The softball season came to an end for the Healdsburg Greyhounds on Tuesday night, May 13, but it was as thrilling a game as they’ve had all year – a one-run loss to first-place Piner that saw the two teams battle throughout for the 2025 North Bay League – Redwood title.
Healdsburg drew first blood, scoring twice in the first inning, but the Piner Pioneers struck right back with two of their own. Then Piner pulled ahead by a run, then Healdsburg evened the score, then they pulled ahead – but it came down to a two-run bottom of the sixth for Piner that settled the score, 5-4.
“It was a good game, we played well, just fell a bit short,” said coach Brian Osborn.
It’s been an up and down season for the Healdsburg softball team, but the regular season ended on a much higher note a week earlier, their last scheduled game on May 6 against Elsie Allen. The Greyhounds wasted no time in taking the lead of their last home game of the year, scoring 9 runs in the second inning and 7 more in the next two, ending the game after four-and-a-half innings far ahead, 17-2.
As usual freshman Mia Halvorsen pitched the entire contest, walking four but striking out seven in the brief contest. She helped herself out at the plate, too, hitting two doubles for two runs and two RBIs.
Junior Izzy Osborn had almost identical statistics, two-and-two-and-two-for-two. Claire Berry, another junior, had another good night, getting on base three times, stealing a base, scoring twice and getting an RBI.
The seniors had some fun too. Senior Celia Vallotton got four hits in her five appearances, and Fatima Calvo got in the action too, getting two hits for two RBIs and scoring twice.
If it sounds like the Greyhounds were running wild at Healdsburg High Tuesday evening last week, they sort of were.
Baseball Update
The Greyhounds also lost their first playoff game, to Montgomery 5-1 on Wednesday. That means the NBL-Redwood championship final on Friday, though it will be played at Rec Park, will not include a Healdsburg team. Instead Montgomery tries to extend their luck facing Analy, the league’s first-place finisher.
