With runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, No. 15 Scappoose High School softball junior Brooklyn Schmidt wasn’t going to be denied.
After fouling off five pitches and drawing a full count, Schmidt took pitch No. 10 of her at bat against No. 7 St. Helens pitcher Ava Eib and blooped it into short centerfield.
The ball was placed perfectly where Lions second baseman nor their centerfielder could catch it, sending home two runs for Scappoose in what proved to be a 2-1 win over rival St. Helens in the 4A state quarterfinals May 24, avenging a series that Scappoose lost 2-1 during the regular season.
“It was very long, I was stressing out, I was getting a little light headed from cheering,” Scappoose sophomore starting pitcher Saige Casey said. “That was probably the most exciting moment of the game, (Schmidt) getting that hit because we finally broke the 0-0 game.”
Casey and Eib were both dealing through the first four innings, moving the game along with rain clouds approaching St. Helens High School.
Through the first four, Eib gave up only one hit, a double to Scappoose senior Madison White, while also collecting seven strikeouts.
On the other side, Casey allowed only three Lions to reach base thanks to a single in the first, an error in the second and a walk in the third. Casey had five strikeouts through the fourth.
“(Casey) threw phenomenal today and lots of other days too,” Scappoose head coach Lindsey Johnson said. “She definitely stayed in it, stayed focused, she was ready. She did her homework again, she’s always working at who we’re playing and what she’s going to do against them.”
In the top of the fifth, Kaitlin Ventris got Scappoose going with a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt from Aliza Brainerd moved Ventris over to second and a bloop single to shallow center from White put runners on the corners.
White quickly stole second to set up two runners in scoring position, Ava Vetsch popped out to third for the second out.
That’s when Schmidt came to the plate for a battle, eventually winning it and bringing home both Scappoose runners.
“I was going crazy,” White said. “We know we can beat St. Helens, we’ve done it a million times, but this season we’ve been really battling with them. Being able to just come out and lay it on them and take advantage of the little things was huge, especially in a game like this.”
The Lions went down in order in the fifth thanks to a diving catch from Scappoose shortstop Sophia Bloyd.
However, the Lions kept battling away and eventually pushed across a run in the sixth when Madelyn Hancock reached second thanks to a fielder’s choice and an error. Addy Ellis followed it up with a two-out single to center to bring Hancock home.
“That’s something we’ve done all season long,” St. Helens head coach Miranda Little said. “Even if we’re down in a game, they don’t give up and they keep the energy high. It’s something that’s been really great this year that you don’t always get with every team.”
Scappoose couldn’t add any insurance runs in the seventh, opening the door for St. Helens to give it one last shot.
Halli Heys grounded a single up the middle with one out to try and get the rally going, but Casey shut the door by striking out the next two batters and sending Scappoose to the semifinals.
“Especially coming back from The Dalles when (Casey) pitched an amazing, pitching another amazing game after that is huge,” White said. “Especially as a pitcher, it’s awesome to see another pitcher really succeed during the playoffs.”
Scappoose started the tournament with a 2-0 win on the road at No. 2 The Dalles. Of course, Scappoose isn’t the normal No. 15 seed either.
It had its first 12 games of the season turned into forfeits due to the use of an ineligible player, forcing Scappoose to have to battle back in Cowapa League play to earn a play-in spot.
Now, Scappoose is heading to the state semifinals where it will take on No. 3 Pendleton.
“We knew the forfeits didn’t matter,” Johnson said. “We just had to get here, we got here and now we’re making a statement.”
White has been one of the leaders in helping Scappoose reach this point, being one of only two seniors on the squad.
She reached base safely in all three of her plate appearances against St. Helens, hitting a double and single along with a walk.
“She’s been a great leader for our team as a senior,” Casey said. “She’s always on top of everything. She texts us when the coaches reach out, she gives us all our uniform combos and she’s always hyping us up.”
For the Lions, the loss means the end of the road for them and their four seniors, which includes Eib, her catcher Emmy Carver, Caitlin Keefe and Aidan Moore.
St. Helens’ first round win was its first since 2015 when the Lions won a game in the 5A state tournament, giving the 2024 class plenty to keep their heads up about.
“Our battery there, that’s going to sting when you have that sort of leadership (leaving), they’ve both been on varsity all four years,” Little said. “I know we do have some people to try and fill those shoes, but they’re real hard shoes to fill. Not just on the field, but as people.”
For Scappoose, this is a return to where it was last year as a No. 6 seed. The Dalles eliminated Scappoose with a 3-1 win en route to the 2023 state title.
Scappoose played two games in Pendleton this season and won both before they were changed to forfeits.
With those games fresh in their memory and the experience of the long bus ride under their belt, the Scappoose softball team is ready to turn its semifinal fortunes around in 2024.
“Not the bus trip so much, but I’m pretty excited to play them again,” Casey said. “It’ll be a good matchup. I think we’ll go in and win it.”
In other playoff action...Scappoose defeated both La Grande and Junction City this past week, defeating the Tigers 4-3 on May 24, to advance to the state semifinals where they were scheduled to face North Marion/Gervais on May 24, after this paper's print deadline. The Indians broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning when Riley DuBois singled home Quinton Olson for the game-winning run. DuBois was 3-for-4 in the game, while starting pitcher Joe Fagan dazzled, allowing no earned runs on two hits, while striking out nine in five innings of work....St. Helens fell in their first round playoff game to No. 5-seeded Pendleton / Nixyaawii, allowing four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning en route to a 4-2 road defeat. Nate Nowak led the Lions at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run, double, two RBI and a run-scored. Carter Meisch also had two hits for St. Helens.
Wade Evanson contributed to this story.
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