A state championship on graduation day! Pendleton celebrates — twice — after silencing Wilsonville in 5A Oregon softball final

By Paul Valencia | Photos by Leon Neuschwander 

EUGENE — They celebrated. Then they celebrated some more. 

This was a state championship Saturday for the Pendleton Buckaroos, and it also happened to be graduation day for Pendleton High School back home.

Sauren Garton threw a one-hitter, striking out 17, leading the Buckaroos to a 2-0 victory over Wilsonville at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene as Pendleton claimed the 2022 OSAA 5A softball state championship.

Soon after the players received their first-place medals and the team accepted the championship trophy, home plate turned into a stage for six seniors. They held graduation right there.

The state championship date for softball traditionally coincides with the graduation ceremony at Pendleton.

“It’s kind of iconic,” senior Chloe Taber said. “This is something everybody in Pendleton dreams of when they play ASA softball. Kind of cool to be part of that.” 

“This is a super nice stadium. It’s a dream of all of ours,” senior Brielle Youncs said. “We always thought about this. It’s so cool we finally got to have that dream and graduate on the field.”

First, they had to get through Wilsonville.

The way Garton was pitching, the Buckaroos only needed a run.

Josie Jenness, a freshman, smashed a ball down the left-field line with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.

Her sister, senior Daisy Jenness, stepped to the plate next.

“I was a little nervous but you know what? I’m going to put the ball in play and my sister better be sprinting home,” Daisy Jenness said of her thought process entering her at-bat.

Sure enough, Daisy blasted a double to score Josie, giving the Buckaroos a 1-0 lead.

Pendleton got an insurance run in the sixth inning when Faith Broadfoot walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Wilsonville error.

Garton went back to the pitcher’s circle in the top of the seventh with a two-run lead and a no-hitter. After striking out the leadoff batter, Wilsonville pinch hitter Anna Jardin beat out the throw for an infield single.

The no-hitter was done, but the shutout and the state championship remained in play.

Garton struck out the final two batters she faced, setting off a celebration. 

“We kind of did that in our semifinal game,” Garton said of all the players joining together in one big huddle. “To do it out here, on this field, winning the state championship, it felt 10 times cooler. There were a lot of emotions.”

Garton’s final line: 7 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks, 17 strikeouts.

“She’s a fantastic pitcher,” Wilsonville coach Steve Harms said. “She keeps kids off balance. She just did a great job. Anybody who can get that many strikeouts, that’s good for her team.”

Garton said she was ready for this day.

“I have been waiting for this moment my whole life,” she said. “I had great defense behind me today. And we have two great catchers. They both did amazing for me. This is really a dream come true.”  

Pendleton goes with two catchers, a new one every inning. Youncs, the senior, broke her collarbone in basketball and missed some time early in the softball season. By the end of the season, she was sharing catching duties with Josie Jenness.

“It was helpful to be able to get fresh legs in every inning,” Youncs said.

It was fitting, though, that it was the senior behind the plate for the final inning. Garton said she was just focused on pitching to the player in the batter’s box. She had no idea who was on deck. Youncs, though, did notice that Wilsonville’s Madison Erickson — a Michigan signee — was hoping to get a shot to hit.

“It was very, very important,” Youncs said of getting out of the inning before Erickson had another chance. “I knew Sauren could do it. I’m glad she got the job done.”

Youncs spiked the softball to the ground after catching the third strike.

“I’ve been catching Sauren since third grade, ever since we were little,” Youncs said. “We’ve won a lot of games together. Just being able to get that last strikeout with her … has been so amazing. I’m so glad I got to have that chance with her.”

Pendleton finished the season with a 28-2 record.

Wilsonville finished 27-4. Erickson, a superb pitcher as well as hitter, struck out nine for the Wildcats, giving up one earned run.

“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted but I’m just extremely proud for what they have done for our program,” Harms said of the Wildcats. “First time to ever get to the final game. Only two of us out here. It’s Wilsonville and Pendleton. My hats off to Pendleton.”

The hats — er, caps — did fly, once the six Pendleton seniors graduated.

“I’m so happy I was able to do this, with these girls I’ve been playing with since the third grade,” Daisy Jenness said. “We went to regionals together in Little League. We’ve been through so much. I’m so glad I got to do this with them, and then graduate with them after.”