PENDLETON — Freshman Sophia Navarrete threw a complete game, striking out 15, to lead top-ranked Vale to a 5-2 win Thursday over Pendleton at Steve Cary Field.
“Vale is a very good team,” Pendleton coach Tim Cary said. “We ran into a quality pitcher today who did a nice job of shutting us down. Vale will go a long way this year.”
Neither team gave up much over the first two innings, with just three combined base runners between the teams.
The Vikings slowly built their lead, scoring once in the third, twice in the fourth, and putting up one run in the fifth and seventh innings.
Vale (7-0) scored on an error in the third, then Kayci Shira hit a two-out, two-run double in the fourth to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead.
The Bucks (6-3) struggled to put runners on base, but they strung together a couple of hits in the seventh to score two runs.
Tatum Lambert hit a single to right field, but Shira misplayed the ball, allowing Avery Quaempts to score.
With Kelsi Primus on third, Cambria VanNice was out at first on a dropped third strike, allowing Primus to score and Lambert to advance to third base.
Shaylor Fisher struck out on three pitches to end the game.
Pendleton had five hits on the day, with Quaempts going 2-for-3. Finley Evans, Primus and Lambert all had singles.
Fisher took the loss, allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out three and walking two.
“On the bright side, Shaylor did a very nice job in the circle today,” Cary said. “She threw well enough to win a game for us, but we need to do a better job offensively.”
For Vale, Navarrete went 2-for-4 with two doubles, while Braelyn Keller and Sadie Blake went 2-for-4, and Shira went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Baseball
PENDLETON 8, ST. HELENS 0 — Tugg McQuinn and Colin Harrington combined for a three-hit shutout, and the Bucks ran their win streak to five games with a road win over the Lions.
After a scoreless first inning, Pendleton (7-6) put three runs on the board in the top of the second as the first run scored on an error, the second on a sacrifice bunt by Kreg Krol, and the third was courtesy of an RBI single to left field by Reid Furstenberg.
The next three innings were quiet at the plate, but the Bucks got back on track in the sixth, scoring five runs for an 8-0 lead.
With one out, Eli Smidt hit an RBI single, and two walks later the bases were loaded for McQuinn, who belted a two-run double to left field.
A sacrifice fly by Furstenberg gave Pendleton a 7-0 lead, and McQuinn scored on a wild pitch to finish off the scoring.
MCQuinn earned the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving three hits, striking out five and walking one. Harrington finished the game, striking out three and walking none.
Defensively, the Bucks turned one double play and did not commit any errors.
Mason Rund took the loss for St. Helens (4-6). He allowed five runs on four hits while striking out one and walking one.
Girls tennis
PENDLETON 1, NYSSA 1 — It was a quick match, with the visiting Bulldogs having just two players.
In the No. 1 singles match, Pendleton’s McKinley Moore turned her ankle on the second point of the match and had to injury default to Nyssa’s Hadlee Wagstaff.
In the No. 2 match, the Bucks’ Noemi Alvarez-Barroso made quick of Leyla Castillo 6-0, 6-0 as the teams split the District 5 match.
IONE/HEPPNER 2, WESTON-MCEWEN 1 — The Cardinals swept the doubles matches, while the TigerScots won the lone singles match in District 4 action in Ione.
W-M’s Angelina Erb defeated Silvia Garagozza 8-5 in the lone singles match. In doubles, Lizzy Doherty and Brionna Serrano beat W-M’s Nelly Barahona and Alethea Bond 8-1 in the No. 1 match, while Teagan Roy and Sophia Serrano escaped with an 8-6 win over River Dennett and Rebecca Young.
