Sherwood Bowmen are last undefeated team in Oregon 6A softball … and they might also lead the state in fun

“We have a ton of energy in the dugout. We all just want the best for each other, and we’re all willing to put it all out on the field for each other.”

The Sherwood softball squad celebrates after junior Daisha Cornwell (6) scores the team’s first run in a 10-1 win over Mountainside. / Dan Brood

SHERWOOD — And then there was one.

And that one, the Sherwood softball team, is full of ambition, is loaded with chemistry, has more fun than should be allowed and is absolutely thrilled to be the only remaining unbeaten 6A team in the state.

“Honestly, it’s really special,” junior shortstop Daisha Cornwell said after the Bowmen’s 10-1 win over Mountainside in a nonleague game Friday at Sherwood High School. “We have beat some tough teams, and we’ve pushed through a lot this season. Our chemistry is stronger than ever. We’re just ready to go win every game.”

“That means a lot to all of us, and I think that it just drives us to push even harder,” junior second baseman Hollie Maughan said. “Now we know that other teams are going to be coming after us and wanting to take us down. We know that we have the target on our backs, but we’re ready to take that as a challenge and keep striving to get better.”

Sherwood junior second baseman Hollie Maughan makes a diving stop of a groundball during the team’s 10-1 win over Mountainside. / Dan Brood

That definitely should make other teams around the state take notice, because the Sherwood squad is already looking pretty imposing.

With Friday’s impressive win over the Mavericks, the Bowmen improved to 8-0. As of Wednesday morning, they hold the No. 1 spot in the OSAA 6A power rankings. Among their victories is a 17-5 win over a Jesuit team that entered boasting a 7-0 record.

“Even though we know we’re ranked No. 1 right now, we always know that we can overcome even more, and we’re ready to fight through those challenges,” Maughan said.

It’s not like Sherwood came out nowhere this season. Last year, the Bowmen went 22-8 and reached the quarterfinal round of the 6A state playoffs, where they fell 4-1 to eventual state champion Sheldon.

Sherwood returned some key players from that team, including senior outfielder Camryn Knight, who was a first-team all-Pacific Conference pick and a third-team 6A all-state selection last year. Senior pitcher Destiny Cornwell is another returning first-team all-league player.

The Bowmen also brought back four second-team all-league picks in senior catcher McKenna Parmalee, Daisha Cornwell and junior outfielders Jordyn Henderson and Maisy Schindler. Maughan was an honorable mention all-conference pick.

Bowmen senior Camryn Knight puts down a bunt single in the second inning of Sherwood’s 10-1 nonleague win against Mountainside. / Dan Brood

Still, Sherwood entered the season with some question marks, such as how to replace graduated all-state honorable mention pitcher Faith McHill and, oh yeah, there’s a whole new coaching staff.

Kris Moore took over as Sherwood’s head coach this year, after last year’s coach, Alex Flores, left to take a college assistant coaching spot. The Bowmen also have two new assistant coaches in Savannah Braun and Sydney Wagner, who were part of the Tualatin team that played in back-to-back 6A state title games in 2018 and 2019.

Question marks aside, Sherwood started the season ablaze, opening with an 18-0 win over Lake Oswego, and the Bowmen have kept the foot to the pedal since. A big reason for this, Sherwood says, is cohesiveness.

“I think this year’s team has a ton of good chemistry,” Parmalee said. “As you can see, we have a ton of energy in the dugout. We all just want the best for each other, and we’re all willing to put it all out on the field for each other.”

“It’s been team chemistry, honestly. We all get along. It’s a great group of girls, and we all play for each other. We’re very selfless people, and we all play for the same cause,” Daisha Cornwell said. “We all want the same thing, so we all come here ready to play, wanting to win. We all share the same hunger. We all just want to win.”

Bowmen junior shortstop Daisha Cornwell awaits the ball as Mountainside senior Lucy Frotton slides to second base in the third inning of Friday’s game. / Dan Brood

The Bowmen want to win, and they also want to have fun. There’s constant cheering and dancing during their games, and the bench in the Bowmen dugout is basically a useless item, as the Sherwood players are up against the fence from first pitch to final out.

“It’s totally a big thing for us,” Maughan said of the fun factor. “We’re all each other’s biggest hype women, and we’re always ready to be there for one another. No matter what our position is on the field or off the field, we always have each other’s back. We’ve grown a lot that way, because we know we have full faith in every single one of our teammates.”

“This year’s team is so much fun, and, honestly, we just play so much smoother on field when we’re having fun in the dugout,” Parmalee said. “But we’re also able to lock in when we need to.”

That certainly seems to be true for the Bowmen.

Sherwood senior pitcher Destiny Cornwell gets ready to fire the ball to the plate during the Bowmen’s 10-1 win over Mountainside. / Dan Brood

Just like last year, Sherwood has a double-threat in the circle, as not only does the team return Destiny Cornwell at pitcher, but freshman pitcher Presley Sarono-Ramos has made her presence felt in a big way.

Through eight games, Cornwell had a 1.68 earned-run average, allowing 18 hits, striking out 29 and walking six in 25 innings. Sarono-Ramos has an ERA of 0.74, allowing three hits with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 19 innings.

“I’m having a lot of fun. This is a really good experience,” Sarono-Ramos said. “I think I’m fitting in pretty well. The team was really open to me, and they have been really supportive.”

Sherwood freshman Presley Sarono-Ramos pitched four scoreless innings and had three hits, including two doubles, in the 10-1 win over Mountainside. / Dan Brood

The freshman also seems to come up big in the clutch. In the win over Mountainside, the Mavericks had runners on first and second base with no outs in the first and second innings. Sarono-Ramos slammed the door, not allowing a run either time, striking out the final two batters to end the top of the second.

“When I go out there, I always think about my team and how they want to play and how I can support them,” Sarono-Ramos said. “I just want to contribute to everything and try my hardest.”

Sarono-Ramos, who gets action at first base when she’s not pitching, also has been contributing at the plate. She’s batting .444 with three doubles and a team-high 10 RBIs. She went 3 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs in the win over Mountainside.

“I was struggling at first, but then Coach Savannah helped me out,” Sarono-Ramos said. “She fixed something, and now I’m hitting.”

Maughan leads the team with a .550 batting average. She has two triples, a home run and seven RBIs. Daisha Cornwell has a .450 batting average with three triples. Knight and Schindler provide the speed in the lineup. Schindler is hitting .435 with two doubles, two triples, six RBIs and a team-high eight stolen bases. Knight has a .421 average, three doubles, seven RBIs and five steals.

There doesn’t seem to be a weak spot in the Bowmen lineup, as sophomore third baseman Kaya Stevenson has a .385 average, Parmalee is hitting .364 and Henderson has a .278 average.

The Bowmen smacked 11 hits, including six doubles, in the win over Mountainside, with Knight, Daisha Cornwell and Parmalee having two hits apiece.

“Our offense has done a really good job adjusting to a bunch of different pitchers,” Parmalee said. “We saw three different pitchers today. Our defense is always locking it down, supporting our pitchers. We’ve also got great pitchers in the circle, out there working for the defense.”

The Sherwood defense also looks strong, led by the three speedy returnees in the outfield. Stevenson, at third, made a big play in the win over Mountainside when, in the first inning with runners on first and second, she snagged a hard grounder, stepped on third base and rifled a throw to first for a double play.

“We have a lot of talent this year, and I think everyone gets to utilize all of their different skills,” said Maughan, who made some sliding stops of groundballs in the win over the Mavericks. “Some people have this thing and some people have the other, but then all the pieces come together. And when it comes together, it’s just really magical.”

Sherwood players and coaches gather after the team’s 10-1 victory over Mountainside in Friday’s nonleague game at Sherwood High School. / Dan Brood

With the strong pitching, hitting and defense, as well as the fun and the magic, it’s no surprise the Bowmen have high hopes for the rest of the season.

“We want to go all the way. We want to win it,” Daisha Cornwell said. “We just need to keep doing what we have been doing. We just need to keep that up and not let down.”

“I think the rest of the season we’re going to do really well,” Parmalee said. “Our goal is to go all the way. We’ve just got to keep working. We’ve got the target on our back now, but that just pushes us to work harder every practice, every game, and we never let down.”

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