Irrigon vs. Pilot Rock

Irrigon vs. Pilot Rock

When:

2:30 p.m. Saturday, Erv Lind Stadium

Records:

Irrigon

24-3,

Pilot Rock

24-4

Playoff results:

Irrigon defeated Blanchet Catholic 8-5, Enterprise 6-1 and Weston-McEwen 5-0; Pilot Rock defeated Lakeview 11-1 (5 innings), Union 8-4 and Kennedy 8-5

Notable:

Irrigon, which closed in 1968 and reopened in 2005, is back to defend the championship after

a surprise run last year

. "Last year we kind of kicked it into gear once the playoffs started, and that's continued into this year," Irrigon coach Jake McElligott said. Pilot Rock had won nine consecutive league titles until Irrigon broke the streak in District 5 this year. Irrigon beat Pilot Rock in three of four meetings, including 5-4 in the district playoffs May 15. In that game, the Knights scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh inning on a two-out error. Pilot Rock, a semifinalist in 2007 and 2008, is in its first final.

What to watch for:

Errors have plagued Pilot Rock against Irrigon this season. The Rockets led the first game 5-1 but committed 11 errors and lost 6-5. In Pilot Rock's only win over the Knights, senior Renee Mulcare (0.52 ERA) pitched a two-hit shutout. Pilot Rock has an outstanding catcher in junior Amy Lee Perrine (six home runs in league), who was first-team all-state as a freshman. "Most umpires tell me she's the best catcher in the state, at any level," Rockets coach Rick Hoisington said. Irrigon senior Noelle Wright, who pitched

a two-hit shutout in the final last year

, is 23-1 with a 0.53 ERA and is hitting .474 with 31 RBIs.

Nicknames:

Wright earned the moniker "Hooch" after the team attended a Portland State-Washington game this season and teammates likened her to Huskies freshman Hooch Fagaly. Perrine has been known as "Stinky" for years. "I think it has something to do with socks," Hoisington said.

Pregame rituals:

On the way to every road game, Pilot Rock players sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on the team bus. Superstitious Irrigon players walk off their bus, and into their dugout, two at a time.

--

Jerry Ulmer