‘Can you pinch me to make sure this is the real thing?’ Defensive play for the ages saves Lakeview season for the ages as Honkers clinch first softball state title
By Paul Valencia | Photos by Taylor Balkom
EUGENE — The ball was crushed.
Over the center fielder’s head but not over the fence.
Instead, the ball smacked off the wall, about 220 feet from the batter’s box.
Seconds later, though, that ball — perfectly played by the Lakeview defense — would be at home plate to record an out and preserve a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Just call it the greatest relay in Lakeview softball history.
Because it happened on the greatest day in Lakeview softball history.
The Honkers would add some insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning, then held on for a 5-3 victory over Grant Union/Prairie City to win the 2022 OSAA 2A/1A softball state title in Eugene.
Tyler McNeley struck out 10, including the final batter of the game, to secure the first state title in program history. Lakeview finished 25-4, winning 14 in a row to end the season.
It was fitting for catcher Emily Philibert to have the ball at the end of the game. She is the lone senior on the team.
“My freshman year, we went to the semifinals and lost,” Philibert said. “From that point on, I said I want to be here, playing at Jane Sanders (Stadium). The last two years, we didn’t get real playoffs. So, walking into my senior year, this was my end goal. And for me and my team, it happened.”
Jaila Jackson had a double and drove in two runs to lead the Lakeview offense.
It will be a defensive play that Lakeview fans will remember forever.
With Lakeview up 3-2, GU/PC had a runner on first base and Halle Parsons at the plate. Parsons got ahold of one.
With the ball sailing toward center field, Jackson turned and tried to make a play.
“It bounced off the fence, and then I bounced off the fence,” Jackson said.
Jackson went into hot pursuit.
“I was absolutely terrified, but I just had to get that ball in,” Jackson said. “My mind was just chaos at that point.”
Jackson found shortstop Bridget Shullanberger with the first of two perfect throws on the play.
“I know Jaila, and I know she was trying her best. Jaila just went for it into the wall,” Shullanberger said.
Then, Shullanberger had to prepare for her part of the play.
“I could hear Emily yelling, ‘Four!’ in the background,” Shullanberger said, knowing that meant there was a potential play at the plate. “As soon as I got it, I just turned and threw as hard as I could.
“It’s the championship game. We made it all this way. You’ve got to play your heart out. That’s what I did. I went out there and did my best.”
Philibert had the best perspective of the whole play. She could see the runner on her way, and she could see the relay develop in front of her.
“I knew it was going to make it,” Philibert said. “Our shortstop had a real quick turnaround and throw, and we got her just in time.”
Jackson said she was jumping up and down out in center field. Shullanberger celebrated for a nanosecond, too.
“It was euphoric,” Shullanberger said.
Then she realized the play was still alive. Philibert was looking to make a play on Parsons, who hit the double and was advancing to third base.
“Oh, I’m the backup at third. I have to go over there,” Shullanberger told herself.
Instead of a tie score with a runner on third base and one out, Lakeview still had the lead and there were two outs. McNeley induced a popup to end the threat, ending the bottom of the sixth.
McNeley then led off the top of the seventh with a single. Later, Jackson’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2. Raven McLain followed with a run-scoring single.
Grant Union/Prairie City got two hits in the bottom of the seventh. Addy Northway drove in a run on a groundout. McNeley got her 10th strikeout to clinch the title.
“It’s a pretty unreal feeling. I had to make sure that it was actually a strike. My legs were shaking a little bit,” McNeley said.
A couple minutes later, she had a question for a teammate:
“Can you pinch me to make sure this is the real thing? This is crazy. So crazy.”
McNeley also thanked their fans.
“We have our whole hometown behind us,” she said.
Grant Union/Prairie City, the No. 1 seed, finished the season 26-2. Zach Williams, the team’s coach, credited Lakeview.
“I prayed that the best team would win, and I told them the best team did. They were the best team today,” Williams said.
“We outhit them but we also out-errored them. That’s not a good combination to win softball games. That’s not our game. We make routine plays routine. We do little things right. We back up bases. We cover bunts. That’s Grant Union softball. We didn’t do that today.”
GU/PC pitcher Drew Williams had 15 strikeouts and gave up just one earned run. The Prospectors committed six errors.
Williams said the program will miss its five seniors, including three starters. But those returning will be motivated.
“We have to keep moving forward,” Williams said. “It’s now next season.”
GU/PC got on the board first on a run-scoring single from Riley Robertson.
Lakeview took the lead in the top of the third inning. Annikah Tacchini had a sacrifice fly, and the Honkers scored a run on an error.
Jackson hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to make it 3-1, Lakeview.
Savannah Watterson opened the bottom of the sixth with a triple. She came home on a single by Robertson to make it 3-2.
Then came the relay of a lifetime by the Lakeview defense, a play that just might have saved the program’s first state championship.
Sportsmanship note
When a softball team wins a championship, it is often followed by a rush to the pitching circle, where the whole team celebrates together.
That happened Friday, but it was delayed by a second or two because catcher Emily Philibert has a tradition. No matter the significance of the game, she always shakes hands and thanks the home plate umpire.
“The umpires work hard for us. I appreciate them. We wouldn’t be here without them,” Philibert said.
