For West Linn softball, teamwork equals success

The Lions earned their sixth consecutive victory Wednesday

West Linn’s (from left), Avery Wolf, Kendall Atwood, Piper Ruthraugg, Emily Sakys and Maddie Brooke come out to greet Meg Allen at home plate after her third-inning home run in the 9-4 win over Tualatin / Dan Brood

WEST LINN — For the West Linn softball team, it all seems kind of simple.

If the Lions all work together, good things will happen.

And lately, a whole bunch of good things have been happening for the West Linn squad.

On Wednesday, the Lions picked up their sixth consecutive victory, and their eighth in the past nine games, by fighting off Tualatin for a 9-4 win in a Three Rivers League game at Rosemont Ridge Middle School.

“I think it was really good,” said West Linn senior first baseman Meg Allen, who smacked a three-run homer. “We worked really well as a team, and that’s what got us the win.”

“It was a good win,” West Linn junior shortstop Emily Sakys said. “We worked together, and our hitting was good today.”

Working together — that certainly seems to be the common thread when it comes to West Linn’s current streak of playing some strong softball.

“We’re getting along, stringing hits together and backing each other up,” West Linn senior second baseman Emery Curtis said. “It’s all about the friendship, both on and off the field.”

“We’re just doing a really good job working together, stringing hits together and working on doing all of the little things right,” Allen said.

“I think a lot of it is everyone’s determination and working together as a team. That’s a really big thing for us,” Sakys said. “We’re working toward our goals for the season.”

Right now, the main goal for the West Linn squad is the Three Rivers League championship.

“We’ve been talking about it for a while,” Sakys said. “I think a big thing is just staying humble and to just keep working toward that. We want to do the best we can.”

Well, with their six-game win streak, with all six of those victories coming in Three Rivers League contests, the Lions seem to be doing just that. With the win against the Timberwolves, West Linn, with head coach Gina Garvey, improved to 6-1 in TRL games (14-3 overall), putting the Lions one game ahead of second-place Oregon City and two up on third-place Tigard in the league standings.

“I’m so excited about that,” Curtis said. “Our goal right now is to win league. Absolutely, it’s a big thing for us. We’re going to have to keep pushing through, because we have some good teams in the running with us.”

“It’s going really good,” Allen said. “I think we’ve been accomplishing a lot of our goals, and we’re really working well together.”

The effervescent Curtis has a constant smile when she talks about the West Linn team and the Lions’ season.

“It’s been amazing. We’re having so much fun together,” Curtis said. “That’s the whole point. At the end of the day, softball is about having fun.”

In addition to having a bunch of fun, the Lions, as of Friday morning, were the No. 5 team in the Class 6A power rankings as well as being the No. 8-ranked squad in the latest Class 6A coaches poll.

“Our team chemistry is really good,” Sakys said. “Our defense has been super strong, and we’re figuring out our hitting, and we’re trusting each other.”

West Linn junior shortstop Emily Sakys unleashes a throw to first base during the Lions’ 9-4 win over Tualatin at Rosemont Ridge Middle School. / Dan Brood

If the Lions are still figuring out their hitting, the rest of the state might have a big problem when they do finally get that issue taken care of.

Through the win over Tualatin, West Linn is batting .362 with 25 doubles, four triples and 21 home runs.

Speedy junior Kendall Atwood, who also patrols the outfield for the Lions, is the leading hitter with a .500 average. She has a double, two triples, a home run and team-high totals of 27 runs and 20 stolen bases.

Curtis has a .422 batting average with 18 runs, a team-high 11 doubles and 27 RBIs. Sakys has a .377 batting average with five doubles, three home runs and a team-high 21 RBIs.

Allen, junior Piper Ruthrauff and junior McKayla Castro provide the power. Ruthrauff, the team’s catcher, is batting .311 with six home runs and 14 RBIs. Castro, who plays third base, is hitting at a .340 clip with three doubles, six home runs, 18 runs and 19 RBIs. Allen has a .313 average with five home runs and 15 RBIs.

In the circle, sophomore pitcher Avery Wolf has a 12-3 win-loss record with a 2.58 earned-run average.  She has 75 strikeouts and 25 walks in 78 and two-thirds innings.

West Linn sophomore Avery Wolf fires a pitch to the plate during the Lions’ 9-4 win over Tualatin in Wednesday’s Three Rivers League game. / Dan Brood

West Linn is also solid with the gloves, boasting a .942 fielding average.

“I’d say our defense is top tier, and our hitting is getting there,” Curtis said.

“I think our defense has been really good. Everyone does their part and goes all-out,” Allen said.

The Lions have also shown a penchant for good timing with their hitting, as well as a knack for answering back. That was certainly on display in Wednesday’s game with Tualatin.

The Timberwolves took a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning. It didn’t take West Linn long to answer. Atwood led off the bottom of the first with an infield single. Curtis followed with a single to left field and Sakys was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Castro belted a grand slam over the fence in left-center field, giving the Lions a 4-1 lead.

West Linn junior McKayla Castro connects for a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning in the Lions’ 9-4 win over Tualatin. / Dan Brood

“I feel that’s a big thing for us,” Sakys said. “We pick each other up and we know when the time is right, and you just have to make it happen.”

West Linn, and Allen, made it happen again later in the game. In the top of the third inning, Tualatin trimmed the West Linn lead to 4-3 with a two-run homer by senior Sadie Guyette. But in the bottom of the frame, with two runners on base, the left-handed Allen crushed a home run over the fence in right field, making it 7-3.

“That felt really good,” Allen said. “I went up there trying to redeem myself from my first at-bat, and it definitely worked.”

Curtis went 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Castro went 2 for 2 with her grand slam. Junior Vivienne McGraw, who is batting .442, went 2 for 3. Wolf pitched three and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief for West Linn, which didn’t commit an error.

“I think it went really well. We strung some hits together and scored runs, and we got some home runs,” Curtis said. “Being able to shut down (the other team’s) energy is a big key to winning. And as the season progressed, we’ve gotten really good at that.”

And, as evidenced by the scene throughout the game in the West Linn dugout and with the raucous noise heard from inside the team room after the victory, the Lions have gotten really good at having fun.

“That’s really important,” Allen said. “When we’re loud, that really helps our energy.”

“With everyone working together and hyping each other up, I think we have a lot of energy, and that’s important,” Sakys said.

For Curtis, having fun goes beyond just enjoying time on the field with her teammates. After her fourth-inning double, Tualatin made a pitching change. During the break, Curtis, while she was standing on second base, was laughing and joking with the four Timberwolves infielders.

West Linn senior Emery Curtis (10) chats with the four Tualatin infielders after her fourth-inning double in the Lions’ 9-4 victory Wednesday. / Dan Brood

“This game was so fun. I love playing Tualatin,” Curtis said. “We know a lot of people on their team. Their shortstop, Paley Sullivan, is one of my best friends, and they’re all just super sweet. At the end of the day, it’s just all about connections and the people you play against.”

Fun aside, West Linn definitely has its sights on that Three Rivers League title, and maybe something beyond that — not that the Lions are looking too far ahead.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time. If we do that, and fix the little things, I think that will help us a lot,” Sakys said. “State is something we’re heading toward. We just need to keep lifting each other up and keep grinding. No matter what, you just have to keep going.”

“We’re really hoping to win league and go really far in the playoffs,” Allen said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time.”

“We definitely want to win league and make a good run in the playoffs,” Curtis said. “Honestly, we just need to remember that it’s all for each other, not for one person. We all have to do this as a team.”

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