West Salem Titans softball team can win any number of ways — it's always fun

West Salem leads 6A in runs with 230, but with their pitching and defense, the Titans can win the low-scoring games, too

West Salem players gather behind the dugout before their game at Century. The Titans picked up their 11th consecutive victory win a 4-0 win. / Dan Brood

HILLSBORO — Sure, getting big, lopsided victories can be fun.

Those 15-0, 21-0 and 25-0 wins certainly can be impressive.

The hard-hitting West Salem softball team has triumphed that way time and time again throughout the 2025 season.

But — and this should throw a bit of worry into other Class 6A title contenders — the Titans have showed they also can fight, battle and adjust their way to getting a hard-fought close victory as well.

West Salem did just that Wednesday, staying calm and making some key modifications throughout the contest on its way to getting a 4-0 win over Century in a nonleague game at Century High School.

“It was good for us to string stuff together and show that we can battle,” West Salem senior shortstop Mya Ward said. “I was glad we made adjustments because we knew she (Century senior Alyssa Loza) was a good pitcher. It was hard because his (the umpire’s) zone was really big.”

West Salem senior Mya Ward looks at the Titans’ dugout after her seventh-inning double in the team’s 4-0 victory at Century. / Dan Brood

“It was good,” West Salem coach Ty Nicholson said. “We know Loza. She’s a really good pitcher, and we knew that going in. I knew she was going to give us a challenge, and it was good for us to have to face that and make some adjustments.”

“This was good because we learn a lot from the close games, and Century has a good pitcher, Alyssa — she’s one of the fastest pitchers we’ve seen all year,” Titans senior pitcher Braeli Martin said. “Adjusting from that will help us in the playoffs because there’s a lot of good pitchers there.”

With the victory, their 11th in a row, the Titans improved to 17-5. They lead the Central Valley Conference standings at 6-0.

“It’s been really good,” West Salem junior second baseman Aubrey Peil said. “We’re having a lot of fun.”

A lot of fun, with a lot of motivation.

For West Salem, that motivation started back on May 22, 2024, when the Titans lost 3-1 at Sherwood in a Class 6A state playoff second-round game.

“That’s really motivating me right now, that Sherwood game last year,” Martin said. “I think that’s motivating everyone.”

West Salem junior Aubrey Peil slides safely to home plate before Century catcher Hailey Kinney can make the tag for a fifth-inning run in the Titans’ 4-0 victory. / Dan Brood

Last year’s postseason loss to the Bowmen gave the 2024 West Salem squad a final record of 22-7. That’s certainly nothing to scoff at, but this year’s motivated Titans are looking to push things further.

“They’re doing way better,” Nicholson said. “Obviously, we lost some players from last year. But we had some new kids come in. I told the returners that we’ve got to make these new kids better. We’ve got some kids who have never played higher than JV softball. So, now it’s kind of like they’re thrown into the fire. We’ve got a freshman (Addison Lowery) at third who’s doing a great job.”

While the new players are stepping up for West Salem, the Titans also have a strong group of returnees to count on.

Ward was a first-team Class 6A all-state selection as an infielder last year. Junior Kali Parks was a first-team pick in the outfield. Martin was a second-team all-state pitcher a year ago, and Peil earned honorable mention accolades in the outfield.

“It’s really nice having all of those returners — Aubrey, Braeli, Mya, Kali, Lucy (Duval) at first — bringing all of those kids up,” Nicholson said. “It’s like I told the girls, we’re only as good as our weakest link, so we have to strengthen all of our links. The girls have all really stepped up. Mya’s done a great job of leading. She’s really helped out Addison at third.”

Nicholson points out how important the team’s leadership, as well as depth, has been this season.

West Salem junior Courtney Gills smacks the ball during Wednesday’s game at Century. Gills had a hit and an RBI in the Titans’ 4-0 victory. / Dan Brood

“We’ve got Courtney (Gills) back. She was hurt, and we had another girl out there in the outfield, a sophomore (Makaeli Martin). So, it’s the leadership that these girls have brought — it’s huge,” he said. “I’ve got two girls that came from Hawaii. There’s the catcher (junior Olivia Nunez) — she’s been a godsend. Courtney was going to be our catcher, but she broke her foot earlier in the year. Olivia has really stepped into that role.”

Leadership and depth are obviously crucial, but it also doesn’t hurt when a team hits the ball like West Salem does. During their current 11-game win streak, the Titans have outscored opponents 157-15. West Salem leads Class 6A in runs with 230 (an average of 10.5 runs per game).

“We’re stringing together hits and attacking the defense early, getting ahead,” Braeli Martin said. “We always say, ‘Pass the bat.’ We want to carry that through the game.”

West Salem has a .361 batting average with 52 doubles, five triples and 23 home runs.

“We have a really diverse lineup,” Ward said. “I have faith in everyone to do their job.”

Ward certainly seems to be doing her job at the plate. She’s batting .476 with team-high totals of 10 doubles, eight home runs, 37 runs and 42 RBIs. She’s stolen 11 bases.

Peil is batting .424 with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 runs and 20 RBIs. Braeli Martin has a .362 batting average with six home runs and 30 RBIs. Parks has a .361 average with 33 runs and a team-best 17 stolen bases. Gills, in her 10 games back from injury, is hitting .545. Nunez has a .358 average with seven doubles, two home runs and 23 RBIs.

Lowery, freshman Viviana Nunez and Parks are batting .292 or better.

West Salem senior Braeli Martin fires a pitch to the plate in the Titans’ 4-0 win at Century. Martin struck out nine. / Dan Brood

Braeli Martin has been effective in the circle, sporting a 2.93 earned-run average with 119 strikeouts in 95 and two-thirds innings.

She was on top of her game at Century, allowing two hits, striking out nine and walking one in getting the complete-game shutout.

“My curve and rise were working,” she said. “He (the umpire) had a pretty big (strike) zone, so I was just trying to use that as an advantage.”

In addition to pitching the shutout, Braeli Martin went 3 for 4 with a key seventh-inning triple and an RBI. Ward doubled and scored a run. Peil had a hit and a run. Olivia Nunez and Gills each had a hit and an RBI.

The West Salem defense also is strong, boasting a fielding percentage of .936.

“I love my defense,” Braeli Martin said. “They’re so great.”

West Salem junior center fielder Kali Parks settles under a deep fly ball before making the catch in the second inning of Wednesday’s game at Century. / Dan Brood

Hitting, pitching, defense, leadership — the Titans seem to have a lot going for them. Oh yeah, you can add a couple more things to the list: fun and energy.

As anyone near the West Salem dugout during a game can attest, the team is full of noise and vigor.

“We try to be loud — louder than the other team. We want to have more energy,” Peil said. “It’s been the energy that’s big for us. We try to always have the same energy for the next game that we had for the last game.”

“It’s a big part of our game,” Ward said. “The beginning of the game (at Century) felt really slow. So, I’m glad we picked it up. We flipped the switch.”

That fun and energy is important to Nicholson.

“It’s huge. If they’re not having fun, then I’m not having fun. And if I’m not having fun, I don’t want to do this. We do a lot of team bonding stuff. I want them to have fun together because this time is short,” he said. “I told the girls that I hate losing, but I like to have fun. I’m not going to push winning, as long as you’re having fun.”

West Salem pitcher Braeli Martin (right) and first baseman Lucy Duval tap gloves, with catcher Olivia Nunez between them, during the Titans’ 4-0 win at Century. / Dan Brood

The hard-hitting, fun-loving Titans have four remaining regular-season games, including a key Central Valley Conference game at home with McNary on Monday, before what appears to be a wide-open Class 6A postseason race for the title.

“I’m excited for the playoffs,” Ward said. “We want to make it as far as we can, as long as we put up a good fight. A big part of it is keeping a faceless opponent. We don’t want to get it in our heads like, ‘Oh, we’re facing this big team.’ We just have to stay like ourselves.”

“We’re looking to do some damage,” Braeli Martin said. “All of the teams are pretty good this year.”

“It’s wide open this year,” Nicholson said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Fun — the Titans are looking to make that last as long as they can.

“This season has been great,” Ward said. “I’m so glad that we have such a great group. I’m glad that everyone is like a family.”

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