VooDoo takes fifth at Western Nationals

Relying on timely hitting, good defense and strong pitching, the Central Oregon VooDoo placed fifth in the Amateur Softball Association's 16U-B Girls Western Nationals, held August 2-8 in Hillsboro.

The Redmond-based team, featuring four Sisters High School softball players, won five games and lost two in the double-elimination tournament after winning a pair of games in pool play. The 7-2 tournament record enabled VooDoo to finish the season with a 32-14 win-loss record on the season.

The Western National tournament featured teams from Washington, Oregon and California. The VooDoo was the only non-California team to place in the top five. All totaled, there were 36 teams competing with California teams from San Bruno, Benicia, Buena Park and Downey finishing ahead of the VooDoo.

"Yes, the team was very excited to know we finished the highest of any Oregon team," said coach Jeff Edwards. "The only disappointing thing to the team was if we would've played the entire tournament the way we played Saturday (four wins in four games), no other team could have stopped us."

The next-highest placing Northwest team was the Northwest Diamond Blues of Seattle, the last of four teams the VooDoo defeated Saturday during losers' bracket play.

Prior to beating the Diamond Blues, the VooDoo defeated Oceanside (CA) 5-1 behind the solid pitching of Madras' Jamie Moe; they defeated North Clackamas Storm, 4-0, as Cassidy Edwards pitched a no-hitter; they defeated Coastal Mystic of Nipoma, CA., 6-2, with Sisters High School sophomores Taylor Nieri and Tiffani Milliman collecting two hits each.

The locals got into the losers' bracket with a 6-5 loss to Chino Hills (CA) on Friday night. That loss followed a win over Scotts Valley (CA), 5-4, when the VooDoo rallied from a 4-0 deficit by scoring two in the bottom of the 6th, then three in the bottom of the seventh to win it.

After the four wins on Saturday, it was a California team (Downey) that eliminated the VooDoo on Sunday morning, 2-1.

The VooDoo defeated two California teams in pool play prior to the double-elimination tournament. They opened with a 3-2 win over Woodland as Milliman had three base hits. Then they edged the San Fernando Rockstars 4-3 on key hits by Nieri and Erin Bowen.

Cassidy Edwards won four of the five games she pitched. During the tournament, the VooDoo allowed only six earned runs. Moe picked up the other two pitching decisions.

"Our pitchers did a great job," said Edwards. "The most runs we allowed in any one game was five, and those five runs were unearned. With the exception of the four wins on Saturday, our defense had one bad inning in each game."

Sisters players on the VooDoo included Nieri, Milliman, Carly Kreminski and Quincy Mate.

"Voodoo played some great softball over the last five days. I'm very proud of the team and their performance," said Edwards. "We had a few mistakes that our opponents took advantage of and forced us to play from behind, but our team never gave up, they battled to the last out of every game. Every player contributed."

Edwards, in particular, praised the play of Baileigh Baker, Bowen, Nieri, Milliman and Cassidy Edwards.