EUGENE – For the first three innings of the 5A OSAA state softball championship game, the Buckaroos of Pendleton/Griswold and the Wildcats of Wilsonville played a game of defense and pitching. Between the two teams, seven runners were able to advance to a base, but all were left stranded.
The top ranked Buackaroos were finally able to see a player cross home plate in the fourth inning and placed an insurance run in the sixth for a 2-0 state title win and claim to Pendleton/Griswold’s fourth state title since 2011.
Sauren Garton was a terror on the mound for the Buckaroos, striking out 17 Wildcats while only allowing a single hit and four walks. For the game, Garton threw 108 pitches with 70 of those strikes, a 65 percent average. Backing up Garton was a Pendleton/Griswold defense working to leave six Wilsonville runners on base without a run.
The Buckaroos placed the first run on the game on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs already down, Josie Jenness singled and made it to second base on a Wilsonville error. Daisy Jenness then drove a double down the left field line, scoring Josie.
The second run came in the bottom of the sixth. After Faith Broadfoot trotted to first on a walk, she promptly stole second and advanced to third on a subsequent wild pitch. A Wildcat error in right field allowed Broadfoot to put the second run on the board.
Sauren Garton was named Player of the Game for Pendleton/Griswold.
The Buckaroos finish the season with a state title, a 28-2 record and a justified number one state 5A ranking. The title game was the third meeting between Wilsonville and Pendleton/Griswold with the two teams splitting the previous meetings. The only other loss came again with a split of a double header with Ridgeview on May 6.
