After Lakeridge softball’s 6-1 win on the road against Wilsonville on Friday, March 15, a joyous meet-up was taking place near home plate.
Four players — Lakeridge senior Delaney Hoyle, and Wilsonville seniors Maddie Holly, Grace Wilson, and Talia Valdez — were present, as were the game’s two coaches: The Pacers’ Howard Hoyle and the Wildcats’ Steve Harms.
And while Lakeridge came away with a dominant victory, both sides were exchanging laughs and smiles during their postgame powwow.
Even according to the random, unrelated onlooker, Friday’s matchup between the Pacers and the Cats was obviously more than just an average regular season game. These two teams were apparently connected, but how?
“Howard (Hoyle) and I have known each other for a long time,” Harms said. “He was a youth director of softball in the Tualatin area, and then I was that 15 or 20 years ago here in Wilsonville. We’ve got some older daughters that are already out of school, but they played together.”
Hence, from a coaching perspective alone, Friday’s game was more than a standard non-league matchup. Harms and Hoyle also both happen to have played football for Portland State University at different times.
Between these two coaches, the connections seem to draw themselves.
“Both Steve and I coached in the Little League together,” Hoyle said. “We actually coached in the (Little League World Series) together.”
“My youngest daughter played with his daughter in the (Little League World Series),” Harms added. “So we coached together there too, and that was a lot of fun.”
Still, this trip to the Little League World Series was several years ago. The coaches’ personal connection has obviously stood strong, but what about these younger players? Where do they fit into the picture?
“These kids were all like the younger sisters,” Hoyle said. “And when they got here, we had a tournament team, and if we could get that team back together, that would be a dominant team.”
Delaney Hoyle, Wilson, Holly and Valdez previously played together under Hoyle in the Tualatin Softball Little League, alongside other stud players from near the area.
Naturally, the Lakeridge-Wilsonville matchup served as a reunion for them too, as players and coaches alike met near home plate to exchange pleasantries and catch up with each other postgame.
On days like Friday, the true strength of a community created by sport can be put on display. There are so many on-field connections, the web becomes tangled and messy.
“It’s amazing, the network and all the people that are involved,” Harms said. “(Hoyle) and I, in our local community, know each other very well. We’re doing the same things — trying to do the best we can for our girls and our programs — so it’s nice to have that connection with him.”
Ultimately, Delaney Hoyle led the Pacers to victory on Friday, recording four RBI, including a monster three-run shot that put Lakeridge ahead 5-0 in the top of the third.
The senior was also a dominant force in the circle, recording 14 strikeouts while the Wildcats failed to score a run until the final frame. Freshman Mia Rucker ultimately brought Wilson home with a sacrifice to third base, but it was too little, too late for the Wildcats.
With the loss, Wilsonville fell to 1-1 while Lakeridge improved to 1-0.
Now, with the Little League reunion in the rearview, both coaches have their sights set on improving throughout the season.
Next up for the Wildcats is a home matchup with Sherwood on Tuesday, March 19, while Lakeridge will travel to take on South Salem the following day. Both games are set to begin at 5 p.m.
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