Scappoose senior Saige Casey, committed to LInfield, has struck out 82 and has a 0.83 ERA. (Photo by Kristal Freeman)

Halfway through the softball season, Scappoose is looking like a serious threat to win its first state championship since 1995.

The Indians (12-1), No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll, have recorded wins over five of the top seven teams and have beaten 3A No. 1 Dayton. They added to their list of victims Thursday with a 10-0, six-inning home win over second-ranked and reigning state champion Astoria in a Cowapa League game.

Scappoose has made playoff runs in recent seasons – making the semifinals in 2023 and 2024 and the quarterfinals last year, when it lost to La Grande – but this year's team appears to have reached another level.

“Last year, we weren't happy about the outcome of our La Grande game,” said coach Lindsey Johnson, who brought back five starters from last season. “The players that returned were like, 'We're ready to take care of business this year.'

“I think we're outperforming ourselves from last year. We have a one through nine in our lineup that can all hit, and we have a really strong pitching staff.”

Scappoose showing why it is so dangerous in the win over Astoria. The Indians rapped 17 hits – led by juniors Sophia Bloyd (3 for 3) and Kayla Brainerd (4 for 4) and sophomore Elly Casey (3 for 3, three RBIs) – and senior Saige Casey pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Scappoose opened league play April 9 with a 7-1 home win over No. 4 St. Helens as Saige Casey and senior Ava Freeman each homered and drove in two runs. Saige Casey also fanned 12 in a five-hitter.

In nonleague games, the Indians have beaten No. 3 The Dalles/Dufur 6-0, No. 6 Marist Catholic 10-7 and No. 7 Gladstone 5-2. The only loss was the second game of a doubleheader against Marist Catholic, a 5-4 setback.

The Linfield-bound Saige Casey, a fourth-year ace, has been dominant in the circle. In 50 2/3 innings, she has allowed 31 hits, struck out 82, walked 13 and has an ERA of 0.83.

“She's very competitive,” Johnson said of Casey, who did not pitch in the loss to Marist Catholic after leaving the first game of the doubleheader with an injury. “She knows her strengths. She looks into her opponents very strongly. She knows who their hitters are, where they hit.”

Bloyd is batting a team-high .511 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 19 RBIs.

“She's probably one of the best hitters Scappoose has ever had,” Johnson said. “She's 100 percent all the time, practices and games. She doesn't ever let up. She loves it. She's not scared of anything.”

Bloyd showed her resiliency during Scappoose's spring-break trip to Medford. She had a medical scare and was admitted to a hospital in Eugene as the team continued south. Her parents met her in Eugene, and after some tests, she was released from the hospital and went on to play in all four games in Medford.

“She texted me like, 'Hey, I'm being discharged, can I come to Medford?'” Johnson said. “That shows how tough she is. It was like, 'All right, Soph's coming, let's do this.'”

With improved plate discipline this season, the offense has been steady. Saige Casey is hitting .429 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Brainerd (.425), Freeman (.417, 16 RBIs), Elly Casey (.357, six doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs) and senior Kennady Hoag (.240, two home runs, 10 RBIs) are among others contributing.

Notes: Glencoe, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, fell 5-1 at Jesuit in a nonleague game Thursday, dropping its record to 12-2. Senior Makena Boynay hit two solo homers and pitched three shutout innings in relief of senior Aubrey Rhodes for the Crusaders (7-7), who won their fourth consecutive game after a 3-7 start. Senior Olivia Hildreth and sophomore Dulcie Cleeland each doubled and drove in a run. … Co-No. 2 West Linn pulled out a 4-3 home win over No. 9 Tualatin in a 6A Three Rivers League game Friday. The Lions took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning when junior Avery Wolf was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. West Linn scored three runs in the first inning, getting a two-run double from junior Addison Southard, and Tualatin answered with three runs in the fourth. Wolf pitched five innings, giving up two hits, fanning nine and walking five, and junior Meadow Sanborn tossed two hitless innings in relief, striking out four. …

No. 6 Forest Grove downed co-No. 2 Sherwood 4-2 in the 6A Pacific Conference opener for both teams Friday. Freshman Grace Arruda had a double, triple and four RBIs for the host Vikings. Junior Kherington Wright went 2 for 2 and pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts. … Senior Kali Parks drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift No. 4 West Salem over No. 5 McNary 2-1 in the 6A Central Valley Conference opener Friday. Sophomore Viviana Nunez drove in the first run for the Titans. Senior Lucy Duval threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts. …No. 4 Dallas improved to 3-0 in the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference with a 10-3 home win over No. 5 West Albany on Friday. Senior Ruby Halligan went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs and juniors Maddi Jones and Kadence Tullock each drove in two runs. Jones pitched six innings, allowed four hits, struck out seven and walked five. … Sophomore Elle Morton had a big week for 5A No. 1 Caldera, which won three games to improve to 14-0 overall, 6-0 in the Intermountain Conference. In a 23-2 win at Crook County, Morton went 5 for 5 with two home runs and nine RBIs. For the week, she was 10 for 12 and drove in 12 runs. ...

No. 1 Dayton stands at 6-0 in the tough 3A Special District 3 after smacking 16 hits in a 12-3 rout at No. 3 Scio on Thursday. Sophomore Gabby Chupp went 5 for 5 with a double, home run and four RBIs to lead the attack. Senior Rachel Baumholtz and junior Charly Upmeyer combined on a seven-hitter with 14 strikeouts and no walks. It was a rematch of last year's state final, won by Scio 9-3. …Freshman Sophia Navarrete once again was the difference for 3A No. 2 Vale in a 1-0 home win over No. 4 Yamhill-Carlton on Saturday. She not only pitched a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts and no walks, but she accounted for the game's only run by belting a solo home run in the fourth inning. The Vikings are 12-0. …Weston-McEwen senior Brielle Ward had a wild day at the plate and in the circle Friday as the TigerScots, No. 1 in the 2A/1A coaches poll, swept a Special District 7 doubleheader at No. 2 Union/Cove, 12-9 and 3-0. Ward went 6 for 7 with three home runs and seven RBIs and earned both wins in the circle, surviving 22 walks. She pitched a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts and 14 walks in the opener and tossed a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts and eight walks in the second game.