The Lower Columbia softball team showed some guts in a double header with rival Mt. Hood on Wednesday April 8th.
After dropping a 10-4 game in the opener, the Devils rallied with two runs in the bottom of the 7th to tie the nightcap. Then Maggie Harshaw won it in the 9th with a walk-off RBI base hit off the wall in centerfield, a 4-3 LCC victory.
In the first game, the Devils gave up 15 hits to the Saints. Despite keeping the Mt. Hood hits in the yard, the Saints took advantage of LCC errors and miscues. Krystina Fischer took the loss, allowing seven hits and five runs in four innings of work. Bailey Ellis and Kelsey Noble also had trouble holding down the Mt. Hood offense.
Chelsey Miller led LCC with three hits including a homer and double. Madison Barr also went deep and drove in two runs. Harshaw had two hits.
Down 3-0 in the second game, LCC got tough in the circle. Ellis went nine innings, scattering eight hits. Ellis kept the team in the game until the bottom of the 7th when Ashley Kelly came up with a big two run double to tie the game 3-3 after regulation.
Harshaw's heroics came when it looked like a golden opportunity might slip away. The Devils had the bases loaded and one out, but a force play at home set the stage for Harshaw. She had the clutch hit that salvaged the split and gave the Devils a big win in South Region play.
LCC's games with Chemeketa were rained out on Saturday April 11 and have been rescheduled for Wednesday April 15 in Salem. The games with Clackamas originally slated for Tuesday April 14 have been moved to Thursday April 16 at Tam O'Shanter Park.
