News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Outlaws split for week on the diamond

Rongi Yost, Correspondent | Last updated Mar 20, 2018 12:0pm0
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Jerry Baldock count

Austin Morss lays one down for the Outlaws.

The Outlaws baseball team started their season with a 7-6 win over 5A Mt. View on Tuesday, March 13, but three days later fell 9-7 to Stayton.

In Tuesday's action, the Outlaws' season-opener ended with a sweet victory at home over Mt. View.

In the seventh inning, with the bases loaded, Hunter Spor drew a walk, and the Cougars were speechless as the Outlaws walked off the field with their first victory of the season.

The Outlaws started four freshmen and two sophomores, and the young squad stepped up, played with composure and earned the win.

Coach Reed Rainey said, "We kept competing and grinding, and eventually found a way to win. The weather was poor, but the kids played hard. I was very proud of how they competed in their first game.

Spencer Kemp and Austin Morss each had two hits in the game. Kemp went two-for-two, drew a walk, and scored two runs. Morss was two-for-two with one run and one RBI.

Garret Vohs and Taylor Fendall were both noted by Rainey for their good offensive production.

Dillon Tucker, Morss, and Turner Stutzman took care of the pitching duties and held Mt. View to two earned runs. Stutzman earned the win in relief.

In Friday's game against Stayton the Outlaws scored seven runs on five hits and Stayton scored nine runs on eight hits.

Sisters got a hot start with a 5-1 lead, but from there they were plagued by miscues and walks, which Stayton took advantage of. The Eagles forged ahead and earned the win.

Freshman Hunter Spor pitched well for the Outlaws in his first start of the year. Hunter pitched three solid innings, and also had a two-RBI double in the seventh. Turner Stutzman came in as relief and also pitched well, and struck out seven batters in two-and-a-half innings.

Austin Morss paced the Outlaws on offense with two hits and two RBI. Freshman Garrett Vohs was one-for-four with two RBIs.

Rainey said, "We made too many mistakes, and Stayton capitalized on every mistake we made. We are a very young team right now, both in age and experience, and we are learning as we go. There is no substitute for experience and game maturity at the varsity level, and we are gaining that each day. Once we get all of our players on the field, we will be fine."

The Outlaws were scheduled to play at home against Madras on Tuesday, March 20. Sisters will play at Crook County on Thursday, March 22.

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Baseball team returns five veterans to squad

The Outlaws baseball team returns five seasoned, experienced players to the squad this year, and it looks as if the team could have a stellar season.

Back for their final year are seniors Zach Morgan, Pherry Luz, Turner Stutzman, Austin Morss, and Spencer Kemp.

Last year, Morgan was voted Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year in the Sky-Em Conference, and will be the Outlaws' No. 1 starting pitcher this season. Zach will also see time at first and third base. Coach Reed Rainey stated that the coaches are counting on Zach to have an even better season this year. Zach has great maturity, and will be a strong leader on the team.

Luz was an all-league shortstop last year, and will play at either shortstop or centerfield this year. Pherry is the fastest player on the squad, and one of the best athletes on the team. He uses his speed well, but can also hit for power. He's a great leader and a coach on the field.

Stutzman is a versatile player, and will be counted on to play at middle infield this year; he will also be the Outlaws' closer on the mound. Turner has a great work ethic, and is expected to be one of the best players/pitchers in the conference this year.

Morss can play any position in the infield, and is fundamentally the Outlaws' best infield player. Austin will also be needed to help out on the mound early in the season. Rainey stated that Austin is a tireless worker, who is poised to have a great senior season.

Kemp has a great attitude, works very hard, and according to Rainey, is improving daily. Spencer will get an opportunity to play early in the season, and coaches are excited to see what he can do.

Rainey said, "We have a great group of seniors who are providing outstanding leadership, and really taking the younger kids under their wings and leading them by example. I couldn't be prouder of our seniors."

Several new players will join the varsity squad. Sophomore Taylor Fendall, and freshmen Dillon Tucker and Hunter Spor have all been hard at work at practice.

Fendall will start at the catcher position to open the season. Rainey stated that Taylor has a bulldog mentality, and is improving as a catcher every day.

Tucker is an outstanding hitter, and has lots of power for a freshman. Dillon will play at the corner infield positions, and hit behind Morgan in the batting order. He will also be the No. 2 pitcher for the Outlaws. Rainey said that he rarely puts high expectations on such a young player, but Dillon is the exception to the rule and will be a major part of the Outlaws' offense.

Spor, also a freshman, is a very good athlete, and will fill a number of roles for the Outlaws this season, including catcher, third base, outfield, and pitcher. Once he gets a handful of varsity games under his belt, he is expected to settle into a position and really begin to excel.

T.J. Lawrence is also new to the team, but has been sick for most of the practices. Lawrence will battle for the catcher position when he is healthy.

Rainey said, "We are very athletic and talented at the varsity level, and have been working extremely hard in practice. We are improving each day, and starting to show signs of what our potential can be as a team. The issue we face is we are not very deep talent-wise due to having limited participation numbers. The talent span in our baseball program is as wide as I've ever seen."

The fun part - and one of the joys of coaching - is watching the players, especially the freshmen and sophomores, grow as baseball players and begin to understand the speed of the game, the expectations of playing at a competitive level, the dedication, and the skill level that is required."

Basketball players that will join the baseball team are Isaiah Rush and Austin Lake, who will both lend talent and athleticism to the team.

The baseball team has high hopes and aspirations for the season; winning the league championship and also the state championship.

Rainey said, "This program has had tremendous success over the years, and we plan on continuing that success in 2018. We have some obstacles to overcome, and we are expecting a lot from a couple of sophomores and freshmen, but I think once we have all of our players on the field we will be a very good baseball team."

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