Seniors lead Outlaws to 4-0 tournament showing

Behind the pitching and hitting of Harley Rowe and Cassidy Edwards, the Sisters High School varsity softball team has won six straight games leading into Sky-Em League play.

In the Central Oregon Spring Break Invitational held at the Pine Nursery Softball Complex in Bend, the Outlaws avenged their season-opening loss to Madras with a 5-3 victory over the White Buffalos.

In addition to defeating Madras (8-2 on the season), the Outlaws also beat Regis of Stayton, Summit and Ashland in the two-day tournament to capture their tournament bracket title with a 4-0 record.

Rowe was eight for 14 in the tournament with six RBI and Edwards was eight for 15 and scored eight runs. Edwards also earned four pitching victories and struck out 36 in her 24 innings on the mound. Rowe pitched four innings and fanned six.

In addition to the standout play of seniors Rowe and Edwards, freshmen Chawnie Craig and Madison Edwards were impressive, as Craig was five for 11 and Edwards four for 11 at the tournament.

Outlaws Head Coach Ben Miller was excited with his team's play in the tournament and eager for Sky-Em League play to get underway.

"We stayed in control all our of games this tournament, for the most part. We struggled with our bats most games and made some offensive sparks in a row to edge out the competition," said Miller. "Madras on day two was our toughest competitors in the tournament. Luckily, we stayed ahead of them and responded when we needed to."

Rowe was the key to the Madras victory, driving in four runs; while in the 10-0 win over Regis, she had three hits, as did Cassidy Edwards, while freshmen Shayla Curtis, Craig, Madison Edwards and senior Taylor Nieri added two each.

In the 7-3 win over Ashland, sophomores Ashley Smith, Craig, and Cassidy Edwards each had two hits and senior Lauren Cantwell doubled.

And against Bend's Summit (a 5-3 win), Cassidy Edwards had two singles and a double and Cantwell had a pair of hits and two stolen bases.

The Outlaws committed only five errors in the two-day, 16-team tournament.

Prior to the tournament, Sisters beat a pair of Bend teams - Summit, 7-2, and Mountain View, 9-8.

The six straight wins also match the second-longest win streak in SHS softball annals.

The Outlaws opened Sky-Em play on April 1 against Cottage Grove and host Sweet Home on April 3, before traveling to Elmira on April 5 and Junction City on April 8.

As was the case in 2012, the Outlaws will compete at the varsity level only.