State softball roundup: Cleveland seventh-inning rally comes up just short

MADISON SOUTH – Down 4-1 and facing a two-strike count, Cleveland High School softball junior Simone Chance rocketed her third hit of the game on a single to left field, scoring two and cutting the Grants Pass lead to 4-3.

The moment was a perfect metaphor for the Warriors in 2026, who won the PIL crown outright for the first time since 1994 this season.

So even though the next batter grounded out in the 6A state tournament first round matchup Monday, May 25 at McDaniel High School to end the game with a 4-3 loss, the Warriors proved they were winners in 2026.

“Their specialty was not giving up,” Cleveland first-year head coach Melissa McMillan said. “That’s really something we tried to instill in them as coaches, as a team, as captains and leaders of their team. We knew that if we stayed positive, things would go a little bit better.”

No. 16 Cleveland earned a home playoff game by winning the PIL title and started the game with No. 17 Grants Pass in the middle of some heavy rain.

Despite the wet conditions, senior pitcher Jillian Lee was working her way out of jams early, like catching a line drive in the first inning and doubling off a runner on third to end the threat.

With runners on second and third with one out in the third inning, Lee tagged a runner out at home on a passed ball after a throw from senior teammate Kailen Steffek. Lee walked the next two batters but got a strikeout to keep the game scoreless through three innings.

“Jillian Lee, the best pitcher I’ve ever coached in my entire career,” McMillan said. “I knew we were going to be in that game, it was just the small details.”

After getting out of that jam in the third frame, Cleveland responded by scoring the first run of the game when freshman Leighton Hopp singled up the middle for an RBI. Steffek also tried to score from second but was thrown out at home.

That 1-0 lead held up until the sixth inning when the Cavers got a runner to second off an infield error. The runner moved to third on a groundout.

On the last pitch of a walk to the next batter, the ball got away and Grants Pass tied the game at one. A single from the next hitter scored another run and a throw home allowed the runner to advance to second.

After stealing third, a fielder’s choice allowed a third run to cross for Grants Pass to make it 3-1.

The Cavers would add on one more run in the top of the seventh thanks to an RBI double down the line, setting up the final three outs for Cleveland.

Senior Abigail Pattison singled with one out to get the rally going, followed by another single from Steffek.

Hopp grounded into a fielder’s choice and Estelle Ranta walked to load the bases.

That’s when Chance came up and knocked her third hit of the game into left field to score two, but a groundout to first on the next at bat ended the threat and the game.

“I’m so proud of our team, we really grew so much this season,” Steffek said. “It all came together. Even though it wasn’t a win, it was so much progress from within this year and last year too.”

Lee finished the game with four runs allowed, three earned, with two hits and seven strikeouts to eight walks in the soggy conditions.

Chance was 3-for-4 with two RBI while Steffek was 2-for-3 and Hopp was 2-for-3 with a RBI.

That was on brand for a team that finished the PIL season 15-3 and the season overall at 19-7.

“It’s a little bit of school history that we implanted ourselves into and I think that’s really awesome,” Steffek said. “With this group of girls, I just think it’s so impressive how far we’ve come. We’ve come so close every year and this was the icing on the cake, especially as a senior, to finally see that culminate in a league win.”

Steffek is on the short list of players for the PIL Player of the Year conversation, finishing the year batting .493 with a 1.599 OPS, seven home runs, 30 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

Lee should take home PIL Pitcher of the Year honors as well with a 2.75 ERA in 140 IP with 231 strikeouts to just 61 walks.

Fellow seniors Clara Waldron, Gwen Zang, Sara Cass and Pattison all leave Cleveland with a piece of history for the program.

“Some of these girls I don’t think I would have been as close with without this game,” Steffek said. “Getting to play with these girls, I’ve really formed a friendship that I think is going to last longer than high school. It’s so incredible to grow with these girls from freshman year and see how far we’ve come.”

“Seniors are incredible, definitely being a new coach it was very different for them coming in for their last year,” McMillan said. “I think they handled that pretty well and I’ll probably talk to them for the rest of my life.”

As for what’s next, don’t expect the Warriors to go anywhere with a roster filled with juniors, sophomore Margaret Wheeler and Hopp all setting up to return next year.

“We’re very junior heavy right now, but I’m also really excited for our freshmen and sophomores,” Steffek said. “This year was just a glimpse of what I know we can do and I know that those girls have the talent to keep it going further and do even better in the years to come.”

“Bright,” McMillan said of the future. “We could have anybody on the team and the future would be bright at Cleveland.”

More softball results

An RBI from freshman Aubrey Conners tied the game up at three in the top of the sixth for No. 22 Central Catholic on the road at No. 11 Lake Oswego, but a run in the bottom half for the Lakers proved to be the game-winner in a 4-3 victory.

The Rams fell behind 2-0 after the third inning, but were able to tie the game with two runs in the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI double from freshman Olivia Springer and a sacrifice fly from freshman Lei Lei Turley.

LO responded in the bottom half to go up 3-2, which then got the response from Conners to tie at three.

Central Catholic’s season comes to a close at 12-14 overall, but if the year in school from the hitters mentioned above is any indication, this is just the beginning for the Rams.

No. 25 McDaniel made the long trip south to play No. 8 North Medford and hung in for a little bit, but ultimately fell 12-2 in five innings.

The Mountain Lions opened the scoring in the first inning when Brylee Scott singled to center field to plate one run. The Black Tornado responded with two runs in the bottom half to lead 2-1 after one.

It was 5-1 North Medford going into the third when McDaniel got its second run after senior Kaylie Schmitz doubled, Amira Edwards singled and Scott came through with a single to the outfield.

The wheels fell off from there as North Medford finished with 13 hits while the Mountain Lions committed six errors.

The season comes to an end at 15-11 overall for McDaniel after taking second in the PIL at 13-5.

Finally, No. 26 Grant ended its season with a 15-0 loss on the road to No. 7 West Salem.

Junior Hazel Heron didn’t pitch and the only hit for the Generals came from junior Aria Hein.

Despite the finish, the Generals had a fantastic season where they came up just short of a PIL title. And with many impact players being juniors or younger, they are set up for years to come to make more postseason runs.