Saints softball in title matchup

[NWAC tournament UPDATE 3:

Mt. Hood is now ONE WIN from another championship trophy, after it beat rival Clackamas Saturday morning, 8-5.
The Saints were led by – who else? catcher Hailey Davis, who belted a three-run, first-inning home run to jump-start the game, and finished with five RBIs – and by second baseman Matlyn Leetch, who went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate and scored three runs.

The Saints on Sunday at 11 a.m. will take on the winner of the Bellevue-Clackamas elimination game, being played Saturday afternoon.

A single win Sunday would clinch the championship for Mt. Hood. A loss would trigger an immediate, winner-take-all rematch.]

For details/live-streaming info:  nwacsports.org/softball_championship]

[NWAC tournament UPDATE 2: 
No. 1 seed Southwestern Oregon pushed 5 runs across the plate in the very first inning Friday against No. 5 Mt. Hood. 

No problem: The Saints immediately scored 10 runs their first time up, going on to wax the Lakers 16-7 in just five innings and advance to the semifinal round. The attack included yet another three-run home run by catcher Hailey Davis. 

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the Saints take on rival Clackamas, who won in extra innings on Friday. The winner advances to the championship game on Sunday – earning a two-chances-to-win-one-game setup for the title.] 

[NWAC tournament UPDATE 1:
Saints catcher Hailey Davis had herself a DAY on Thursday: She blasted three home runs – two of them grand slams – and drove in 11 runs total, as Mt. Hood pasted Skagit Valley 15-0 in their opener, then came from behind to wallop Everett, 11-5, in an early evening game.

Mt. Hood, the tournament’s fifth seed, next plays No. 1 seed Southwestern Oregon at 12:30 p.m. today (Friday, May 20).]

Our MHCC Saints are headed to their league softball championship playoff, starting this Thursday, May 19.

With an overall record of 34-12, finishing second in their division, Mt. Hood was scheduled to play Skagit Valley Community College at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

In honor of such an accomplishment, I had the opportunity to interview the coach and the team captains as they were practicing for their final regular season game before the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) championship tournament commenced. The three co-captains of the fifth-ranked team in the conference were eager to talk about their successful season and their feelings for the inevitable wins coming their way, as well as the past that got them here.

Abigail Padilla, who plays third base and utility infielder  for the Saints, came here from Pueblo, Colorado, after visiting as a child with her family and falling in love with the area. She wanted to move to Oregon after graduating high school and found Mt. Hood. She’s attended Mt. Hood for the past two years, playing for the Saints.

 Alas, Padilla will pursue a career in a different field and is finishing her last season in softball.

Hailey Davis, catcher and infielder for Mt. Hood went to high school at West Albany High School. She attended a four-year college prior to coming to Mt. Hood, but decided to take a couple years off before Saints Head Coach Brittany Hendrickson reached out and got her to come play for Mt. Hood. She has been an amazing addition to the team, with an outstanding slugging percentage of .982, 84 runs batted in and 56 runs scored in 45 games, 25 of those being her home runs (as of May 18).

Davis plans to continue her career in softball and has been looking into options in the area, mostly Eastern Oregon University. She may even work toward becoming a  softball coach.

Janelle Almaguer, a utility infielder and outfielder for the Saints, is from Hermiston and came to Mt. Hood as recommended to Hendrickson by her club leader at Hermiston High School. She has not disappointed, maintaining a fielding percentage of 1.000 for the whole conference season, placing her first in the NWAC. She hasn’t decided on her softball future but has been a great captain and player for the Saints in her first season here.

Hendrickson is finishing her fifth season at Mt. Hood, with a hiatus during the height of the pandemic. Her history as an assistant coach at Concordia University-Irvine, where the team finished 42-13 by the end of her time there, and her four years of playing for Portland State University, has proven to be great experience for her success and growing reputation as Mt. Hood’s leader.

With the college’s athletics back up and running – championships included – for 2021-22, Hendrickson is leading the Saints into the NWAC tournament for a fourth run in her time here.

Even with a lot of new blood this season, she is confident that she has built this team to be able to overcome their competitors in this final stretch, as they won their last five regular season games, giving them an additional boost of confidence and optimism as the NWAC tournament nears.

“We will win if we just play Mt. Hood ball,” said Hendrickson. “We have what it takes to win it, if we just play our game.”