Baker-Powder Valley-Pine Eagle softball falls in rain-soaked playoff loss
Rain slowed Baker/Powder Valley/Pine Eagle’s last push, and Estacada left Baker Sports Complex with a 5-3 first-round playoff win.
Rain began falling as Baker/Powder Valley/Pine Eagle tried to mount one more postseason comeback, but Estacada held on for a 5-3 win Tuesday evening at the Baker Sports Complex, ending the Bulldogs’ Class 4A playoff run.
The result closed the book on a season that had already delivered the Greater Oregon League championship and a home playoff game. Baker/Powder Valley/Pine Eagle entered the first-round matchup at 15-9, while Estacada came in at 17-8, and the Bulldogs were trying to turn one last rally into another late escape after a regular season built on comeback wins and narrow margins.
That resilience showed up all spring. Reagan Ritter threw a seven-inning, three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in Baker’s 1-0 win over Pendleton on May 15, and the Bulldogs followed that by rallying from a 6-3 deficit in the nightcap to beat Pendleton 9-6 and clinch the league title and a home berth in the state bracket. A few days later, Baker/Powder Valley/Pine Eagle kept rolling with a 17-2 rout of Umatilla in four innings, its fifth straight win heading into the postseason.
The Bulldogs had already shown they could survive pressure. They beat Pendleton 10-9 on April 24 after holding off a late rally, and on May 5 they nearly erased an 8-1 deficit against unbeaten Vale before falling 8-7. That pattern made Tuesday’s rainy finish feel like the final chapter of a team that spent much of the spring answering every challenge with another push.
The season’s accomplishments went beyond the scoreboard. Colbi Bachman was named Greater Oregon League player of the year, Ritter earned pitcher of the year honors and Steve Bachman was selected coach of the year. The OSAA listed Steve Bachman as head coach, with Brandi Sangster, Isabella Redding, James Bachman and Stephanie Petrucci on the staff, underscoring the depth behind a co-op program that brought Baker, Powder Valley and Pine Eagle together for a run that ended with a title, a home playoff game and a clear standard for next spring. After the victory, Estacada moved on to face Scappoose.
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