Baseball team gets some sun in Arizona

The Outlaws traveled to Arizona to escape the cold and snow and play baseball in perfect 80-degree weather. Sisters took part in a 24-team tournament, held at Salt River High School in Scottsdale.

Sisters defeated Tonopah Valley 5-3 in their first game of the tournament on Thursday, March 26. Sean Heagney, Chase Kleint, Brandon Morgan, Daniel Wiegand and Eric Carlson all recorded base hits. Heagney was also the winning pitcher for the game.

"Sean threw a pretty strong game which was coupled with good defense," said Coach Steve Hodges. "He challenged hitters and didn't give up walks."

The Outlaws notched an 8-2 victory on Friday against Monument Valley. Kleint went 2-2 at the plate. Morgan was 1-2 with a RBI, Heagney was 1-3 with a RBI and Carlson's double earned him two RBI. Aaron Fegenbush also hit a double for the Outlaws, and Andrew Lessor hit a single that drove in a run.

Sisters' timely hitting with runners on base was key in the win. The Outlaws scored seven of their eight runs in the second inning which gave them momentum for the remainder of the game and put Monument Valley away early.

In the quarterfinals on Saturday, the Outlaws pulled off a 4-2 win over Bagdad in extra innings.

"Bagdad had the best pitching we've faced all season," said Hodges. "He was a left hander and had 13 strikeouts but we still managed to pull out a win."

The highlight of the game was when Kleint stole home in the third inning.

Carlson went 2-2 with a single and triple and was the star at the bat for the Outlaws. Heagney got the game-winning hit in the sixth inning. Sean also had a great performance at the mound with nine strikeouts.

Sisters lost 2-1 in the semi-finals on Saturday night. The Outlaws had opportunities but couldn't cash in and were not able to put the ball in play when they needed to.

Hodges stated that overall the trip was a complete success.

"It was great to be able to get some warmth and practice under conducive weather conditions," said Hodges. "We built consistency as a team, had a good time together and enjoyed some great team time. The kids did a great job and I'm pleased with the progress we made and it was good to get the younger kids some playing time. It was a very worthwhile trip."

Prior to the Arizona trip the Outlaws struggled with their first three pre-season games. Sisters was scheduled to host Madras in the first game of the season on Tuesday, March 17, but the Outlaws' field was unplayable and the game was moved to Madras. Sisters lost 12-2 to the Whitebuffs. Sisters wasn't able to hit the ball, threw erratically from the mound and allowed Madras to get to first base many times due to walks.

On Friday, March 20, the Outlaws lost both games of the double header held at John Day. Sisters fell 5-3 to Milton Freewater (MacHi) and gave up all five runs in the third inning. Kleint was 3-4 with a single and a double. Later in the day the Outlaws lost 15-2 to Santiam Christian. Kleint went 2-3 with a double.