Saints pile on the W’s, prepare for South Region

The Saints softball squad entered regional play on April 6 with an overall mark of 14-3, good for a default third-place seating in the South Region of the NWAC.

That’s simply because Southwestern Oregon (16-3) and Clackamas (16-3) have each played two more games and won them both. Lower Columbia sits in fourth at 14-4, a testament to just how good the South truly is this year.

Mt. Hood took both games of its double header against the Chemeketa Storm on Wednesday, the final test before its toughest stretch of the year, with six straight games against the aforementioned divisional foes, the Clackamas Cougars, SWOCC Lakers and the Lower Columbia College Red Devils.

There may be some added intrigue to the Clackamas series, considering the Saints dispatched the Cougars in the 2015 NWAC championship tournament semifinals.

Mt. Hood has not only found ways to win (the Saints are 8-2 over their last ten games), its has emphatically shut the door on just about every opponent faced. An immensely talented team was recently acknowledged by the NWAC, as the conference awarded both Megan Marcy and Kayla Byers with co-players of the week honors for their performances during the week of March 28. The two played integral roles in two victories over Pierce College, and Marcy, the Saints’ sophomore shortstop, is currently slashing .517 at the plate, with five home runs, 25 RBI and 23 runs scored in just 17 games this season.

Byers, the Eastern Florida State College transfer, has thoroughly impressed since her Mt. Hood debut, pitching to the tune of a 5-0 record, a 0.70 ERA (which leads the conference) and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 46-4 on the year.

It’s tough to find a good pitcher without a solid catcher, though, and the Saints’ Darian Lindsey is one of the best.

Coach McWhorter referenced all of the trio’s contributions in the series, saying, “Kayla did an exceptional job of attacking hitters and getting them to hit the pitches she wanted them to hit.

“Our defense did a solid job finishing the plays created by her and Darian, who also deserves a lot of the credit as well because she calls her own game. Those two were always on the same page, they were fun to watch.”

As for Marcy, McWhorter said, “Megan has been seeing the ball extremely well and had been disciplined at the plate. She works very hard on her swing and it has been nice to see her hard work pay off.”

In the games against Pierce, the coach still identified things the Saints needed work on. “In game one, we did not execute called plays at the plate, but we did in game two.  It was nice to see the adjustments made, but as we get into league, we need to be consistent for both games of the doubleheader.”

The team’s last defeat was against a good Bellevue College team in on March 19 in Bellevue, Wash. The Bulldogs are in first place in the North Region. “We were off in the Bellevue game”, said McWhorter. “We were swinging out of our shoes, pushing too much for hits and our pitch selection was off. Credit is due to the Bellevue team, their pitcher threw well, they played solid defense and they hit the ball.

“We look forward to the next match-up against them because we know it will be a better game,” the coach said.

Mt. Hood did not have any games scheduled last weekend. Instead, McWhorter challenged her team in practice with a continued focus of improving each day. “We have put a lot of emphasis on being in the moment and not taking this time for granted.  This team really respects and appreciates one another, we know what we have is special,” she said. “We want to take in every moment, challenging or not, and be grateful for the time we have together.”

With the grueling stretch ahead, the Saints remain tenacious and unwavering, approaching each game the same. As McWhorter explained, “Our plan of attack doesn’t change, just slow the game down, and attack one pitch at a time.”