Thunder run through opponents, finish tourney 6-0

The Sandy Thunder girls fastpitch softball team won the 16A ASA State Championship July 13-15 in Beaverton.

Sandy Thunder went 6-0 on the weekend and outscored opponents a total of 35-8. The offensive attack was led by Kelsey Reams hitting a team leading .545 for the tournament and scoring eight runs. Chelsea Spanier hit 0.500 and led the team with 11 RBIs and five sacrifices. Paige Allinger was next with a .455 average.

The Thunder opened the tournament against the West Valley Herricanes with a 9-4 win. They gave up all four runs in the first three innings.

Molly Nutt was two for three and scored two runs in the opener. Over the next 30 innings, the Thunder allowed only one run. In the second game, MacKenzie Spencer through a three-hitter for a 5-1 win over the Salem Slamm.

Spencer came back the following morning with a one-hitter and the win in an 8-0 game over the Oregon Reign. This was the first of three consecutive shutouts for the state champions.

Jaycee Nelson pitched a 4-hit 4-0 shutout against the Tigard Blast. This was a 0-0 game going into the bottom of the fifth. Sierra Benson was hit-by-pitch and then moved to second on a sac bunt by Allinger. Benson scored on a Reams RBI-double.

Spanier led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, and the Blast couldn’t field back-to-back bunt attempts. Allinger, Molly Nutt and Reams had consecutive hits, and the Thunder scored three runs and left the bases loaded.

Sunday morning in the semifinals, the Thunder scored in the first after a triple by Lexi Jennings set up a squeeze bunt by Spanier. The Thunder scored two more runs in the fourth on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Nelson, Sierra Benson and Allinger.

Spencer gave up only two hits to the Oregon Fury, and the Thunder earned the right to play for the state championship with a 5-0 win. The Oregon Fury then beat the Oregon Panthers to battle again with the Thunder.

The Oregon Fury won the toss and chose to be visitor. They faced the Thunder’s Sierra Benson on the mound. The leadoff walk led to a quick 1-0 lead for the Fury.

The Thunder leadoff batter, Reams, was hit by pitch and stole second base. A single by Jennings gave the Thunder runners on first and third. Spanier again executed a squeeze bunt, and Jennings scored on a single by Mercedes Green.

The Fury tied it up in the top of the second at 2-2. The Thunder received singles by Allinger, Reams and Jennings in the bottom of the second to regain the lead at 3-2.

Nelson took over on the mound in the fourth. The Fury tied it at 3-3 in the fifth. Nelson reached base on an error to lead off the sixth. Allinger bunted her over and then Tiffany Neumann singled to move her to third. Reams followed with another single to take the lead at 4-3.

Spencer took over on the mound in the top of the seventh to face the top of the order. Spanier fielded the last of three ground balls in the inning to end the game, and the Thunder won the state championship 4-3.

The team is managed by Jonathan Allinger of Sandy. His coaches are Robb Spanier and Angie Allinger, also from Sandy.

This week they are playing in the 18 Gold Western National tournament at Delta Park. Their pool games are Wednesday at noon and 4 p.m. followed with Thursday at noon. Their first bracket game is Friday at 4 p.m. The full schedule can be found on portlandsoftball.com.