Baseball team rolls into the semi-finals

Patience at the plate was key in the Outlaws' 11-4 victory at home over Ontario on Saturday, May 24. Sisters advances to the semi-finals and will play at Astoria on Tuesday, May 27.

Ontario scored three runs off four hits in the top of the first inning to take a briefly held lead. Sisters answered back with three runs of their own to tie it up 3-3. Tanner Hodges had a ground rule double for an RBI. With the bases loaded, Ontario walked Chase Klient and Sean Heagney for Sisters second and third runs. Ontario walked 12 Outlaw players in the inning.

Neither team scored in the second, third or fourth innings.

Ontario added a run in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth the Outlaws went on a two-out rally. Max Stovall's hit over the third baseman's head scored Hasskamp and tied the game 4-4. With the bases loaded, two more players were walked in and the Outlaws pushed to a 6-4 advantage. Aaron Fegenbush followed with a line drive single to right center which scored two runs. At the close of the fifth inning Sisters held an 8-4 lead.

The Outlaws held Ontario scoreless in the sixth.

Sisters added three more runs in the bottom of the inning and went up 11-4. Hasskamp hit a line drive to right field for a base hit and advanced to second on a passed ball. Hodges followed with a base hit. Hasskamp scored on a wild pitch for Sisters' ninth run of the contest. Stovall, with the count full, hit a high fly down the third base line for an RBI double. Chase Klient's single over the second baseman's head brought in Stovall for Sisters' final run of the game.

Hodges came in as relief for Hasskamp in the seventh inning and Sisters got three consecutive outs to secure the victory.

Jarred Hasskamp pitched six innings for the Outlaws and recorded six strikeouts. Hodges was pleased with Hasskamp's performance.

"Jarred has been awesome for us all season long. We ask a lot from him and he always delivers," said Hodges.

Of the win Hasskamp said, "I really didn't expect we'd make it, not that I thought we couldn't do it but we haven't been to the semis in seven years. But, our chemistry was there, our bats were on and we swung at better pitch selections."

Stovall was 2-3 at the plate, with a double and two RBI.

Stovall said, "I've been in a slump the last three games and finally came back. I'm ecstatic! I finally got two good hits."

Hodges was 2-3 with a double and an RBI, Klient was 1-1 with two RBI and Heagney was 1-2 with two RBI. Hasskamp was 2-3 and Aaron Fegenbush had two RBI.

Coach Hodges told The Nugget there were many pivotal situations and momentum swings in the contest and it could have been anybody's game.

"The fifth inning for us was absolutely huge," said Hodges. "When they got their run we played as good a defense as we could and they still scored. They had the bases loaded with two outs. A base hit would have been a huge deficit. So, I can't say how huge it was to retire the side."

Hodges added, "Max's hit to tie the score gave us new life. It was like a blood transfusion. From that point on we capitalized on their pitcher's lack of control. We left balls alone that we couldn't be successful with and swung at good pitches."

Four days earlier, Sisters came from behind in the seventh to defeat Gladstone 4-3 in the second round of the playoffs.

Gladstone scored on a homerun in the first inning. They added another run in the second and in the third inning scored on a solo homerun to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth inning the Outlaws had the bases loaded with only one out. Brandon Morgan hit a great line drive up the middle, but Gladstone's second baseman made an amazing leap, caught the ball and turned the double play for Sisters third out.

Sisters finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning. Jarred Hasskamp singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tanner Hodges' double down the left field line brought Hasskamp home. Taylor Davenport followed with a line drive that went off the third baseman's glove and Hodges made it home. Sisters closed Gladstone's lead to 3-2.

The Outlaws entered the top of the seventh down 3-2. Hasskamp hit a line drive single to left field to get the Outlaws started and Hodges followed with a double down the left field line. With runners on second and third and no outs, Davenport hit a line drive to left field and drove in both base runners. Sisters went up 4-3 and took the lead for the first time.

In the bottom of the seventh Hodges turned a double play to end the game.

"It was so dramatic," said Coach Steve Hodges. "We were on the brink of elimination... We went very quickly from a concerned situation to elation."