With a solid core of returning players and an influx of freshman talent, the Philomath High School softball team continued its positive start to this season with a 9-5 victory Monday over Sweet Home in the team’s Oregon West Conference opener.
First-year coach Kari Jaques talks with confidence about her team’s potential but knows a tough road awaits with a league loaded with capable softball teams. The Warriors (7-3 overall, 1-0 Oregon West ) will face Stayton (5-4, 1-0) on the road Wednesday and Cascade (10-0, 1-0) at home Thursday.
Gallery: PHS softball vs. Sweet Home (April 14, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 9-5 softball victory at home over Sweet Home on Monday.
“I think their work is starting to pay off,” Jaques said. “The next two are definitely going to be tough.”
Philomath pulled out the win over Sweet Home, a team that brought in an 8-2 record and higher ranking, despite some miscues in the field.
“We definitely did not play our ball … we had a couple of errors that were not our brand of defense,” Jaques said. “We’re going to have to pick that up a little bit more.”
Sweet Home (8-3, 0-1) scored twice in the first inning — both unearned with errors contributing to the opposition’s cause. The Warriors put together a counterattack in the bottom half, however, on a one-run single by senior Jenae Traglia and a two-run single by senior Laighla Hockema. Traglia’s hit to right field plated freshman Rylee Martin, who had earlier reached on a one-out infield single. The Hockema hit dropped out of the reach of Sweet Home’s second baseman to score freshman Hailey Smith and Traglia.
Sweet Home tied the game in the top of the second with a base runner scoring on an errant throw on a pickoff attempt to third.
The Warriors scored three in the bottom of the third — all with two outs. Traglia walked and later scored on a Sweet Home error. Senior Hannah Bennett doubled to right field and scored on a single up the middle by freshman Libby Kramer. Another run came in on senior Zoee Howard’s single as Hockema scored on a play at the plate.
With freshman Hailey Smith humming along in the circle, Sweet Home had limited opportunities to produce runs. So when Philomath added three more in the fifth for a 9-3 lead, it started to seem probable that the Warriors would pull out the victory.
Bennett led off the fifth with a single through the 6 hole and Hockema followed by working a walk. That set up an opportunity for Kramer, who came through with a triple over the center fielder’s head. Bennett and Hockema both scored for an 8-3 lead. Kramer later scored on a single by Howard.
Sweet Home made a little noise over the last two innings. A one-out double in the sixth produced nothing with the runner stranded on back-to-back ground outs to the pitcher. In the seventh, the Huskies pushed a couple of runs to account for the final score.
Martin finished 3 for 4 and Traglia, Kramer and Howard each went 2 for 3 to lead Philomath offensively. Meanwhile, Smith threw a complete game and allowed nine hits and two walks to go along with nine strikeouts. Only two of the five runs scored by the Huskies were earned.
Philomath’s game Wednesday at Stayton is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start. Thursday’s home game against the Cougars is slated for a 5 p.m. start.
