South Salem baseball, Dallas and Silverton softball advance to OSAA state semifinals

Coming into Friday, a dozen Salem-area baseball and softball teams were still in contention for state titles. A handful of them extended their seasons and earned semifinal berths.

Here is how each local team fared in their respective quarterfinal matchups.

Baseball

6A

No. 2 South Salem 14, No. 6 Mountainside 4

Noah Scharer, Gavin Price, and Teagan Scott all homered for South Salem as the Saxons racked up 10 hits and mashed their way to a state semifinal berth. Josh Feik went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Brady Greer hit a two-run, walk-off double to trigger the run rule in the bottom of the fifth.

Saxons’ starter Kevin Semm threw a five-inning complete game and struck out six while walking just one.

South Salem will host No. 3 Sunset at Gilmore Field in a Tuesday semifinal matchup.

2A/1A

No. 1 Knappa 11, No. 9 Kennedy 6

Kennedy’s Rylee Walker went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Henry Beyer went 2-for-4 and scored twice. But the Trojans were stung by a seven-run Knappa fifth inning that ultimately allowed the Loggers to take control of the game for good.

Kennedy finishes the year 21-7.

No. 12 North Douglas 1, No. 4 Regis 0

Regis junior Bryson Nygren threw a complete game, struck out 16 batters, and walked just one. But North Douglas got the only run it needed in the fourth inning when Wyatt Reed drew a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on Case Boe’s RBI single.

Noah Koenig and Tanner Lawson each went 1-for-3 for the Rams, who end the season with a 22-4 record.

No. 3 Blanchet Catholic 15, No. 6 St. Paul 5

Blanchet Catholic erupted for four runs in the first inning to set the tone in a dominant win over St. Paul. With the victory, the Cavaliers secured their third consecutive trip to the state semifinals.

Tyson Smith went 3-for-5 with a double, two stolen bases, and two RBI, Carson McNally was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Noah Hancock and Dylan Cuff each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Blanchet.

Sullivan Grott led St. Paul with a two-run double, and Bricen Britten and Grady Wolf also drove in runs. The Buckaroos end the season 21-7.

Blanchet Catholic will travel to face No. 2 Umpqua Valley Christian in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Softball

6A

No. 1 Westview 4, No. 25 McNary 1

Ashlyn Wittnebel threw a six-inning complete game, struck out four, and allowed just one walk for McNary, and Josalyn Netzel went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

But Westview’s Ana Fifita struck out four and limited the Celtics to just four hits and no walks to hold their offense in check.

McNary ends the season with a 14-15 record.

5A

No. 1 Dallas 1, No. 8 West Albany 0

In a pitcher's duel that featured just four total hits, Dallas standout left-hander Kadence Morrison tossed a complete game one-hitter and struck out nine to send the Dragons to the state semifinals.

Kaelyn Golden, Kaitlyn Brian, and Jordan Cresswell all went 1-for-3 for Dallas.

The Dragons will host No. 4 Lebanon for a semifinal matchup on Tuesday.

No. 3 Silverton 10, No. 6 Crater 1

McKenzee Petersen and Madalynn Ehrens each launched home runs to lead Silverton to a blowout home win. Petersen went 2-for-4 with two RBI on the day and also tossed a complete game in the circle. She struck out eight, walked none, and allowed just three hits.

Braezen Henderson went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Foxes, and Kate Kofstad drove home two runs.

Silverton will travel to face No. 2 Bend in the semifinals on Tuesday.

3A

No. 1 Scio 7, No. 9 Dayton 1

Dayton fell into an early hole at Scio on Thursday and was unable to climb back into contention. Rachel Baumholtz had two of the Pirates’ three hits and scored their lone run.

Dayton ends the year with a 19-8 record.

2A/1A

No. 1 Grant Union 15, No. 8 Santiam 0

Grant Union senior Drew Williams threw a four-inning perfect game and struck out 10 batters to propel the Prospectors to the state semifinals.

The Wolverines finish the year with a record of 21-4.

No. 4 North Douglas 4, No. 5 Salem Academy 3

Salem Academy’s season ended with a close-fought road loss to North Douglas.

The Crusaders finish the year 23-2 after winning a Special District 2 title during the regular season.

No. 3 Willamina 13, No. 11 Clatskanie 0

Lilyanne Crowe and Sadie Risseeuw each lifted home runs as Willamina mashed its way to a six-inning blowout win to earn a trip to the semifinals.

Laney Deloe pitched a complete game, struck out 10, and allowed just four runners to reach base. She also went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI at the plate.

The Bulldogs will travel to face Weston-McEwen in the semifinals on Tuesday.

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: South Salem baseball, Dallas softball advance to OSAA state semifinals