first inning. “I heard my leg pop out when I was running,” she said.

After she slid into second, she collapsed on the infield and lay there for nearly 10 minutes before an ambulance arrived from Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center to take her to the hospital for X-rays. The X-rays showed she had a bad hamstring pull.

“We are very hopeful that she will be all right and that she will be able to play again this season,” said head coach Meadow McWhorter. “Knowing the type of person and player that she is, nothing will keep her from coming back.”

Despite the injury to Riskey, the Saints battled SWOCC in game two of the doubleheader, scoring six runs on seven hits. “The pitching was decent in the second game and the fact that their shortstop was injured and they didn’t hang their heads was very admirable. They really stayed focused,” said Franklin.

Right-hander Alexis Hadenfeld pitched the second game and was almost completely lights-out, striking out 11 batters and permitting only three hits, but allowing four walks.
“Lexi threw more pitches than usual because she got behind in counts, but she really had her rise-ball working,” said McWhorter.

SWOCC shortstop Kristin Rhodes thought Hadenfeld’s rise-ball pitch probably contributed to their loss. “We really needed to wait back for the pitcher. We were out in front a lot,” she said. “We also needed to lay off of the high pitch.”

The umpiring was a problem in both games, according to the Lakers’ head coach. “I don’t think the umpire really helped us in the first game. He wasn’t as consistent with us as he was with the Saints. In the second game he was also pretty penny-pinching.”

The Saints’ coach disagreed, saying, “I thought that the umpiring was pretty consistent, but then again, we don’t play the game for the umpiring, we play the game for the game.”

In the second game of the doubleheader, six walks plagued the Lakers’ pitching staff, with four in the second inning when the Saints pounced on starting pitcher Danielle Cleary for four runs. “We were really disciplined at the plate,” said McWhorter. “It was some of the most disciplined that I’ve seen them this year.”

The overall consistency of the Saints this year has been their main element of success. “I’m proud of them. They get the job done, they never complain, and they haven’t even played like I know they can yet,” said McWhorter. “As long as we keep playing one game at a time, we’ll keep getting better and better until we reach the NWAACCs and have everyone at the top of their game.”