Everything feels like a playoff these days in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, and Wednesday at Hillsboro Ballpark, the Portland Cascade came away with a 2-1 win in extras to sweep the two-game series over the Carolina Blaze.
“Always great to see them compete,” Cascade head coach Tairia Flowers said. “It’s our first extra inning game, definitely high intensity. But to watch Carley compete, watch our defense connect with her, and just see everybody stay in it one pitch at a time, but just stay in it the entire game and continue just to battle the entire time. It’s always refreshing as a coach just to watch.”
Portland’s Carley Hoover threw a phenomenal game and went the distance for her second consecutive start. Hoover struck out 11 with five walks and one run in 8 innings pitched to take the win. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Sierra Sacco-Ferrie scored the winning run from second on a throwing error by Ana Gold.
The Blaze scored their only run in the first inning by staying in counts to get on base. Aubrey Leach led off with a single but was wiped out with Dakota Kennedy reaching on a fielder’s choice. Kennedy made her way around to score on a Valerie Cagle two-out RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
Carolina threatened for more, but Sacco-Ferrie robbed Alyssa Brito with a diving catch in left field to retire the side and save a couple of runs. Hoover didn’t have the best opening inning but escaped with only a run.
Aleshia Ocasio took the circle for the Blaze, and the Cascade answered immediately. Korbe Otis led off with a single and, after advancing on a passed ball and groundout, scored on a Kenleigh Cahalan sacrifice fly to tie the game. That gave Hoover a clean slate, and she settled in with two strikeouts in the second inning.
The game turned into a pitcher’s duel. Hoover returned in the top half of the third and rolled through the inning with no issues. Through 3 innings pitched, she tallied five strikeouts.
Ocasio worked efficiently, and through 3 innings, she had one unearned run with just two hits against her. However, the run support was nonexistent due to Hoover and the Cascade’s defense.
After Hoover gave up a leadoff single in the top of the fourth, she retired the side with three consecutive strikeouts to take her total to eight. She continued to paint corners and change speeds to keep the Blaze off balance.
“I thought she did a great job tonight,” Blaze head coach Kara Dill said about Hoover. “We didn’t square up many balls. We swung through some stuff that we usually hit pretty hard, so she was definitely commanding her stuff on both sides of the plate. And it was just a tough night for our offense.”
Then, in the top of the fifth, Hoover threw the ball away into the outfield with Leach stealing second. That allowed her to advance to third base with one out. Portland was able to escape unharmed as Kennedy grounded into a double play, with Leach thrown out at home. The call was razor-thin, as Leach was initially called safe before the ruling was overturned after review. Keilani Ricketts appeared for the bottom of the fifth and gave up a single.
Hoover churned through the sixth inning. She recorded her ninth strikeout of the game to retire the side. Then, Dill turned to Karlyn Pickens, who threw a complete game Tuesday night. Pickens used a 12-pitch inning to keep the game tied heading to the seventh inning.
After the game, Dill spoke about Ocasio’s outing and also explained her pitching management.
“I thought Lele had a great outing for us,” Dill said. “She had a great start for us, got through the order one and a half times. Keilani is just a tough matchup. She’s completely different than Lele. She just shows a different look from the left side and what her stuff does, so it was good to go to her in that.
“And then once we got to the top of the lineup, going back to Karlyn, again, she threw a great game yesterday. She kept their offense off balance, so we had every confidence when we got back to the top of the lineup that she would finish the game out for us.”
Hoover worked into the seventh but ran into a bases-loaded jam with no outs. Everything went right for the Blaze, starting with Gold reaching on an error. Then, after Devyn Netz drew a walk, Jordyn Rudd-Lee laid down a perfect bunt down the third-base line and reached.
However, Hoover and the Cascade defense escaped the jam. Leach reached on a fielder’s choice, but Gold was thrown out at home. Hoover stayed cool and followed with a strikeout of Kennedy for her 10th of the night.
Then, a Reese Atwood flyout retired the side. Carolina had its best chance all game to mount some runs, and it fell through. Hoover referenced the mound visit during the inning and what was talked about to get out of that tough moment.
“I think we just talked about, I’m very much one pitch mentality, so it is really hard,” Hoover said. “I will admit sometimes that isn’t maintained. So, I think it was just to get back to one pitch. What do you want to throw now? All you can control is now. So what do you want to attack with, now?”
Portland had a chance to end it with a walk-off in the seventh, but after Sacco-Ferrie reached on a two-out single, Atwood threw her out trying to steal.
Atwood started the top of the eighth at second base, with Baylee Klingler up to bat. Klingler singled to center, but Kendra Falby came up firing to get Atwood at home with a Mia Davidson tag. It was an aggressive baserunning move, and understandable. With Hoover’s dominance, the Blaze just tried to get a run across.
That gave Hoover some room to breathe, and she retired the side without damage, adding her 11th strikeout. That set up the bottom half, and a moment the Blaze will think about for a couple of days.
Sacco-Ferrie started at second base, with Tori Vidales in the batter’s box. Her hit to Gold at third forced an errant throw over Klingler’s head at first to allow Sacco-Ferrie to come home for the winning run. A crucial mistake to end the game, and for Portland it was its third consecutive win. They have taken things one swing at a time, and it is paying off.
“It’s one swing at a time, right,” Flowers said. “Anybody can win any game, and that’s just so important of why the mentality of just one pitch at a time and resetting, like Carley said. You can’t get caught up in what happened last inning or two pitches ahead. You have to stay where your feet are and stay in the moment.”
