ENTERPRISE — Cooper Nave’s three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Wallowa Valley softball team to a 10-9 victory over the Weston-McEwen/Griswold TigerScots 10-9 on Thursday, April 18 in Enterprise.

Down with two outs in the final inning, Nave’s long ball pushed the Outlaws past the second-ranked 2A/1A team in the state. The loss was a first for the TigerScots as Weston-McEwen/Griswold made the trip to Enterprise on a 11-game win streak.

The Outlaws led after four innings, 6-3 before Weston-McEwen/Griswold put four runs on the board in the fifth to take back the lead, 7-6.

The TigerScots added two additional runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 9-6. The Outlaws were able to cut into the lead with one run in the bottom of the inning.

The victory over the TigerScots caught the eye of the state poll as the Outlaws rose one spot to seventh in the 3A rankings by the Oregon School Activities Association.

Using the momentum from the dramatic Thursday win, the Outlaws swept a pair of games on Friday, Feb. 19 against McLoughlin on Friday, Feb. 19 on the field in Milton-Freewater.

The bats were productive for the Outlaws in both games as Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa scored a total of 26 runs. Game one went the full seven innings with the Outlaws taking a 15-4 win.

Game two was somewhat closer, but the Outlaws came away with an 11-5 win.

The two victories place the Outlaws in a tie for third with Umatilla in the district standings with the two teams not scheduled to meet until May 3. Burns/Crane, with a 4-0 record in district play (and 15-2 overall) is at the top, followed by 4-2 Vale.

Earlier in the week, Wallowa County’s bats went cold in a double-header on Monday, April 15 as the Outlaws dropped both games against the district-leading Hilanders in Burns.

In the first game, Burns/Crane pitcher Ayla Davies fired a shutout in the Hilanders’ 4-0 victory. In the second game, the Outlaws fell by a 9-1 score.

The Outlaws (3-3 in 3A Special District 3 and 10-5 overall) were were scheduled to play next on Tuesday, April 23 in Union in a nondistrict game versus the Union/Cove LadyCats (6-8 overall). These two teams met in tournament action on March 30 with Union/Cove taking an 11-7 victory.