Senior shortstop Macy Johnson is hitting .650 for 3A powerhouse Scio, which is batting .444 as a team.(Photo by Jeremy McDonald)

The graduation of the most prolific slugger in state history hasn't seemed to slow down Scio's softball team.

Coming off their first state championship, the Loggers are 6-0 despite missing the big bat of pitching ace Myleigh Cooper, now playing at Cal Poly. They were No. 3 in the OSAAtoday 3A preseason coaches poll.

As a team, Scio is batting .444 with 11 home runs and has scored 86 runs. At 14.3 runs per game, the Loggers are on pace with their state-leading 14.4 average from last season.

Cooper, the three-time 3A player of the year, set state single-season records for home runs (26) and batting average (.814) and career home runs (75) last year. Cooper and first baseman Meagan Trissel were the only seniors on last year's team, which smacked 46 home runs.

Scio is off to a fast start behind senior catcher Cam Dalke (.529, four home runs, 14 RBIs), junior first baseman Mahala Pyle (.667, two home runs, 13 RBIs), senior third baseman Skylur Brown (.353, two home runs, 13 RBIs) and freshman infielder Zoe Ferebee (.417, two home runs, seven RBIs).

Senior shortstop Macy Johnson (.650), junior center fielder Emma Thatcher (.450) and sophomore infielder Mae Ferrando (.353, one home run, nine RBIs) also are steady contributors.

Dalke, Johnson and Thatcher joined Cooper and Trissel as 3A first-team selections last year, when the Loggers went 28-1 and captured the 3A title after finishing as runners-up the previous two seasons.

Scio has convincing wins over three ranked teams. The Loggers thumped 2A/1A No. 10 Kennedy 15-1 in five innings, 3A No. 10 Glide 18-1 in three innings and 3A No. 9 Harrisburg 15-0 in four innings.

Dalke went 3 for 3 with two home runs and six RBIs against visiting Harrisburg on Monday. Dalke is coming off a junior season in which she hit better than .700 with eight home runs and 59 RBIs, including a 3-for-3, three-RBI performance in the state championship win over Dayton.

The graduation of Cooper also left a gap in the circle, which has been filled so far by sophomore Gracie Ferguson. In 28 innings, Ferguson has allowed 22 hits, struck out 40, walked 15 and has a 1.75 ERA.

Scio had held opponents to six runs through five games before a 17-10 home win over Pleasant Hill on Monday. The Loggers committed five errors and allowed five unearned runs in the game, but the offense picked up the slack, getting a grand slam from Ferrando.

The Loggers complete their nonleague schedule this week in the Steve Garett Memorial Tournament at The Dalles. They play Tillamook and Cottage Grove on Thursday and 4A No. 2 Astoria on Friday.

Sherwood bounces back

Reigning 6A champion Sherwood, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, rebounded from a season-opening loss to Lake Oswego with four consecutive shutout wins in the North Medford Spring Break Tournament on Monday and Tuesday.

The Bowmen defeated South Medford 15-0 and Sprague 14-0 – both in five innings – on Monday and beat No. 9 Roseburg 2-0 and Foothill (Calif.) 1-0 on Tuesday.

Sophomore Presley Sarono-Ramos pitched in three of the wins. In 14 innings, she allowed two hits, struck out 28 and walked one. Sophomore Brooklyn Fagan tossed seven scoreless innings in the wins over Sprague and Foothill.

Senior Jordyn Henderson homered in the South Medford and Sprague games. Sophomore Berklee Henning went 3 for 3 with two RBIs against South Medford.

Senior Maisy Schindler's RBI double accounted for one of the runs against Roseburg. Sarono-Ramos drove in the game's only run against Foothill with a fielder's choice in the fourth inning.

Lakers bolt out of blocks

The win over Sherwood is part of a 6-0 start for unranked Lake Oswego, which finished 11-16 last season,

The Lakers defeated the visiting Bowmen 5-3 on March 19 behind senior pitcher Ava Beach, who tossed a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts and three walks. Beach also drove in two runs for the Lakers, who got a two-run homer from junior Avery Cavagnaro in a four-run fourth inning that opened a 4-0 lead.

Lake Oswego has four shutouts in outscoring its opponents 71-7. The start also includes a 10-0, six-inning win at No. 10 Central Catholic in which Beach threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and five walks.

Beach (4-0, 1-05 ERA) has struck out 43 and allowed eight hits in 20 innings. Cavagnaro is batting .556 with three doubles, one home run and 13 RBIs.