A hard-fought contest on Wednesday ended with the Philomath High’s softball team on the wrong side of a 9-6 score as Stayton handed the Warriors their first loss in more than a month and snapped a five-game winning streak.
Despite the outcome, PHS coach Kari Jaques saw plenty of reasons to feel good about where her team stands.
Gallery: PHS softball vs. Stayton (April 22, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 9-6 softball loss at home against Stayton on Wednesday.
“Last year when we played this team, we had a much tougher time,” Jaques said after a postgame chat with her players. “So I think we’re doing a really good job of pulling together and fighting. We fought throughout the whole game — we just kept crawling back and it just didn’t turn out in our favor. But I’m super impressed with how hard we fought.”
Stayton beat Philomath three times last season by scores of 15-1, 18-2 and 14-1.
Philomath (6-3 overall, 1-1 in Oregon West) took an early lead and held an advantage as late as the fourth inning before Stayton pulled ahead for good in the fifth.
The Warriors tied the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the first inning on a one-run single by sophomore Hailey Smith. Philomath then went up 3-2 in the second when junior Emily Burner cranked a one-run double to right-center to tie the game, followed by sophomore Natalie Muir scoring on a wild pitch.
After Stayton reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth, the Warriors answered emphatically in the bottom half. Sophomore Rylee Martin reached on an infield single that scored sophomore Cassie Greeley, who was on the basepaths as a courtesy runner for Muir. Sophomore Libby Kramer then added a one-run single to give Philomath a 5-4 lead and a ball put in play by junior Sierra Skaggs extended the advantage to 6-4.
Stayton, however, seized the lead for good in the top of the fifth. The Eagles’ big blow came on a two-run shot to left-center by sophomore Mila Morley, and Stayton tacked on another run with the help of a Philomath error to go in front 7-6.
The Warriors threatened in the sixth, putting their first two batters aboard on a Martin single and a Kramer walk, but couldn’t push anyone across. After Stayton added two more runs to its lead, Philomath went down in order in the seventh to close out the game.
Martin had a strong individual showing at the top of the lineup, finishing 2 for 4. Smith worked the full seven innings in the circle, throwing 144 pitches and allowing 10 hits and six walks while recording eight strikeouts.
For Stayton (6-7, 2-0), senior Mylie Walker and freshman Taelyn Kaczynski each went 3 for 4 to pace the Eagles’ offense. Walker was particularly productive, driving in four runs.
Jaques credited the bottom of the Warriors’ order for making adjustments at the plate and noted the resilience her team showed compared to earlier in the season.
“This is a very different team than when we played those other teams because we rolled over and gave up,” she said, alluding to back-to-back losses at a Newport tournament on March 23. “We haven’t done that since and so I think as long as we keep doing that, we’re going to give it a run for our money.”
Still, the coach acknowledged the team simply needed a few more timely hits to pull it out.
“It just didn’t roll in our favor,” Jaques said. “We did everything we’ve been doing … we kept trying to come back and we just needed one more hit here or there. Hopefully we’ll come back a little harder next time.”
Philomath will have little time to dwell on the result. The Warriors travel to Cascade on Thursday for a 5 p.m. first pitch against the Cougars, who enter with a 6-5 overall record and a 1-0 conference mark. Jaques said Smith will again take the circle for Philomath.
Stayton 9, Philomath 6
Wednesday, April 22, at Warrior Field, Philomath HS
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Stayton (6-7, 2-0) 1 1 0 2 3 0 2 9 10 2 Philomath (6-3, 1-1) 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 6 6 2
Smith and Mason; No. 14 and Stutrud. W — No. 14. L — Smith. 2B — Cox (S), Burner (P), Kaczynski (S). HR — Morley (S).
Note: Stayton’s published varsity roster does not list a player with uniform No. 14.
