Silverton softball tops Dallas in clash of 5A state title contenders

During the early portion of the season, Silverton and Dallas took vastly different routes to the top the Class 5A softball rankings.

Prior to Wednesday, there wasn't a team in the state that held its opponents to fewer runs than the 13 that Dallas yielded during its first 15 games. Silverton, meanwhile, mashed its way to 182 runs throughout its first 17 games — tops among 5A schools.

When the pair of Mid-Willamette Conference rivals met for a highly-anticipated league matchup on Wednesday, something had to give.

Ultimately, timely hitting from the Foxes in the late innings proved to be the difference.

No. 3 Silverton topped No. 1 Dallas, 9-7, in a home win Wednesday evening to improve to 15-3 on the year and 8-1 in league play. After some early-inning fireworks that left the game knotted at 6-6 in the top of the third, home runs from McKenzee Petersen and Hannah Houts in the bottom of the sixth propelled the Foxes to their biggest win of the spring thus far.

"We felt that we could compete with them. Throughout the whole season, we were all looking for this matchup; we wanted it, (Dallas) wanted it," Silverton coach Ralph Cortez said. "I think it was a good day for us. ... Our kids played together."

Silverton off to strong start in 2024 season

Silverton, which reached the first round of the state playoffs last year, has been bolstered this spring by the addition of standout freshman Madalynn Ehrens, who went 2-for-4 with a pivotal first-inning RBI on Wednesday while hitting out of the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

Just as significant, though, has been the program's close-knit group of juniors and seniors that have spent countless hours together battling through difficult moments on the diamond.

"We've been playing with each other since, like, 12u, 10u," Houts said. "Most of us, with a few exceptions, who we've brought into our group. We've just been together; we know each other. It's not something you can create in a split moment. It's something you have to build up over years."

No instance on Wednesday better illustrated that cohesion than the bottom of the sixth inning. With the game deadlocked at 6-6, Petersen stepped to the plate and launched a two-run go-ahead homer that sent the Silverton dugout into a frenzy.

After she crossed home plate, however, Petersen was called out because she did not touch third base during her home run trot. A run was taken off the board, and the Foxes' two-run lead was cut in half. Houts added a pair of insurance runs with her long ball later in the inning, but Petersen had to bounce back quickly. The junior right-hander, who has been Silverton's primary pitcher all season, started the game in the circle and needed to produce three more outs in the top of the seventh to close out the win.

Petersen worked a quick out, but Dallas laced three consecutive singles to cut the Foxes lead to 9-7 and put the tying run on base. From there, however, she forced a pop-up for the second out of the inning and then snared a hard-hit ball up the middle and flipped it to first to end the game.

"We talked about having grit and heart today. We talked about 'owning it,'" Cortez said. "(Petersen) came in after she hit that ball, was crying in (the dugout). She went back out on the mound and was just determined. She was just determined. I think that made her mad, so she came in with a little fire.

"She's been doing it all along. All year long."

Dallas and Silverton softball will get a rematch in May

Silverton's win could potentially catapult it to the top of the 5A rankings. Dallas, meanwhile, drops to 15-1 and will look to bounce back quickly from its first loss of the year.

The Foxes and Dragons will each navigate their way through a difficult league schedule before closing out the season with a rematch in Dallas on May 15.

"Obviously it's not the outcome we wanted, but these are the type of games you live for," Dallas head coach Brandi Jackson said. "These are the types of games that, win or lose, it's that competitive nature. That's what athletes live for. We knew coming in that it was going to be a tight game and it was going to be a dogfight.

"Didn't go our way, but the thing about our league is we get a second chance. We've gotta respond."

Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Silverton softball tops Dallas in clash of 5A state title contenders