A generational performance from Annie Campos helped Henley (25-2, 16-0) finish undefeated in Skyline Conference play for the second year in a row and likely secure the No. 1 seed in the OSAA 4A playoffs with a doubleheader sweep of Hidden Valley (13-11, 10-6) Saturday.
Campos pitched a one-hitter in Game 1 and was 4-for-6 with 11 RBI at the plate across both games–including a pair of grand slams. Henley head coach Brian Stock said he believes Campos is the first Henley player to hit a grand slam in each game of a doubleheader.
Here’s how the day unfolded.
Game 1: Henley 10, Hidden Valley 2
Hidden Valley took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second–scoring on a groundout and a dropped third strike–as Henley struggled to gain a foothold in the batter’s box. Mustangs starter Briella Jacob threw a total of nine pitches in the first two innings, with the Hornets going down in order both times.
Things started to turn around in the bottom of the third; Campos tied the game on a bloop single with two outs. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Henley took the lead on a wild pitch and added another run on a fielder’s choice before Campos’ two-out grand slam gave the Hornets an 8-2 lead heading into the fifth.
Henley’s last two runs came on back-to-back pitches in the bottom of the fifth, with the Hornets scoring on an error and a fielder’s choice. Henley had a chance to end the game via run rule in the sixth but stranded two runners in scoring position, allowing Campos to notch her sixth 7-inning complete game of the season. Her final line was 7 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 12 K (her second-most strikeouts of the season).
At the plate, Campos went 2-for-4 with 6 RBI; Gracie White went 1-for-2 with 1 RBI; Anna Harper went 1-for-4 with 1 RBI; and Layliana Segura went 2-for-3.
For Hidden Valley, Jacob was 1-for-2 with 1 RBI and Natalie Fay was 0-for-2 with 1 RBI.
Relief pitcher Chloe Owens was brought in after the Hornets went up 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Her final line was 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K (it was the only strikeout of the game by a Mustangs pitcher).
Game 2: Henley 14, Hidden Valley 3 (5 innings)
Once again, Henley fell behind early but put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat with an explosive fourth inning.
Hidden Valley took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring on a double steal and an RBI single. Neither team scored again until the Mustangs went up 3-0 on a half-successful double steal in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Hornets got on the board with an RBI groundout. After the next three batters reached safely, Henley evened the score on a two-out, bases-loaded bloop single for the second game in a row, with this one coming off the bat of pinch hitter Haydyn Higgins. Then, the Hornets took the lead on a double steal, Annie Campos and Belle Birch delivered back-to-back RBIs and recent JV call-up Lanie Hadley scored on an error to make it 7-3 heading into the fifth.
Henley simply couldn’t be stopped in what turned out to be the game’s final inning. The first five batters for the Hornets recorded hits, with Gracie White driving in one run with a single and Anna Harper driving in two with a double before Suzy Nichols drew a walk to (re)load the bases for Campos.
Campos sent the first pitch she saw over the centerfield fence to end the game. It was her fifth home run of the season (the second most on the team) and put her at 44 RBI (the most on the team).
In Game 2, Campos went 2-for-2 with 5 RBI and was walked twice; Harper went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI; Higgins went 1-for-1 with 2 RBI; White went 2-for-2 with 1 RBI; Birch went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI; and Natalie Hudson went 1-for-3 with 1 RBI. Layliana Segura made her first start of the season in the circle and pitched all 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) while walking 1 and striking out 5.
For Hidden Valley, freshman Mady Knable went 1-for-2 with 1 RBI. In the circle, the Mustangs recorded just one strikeout for the second game in a row.
The Hornets have now won 28 consecutive Skyline Conference games (including two forfeits). Their last loss in league play was an 8-4 decision against Mazama in the second game of a doubleheader on May 14, 2022.
Prior to Game 1 Saturday, Henley held a senior day celebration for Campos and Nichols. The Hornets host 5A No. 6 Caldera (17-7) to wrap up the regular season at 4:30 p.m. Thursday (it’s a rematch of both teams’ season opener March 15, a 15-5 run-rule win for the Wolfpack). OSAA 4A rankings freeze at 10 p.m. Monday, so the game won’t affect Henley’s playoff seeding.
Hidden Valley finished second in the Skyline Conference, giving them the league’s other automatic bid. The Mustangs host Junction City (16-10) for their regular season finale at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Both teams will await the results of the 4A play-in games Thursday to find out their opponents for the first round May 21.
