EUGENE – Caldera softball coach Lisa Kienzle has said that her players not only are comfortable in adverse situations, but they seem to thrive in them.
The Wolfpack provided a shining example of their resilience Saturday in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A final at the University of Oregon.
With Kienzle unable to attend the game to be with her husband, Michael – who is dealing with complications from leukemia in a California hospital – No. 1 Caldera came from behind twice to defeat No. 3 Wilsonville 9-4 and win its first state championship.
“From all these years coaching, this is the most resilient team that I've ever been around,” said assistant coach Jesse Thomas, who filled in for Kienzle as coach Saturday. “We were down right off the bat, and they were like, 'We got this.' This team is able to face adversity, and stay calm with it.”
Junior pitcher Brooke Chapin, who missed her sophomore season with a foot injury, completed her comeback year by pitching a seven-hitter with 15 strikeouts and hitting a two-run homer.
Sophomore Elle Morton went 3 for 4 with a double, home run and four RBIs and freshman Makenzie Guerin went 2 for 4 with a double, triple and an RBI for Caldera, which had 11 hits.
The Wolfpack, who went 14-14 last year, finished the season 29-1 and won the title in their fourth varsity season. And they did it while their minds were on their coach and her husband.
“We pushed through it,” Morton said. “It made us fight harder for this. We play for Michael and Lisa all the time. That's our main thing. We love Michael and Lisa. Playing for them has pushed us through the season.”
Kienzle missed last season after Michael's diagnosis – Thomas served as interim coach – but she returned to the dugout this season. Michael's struggle, and Lisa's commitment in the midst of it, has had a profound impact on the team.
“It definitely motivated us 100 percent,” Chapin said. “This whole entire season, we've been fighting for him. Just our motivation has been coming from him and that family. … Lisa's grit and resilience is just so powerful for this team. She's such an inspiration.”
Wilsonville (23-8), also going for its first title, was a formidable obstacle behind dominant sophomore pitcher Addi Smith, who had allowed one run in three playoff games.
The Wildcats had momentum by scoring two runs in each of the first and fourth innings. Both times, though, Caldera immediately responded with three runs of its own.
Caldera took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first. Morton smacked an RBI single, junior Elie Hall hit a sacrifice fly and the third run came home on a passed ball.
After Wilsonville pulled ahead 4-3 in the fourth, the Wolfpack quickly responded. With two outs, freshman Makenzie Guerin blooped an RBI triple just inside the right-field line, and Morton drilled a two-run homer over the 220-foot sign in center field for a 6-4 lead.
It was ninth homer of the season for the left-handed Morton.
“It felt so good,” Morton said. “The last couple games, I've been struggling a lot at the plate. I put a lot of pressure on myself, too, as a batter. Just seeing that ball go, I knew it was gone.”
The Wolfpack put it away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Morton connected for an RBI double to center field and Chapin followed with a home run – a moon shot over the left-field fence – to extend the lead to 9-4.
“When I saw that on second, I was like, 'Let's go,'” Morton said. “We're the home run duo, most of the time.”
Chapin closed out the Wildcats in the top of the seventh to kick off Caldera's celebration. Considering Chapin's struggles from last year, it was especially meaningful for her.
“It means more than anyone could ever know,” Chapin said. “That whole year that I was out, I didn't pitch for almost a whole year in a game.
“Knowing that I can come back from an injury and win the championship – with my teammates behind my back and my coaches supporting me – it just means so much to me.”
Thomas raved over Chapin.
“Last year she wanted to be out there, even with the foot,” Thomas said. “She loves this game so much. … She has brought her game all year, and worked so hard to get to where she is today.”
Junior Olivia Meoak went 2 for 3 and Smith and junior Morgan Christiansen each had a double and an RBI for Wilsonville. Smith gave up 11 hits, eight earned runs, struck out nine and walked two.
“Obviously it's not the outcome we hoped for, but overall the season was a success,” said Smith, who finished the season with 305 strikeouts. “We'll keep growing and hopefully next year we'll be back here.
“Props to them. They're a great hitting team, probably the best hitting team I've seen all year. Honestly, I didn't have my best today. But I'm thankful for my teammates for having my back.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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