Fans of the Portland Cascade at Hillsboro Ballpark were spoiled on Wednesday night.
After Carolina (8-9) and Portland (11-7) put a run on the board in the first inning, both teams were at a stalemate, and it took until extra innings for something to give. With Sierra Sacco-Ferrie placed on second base due to tiebreaker rules, Tori Vidales chopped the ball into play, and Ana Gold’s misthrow allowed the runner to come around. A game full of tension, and it ended in a walk-off winner for the home team.
Maybe no one was more relieved than pitcher Carley Hoover, who threw a gem. Hoover went the distance for the Cascade, throwing 133 total pitches across eight innings and striking out 11 batters along the way. It was a career-high K’s for her.
Head Coach Tairia Flowers commented on how in the team’s first extra-inning game of the season, they proved to be up to the challenge.
“Definitely high intensity, but to watch Carley [Hoover] compete, watch our defense connect with her and just see everybody stay in it one pitch at a time, continue to battle… It’s always refreshing as a coach just to watch,” Flowers said.
Kenleigh Cahalan recorded the lone RBI, flying out to left field and allowing Korbe Otis to tag up and get home in the first frame. There was little fanfare in the game from then on. The Cascade recorded four total hits, and the Hoover limited the Blaze offense to only five.
What got the crowd on their feet was a marriage proposal in the sixth inning.
It was a planned display of Pride in the ballpark for the team’s theme night as Desiree Hollyman proposed to Julia Luciano – both Cascade season ticket holders.
The game was also Paige Sinicki’s first start this season after battling and beating breast cancer over the last eight months.
It’s safe to say momentum is on this team’s side right now. After taking both games in the two-game series with the Blaze, they’ll now host the Chicago Bandits for three games. The series begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PDT on CBS Sports Network.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.