The Philomath High School softball team came up short in a pair of games Monday on the first day of the North Medford Spring Break Tournament with losses of 9-5 to Pacheco (California) and 14-11 to Class 5A Ashland.
In the game against Pacheco, a school out of Los Banos with nearly 1,800 students, the Warriors (0-5) trailed 9-1 going into the sixth but put up four runs on the board to make things interesting late. Janae Traglia and Ahnika Tryon both hit one-out singles and came around to score on errors. Grace Bennett and Mia Bennett each had one-run singles for the third and fourth runs of the inning.
Philomath scored its first run in the fourth. Traglia hit the first of her two doubles in the game to lead off the inning, she advanced to third on a passed ball and then easily scored on a triple by Tryon.
Traglia went 3 for 4 with two runs, Grace Bennett finished 2 for 3 and Tryon was 2 for 4 for the Warriors. In the circle, Tryon went the distance and allowed eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Five of Pacheco’s runs were unearned with the Warriors committing seven errors in the game.
Pacheco (8-2), which before playing Philomath had defeated Cascade Christian, 19-10, got a 3-for-4 performance from its leadoff hitter, Abi Pikas. Pikas was also her team’s pitcher, allowing nine hits, one earned run and two walks with six strikeouts.
In the team’s second game in Medford, the Warriors trailed Ashland 5-0 early, rallied for a 10-5 lead and then gave up nine runs in the fourth to end up losing 14-11.
Trailing by five runs going into the bottom of the second, Philomath got on the scoreboard on a two-run double by Kaylie Kohler. Isabel Morales-Marquez, who walked, and Elizabeth Morales-Marquez, who singled, both scored on the hit.
In the third, the Warriors scored eight runs for a 10-5 lead. Traglia reached on an error to lead off the inning and she came around to score when Isabel Morales-Marquez also got aboard on an Ashland miscue. Presley Reichhuber hit a bases-loaded single to drive in Isabel Morales-Marquez. Elizabeth Morales-Marquez, who had walked, also came around to score. Kohler later hit a two-run single for a 7-5 lead. Following a single by Kelsey Olsen, both Traglia and Tryon had one-run singles to push across two more runs. Traglia later scored the 10th run.
But Ashland (3-2) responded with nine runs in the top of the fourth — all with two outs. Philomath walked five batters in the inning, hit one batter and gave up five hits.
The Warriors got a run in the bottom half when Reichhuber singled, stole second and third and scored on an error.
Traglia and Reichhuber each went 2 for 3 with two runs and Kohler was 2 for 4 with four RBIs for the Warriors.
Philomath is scheduled to play two more games in the tournament Tuesday at 10 am. Against Dayton and noon against Brookings-Harbor.
