The Dallas High softball team came into the Wednesday, April 24, showdown against host Silverton with a perfect 15-0 record and the state’s top ranking. The Dragons, state champs last year and runners-up in 2017 and 2019, only had given up 13 runs in those 15 wins.
Wednesday was different. It was as if the game had been moved to Wrigley Field in Chicago on a day with the wind blowing out. Silverton struck for six runs in the bottom of the first, fueled by a grand slam from Jerisha Perez, and rallied late via two more balls that left the park to take a 9-7 win against the Dragons.
The Foxes win left the squad tied with Dallas for the Mid-Willamette Conference lead at 8-1. Dallas retained its No. 1 spot, with the Foxes staying third. And all you have to do is look at those state rankings to know how much tough work remains for Wednesday’s opponents and the rest of the Mid-Willamette. Lebanon, which lost to Dallas in the 2023 title game, is 7-2 in league and ranked fourth. West Albany and Corvallis are both 6-3, with West ranked 6th and the Spartans tenth.
“They really came through,” Foxes coach Ralph Cortez told Our Town. “We’ve been solid all year long and I really like this team. To come out here and take out the No. 1 team… that shows the kids were geared up and ready. And we’re not done yet.”
“We knew this one was going to be tough,” said junior right-hander McKenzee Petersen, who went the distance and knocked in a run during the three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth that sealed the win. “We just would not be beaten.”
Silverton opened like a house on fire, starting the game with four consecutive singles and a 2-0 lead. When Perez’s two-out grand slam cleared the fence in right against Dallas ace Kadence Morrison the Foxes had a 6-0 lead. Dallas had not allowed more than three runs in a contest previously this season.
But the Dragons showed their resilience, striking for five runs against Petersen in the second and tying the game with a single run in the third. Then, the offenses quieted down a bit. Until the bottom of the sixth.
Foxes leadoff hitter Brylie Parks started things off with a double to left center. Petersen followed with a home run to straightaway center against relief pitcher Madison Ruman for what appeared to be an 8-6 lead. But Petersen was ruled to have missed third base. Parks’ run counted, but it was just 7-6. Three batters later Hannah Houts launched a ball over the right field fence, scoring Braezen Henderson and giving the hosts a 9-6 lead.
“I knew she was going to pitch me outside,” Houts said, “and I was seeing the ball really well, our whole team was. That’s the personality of this team.”
More drama unfolded in the top of the 7th. With one out, the Dragons bunched together three consecutive singles to cut the score to 9-7 and had runners at second and third with just one out. But Petersen was up to the task, retiring one batter on a fly to Houts in short right and nailing the final out on a comebacker and starting the Foxes’ celebration.
More fun looms May 15 when the Foxes visit Dallas in the season finale, but the Silverton schedule also features games with other contenders Lebanon, West Albany and Corvallis in between.
Notes: Dallas and Silverton also have been playoff rivals. The Foxes lost to the Dragons in the 2022 quarterfinals and the 2017 semifinals. Silverton has made one finals appearance under Cortez, losing to Pendleton in 2012. Dallas is 15-6 against Silverton since 2014, but the Foxes have won two of the past three… The game featured excellent catching. Neither Henderson of the Foxes nor Dallas’ Jordan Cresswell allowed a batter to advance on a passed ball or wild pitch. Offensively, Henderson scored twice for the Foxes, while Creswell was 4-for-4 with two runs scored.
Kennedy, meanwhile, has rallied from a slow start to fight its way back into the playoff race in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 2. The young Trojans, whose roster consists of eight sophomores and five freshmen, started 0-5 but have rallied in league play, where JFK is 6-3, behind second place Blanchet Catholic (6-1). Both contenders are looking up at 7-0 Salem Academy. Kennedy likely will need to crack the top 2 to reach the playoffs. The schedule closes with showdowns among the top teams. Kennedy was set to play three games against Salem Academy the week of April 29, and three games against Blanchet the following week.
Boys Volleyball: The first-year program at Silverton is off to a flying start. Silverton is 7-1 overall, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and third in Oregon regardless of class. The Foxes, who are coached by Benson Short, have only lost to Class 6A No. 1 Clackamas.
