No. 6 Jesuit shut out No. 27 Newberg 10-0 in six innings on Monday, May 20, in the first round of the OSAA 6A softball state playoffs.
The Crusaders totaled 15 hits and nine RBIs, while the Tigers managed just seven hits. It was the 10th consecutive victory for Jesuit.
"Hits are contagious," Jesuit head coach Jim Speciale said. "A kid gets a hit and it kind of falls into another hit, and that's what's been happening for us. We've been able to put one, two, three or four (hits) together so it's been great. I've been very proud of our girls."
Mason Rethwill led the Crusaders with four hits and three RBIs. Riley Smith contributed three hits and three RBIs, including a home run, while Paisley Rhyne added three hits and one RBI. Mary Cunningham and Sam Blachly combined for five hits. Makena Boynay was in the circle, surrendering seven hits and two walks, striking out seven.
Sophomore Delainy Willard led the Tigers with two hits, while Brooklyn Mills, Ari Frederick, McKenna Proffitt, Rylee Purdom and Baylee Nix each added one hit. Nix was in the circle, surrendering 15 hits and two walks, striking out three.
"I think every single time we had good, solid wins, we had (played) solid defense consistently," Newberg head coach Ashley Thomas said. "That was kind of the name of our season. When we came and played lights out, then we got good wins. That didn't always happen, and it didn't happen again today, and it's just what it is."
Rethwill singled to left field in the bottom of the first inning to drive in Jesuit's first run. After a dead second frame, the Crusaders rattled off four runs in the third, bolstered by yet another RBI-single from Rethwill and Smith's aforementioned home run.
Trailing 5-0, Newberg built some momentum in the the fourth inning. After Ci Ci Smith struck out, Willard and Mills singled — Nix advanced both to scoring position on a ground out, and after Purdom was walked, the bases were loaded for the Tigers, seemingly on a brink of a potential game-changing rally. That rally never transpired, however, as Willard was thrown out in an attempt to steal home.
Rethwill inked another RBI in the bottom of the frame, pushing the lead to six, while Boynay drove in another run on a sacrifice fly. In the fifth inning, Proffitt and Frederick singled to open the frame. Newberg failed to capitalize, with Maggie Saunders striking out, Paisley Conway grounding out and Smith being thrown out at first after a dropped third strike.
The bottom of the fifth proved to be the Tigers' best defensive stretch. Nix recorded two strikeouts and forced a fly out to keep the deficit at seven. The Tigers' struggles at the plate continued in the sixth inning, however, setting the stage for Jesuit to end the bout early. Smith almost completed a diving catch that would've been the third out and forced a seventh inning, but the ball rolled out of her glove.
Newberg finishes its season at 12-15. Jesuit will host league foe No. 11 Southridge in the second round on Wednesday, May 22.
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