Mt. Hood Wins Two Games over Lower Columbia to Claim 8th NWAC Softball Championship

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Mt. Hood Saints overcame a difficult task and defeated Lower Columbia two times on Sunday by scores of 11-3 and 6-5 to claim the 2026 NWAC Softball Championship at Delta Park.

The Saints earned their eighth NWAC softball title all time, the third most in conference history, and third title in the past five seasons. They previously won in 2022 and 2024, both under head coach Brittany Hendrickson.

The Saints entered the day with one loss in the tournament, needing to defeat the defending champion Red Devils twice. Mt. Hood started their day with a dominant 11-3 win in six innings before grinding out a tough one-run victory 6-5 in the final game of the season to hoist the trophy. The Red Devils and Saints played earlier in the tournament in the winner's bracket finals on Saturday, with LCC coming out on top by a 5-4 score. The top-two teams all season, the teams split their four-game series during the regular season. 

Tournament Most Valuable Player Gracie Huston earned the victory in the circle in both games. Huston pitched a complete game in the first win, allowing two earned runs in six innings. She then entered in relief in game two with the Saints down 4-1, holding LCC to one run over the final three innings.

GAME 1: MT. HOOD 11, LOWER COLUMBIA 3 (F/6)
The Saints broke out the bats in the first game, opening the game with two runs in the first. Then in the third, Sadie Guyette, Chloe Mckenzie and Kate Dunham hit back-to-back-to-back solo home runs to extend Mt Hood's lead to 5-1. Mckenzie and Dunham each drove in runs in the fourth to make it 7-1. Lower Columbia showed life in the bottom of the fourth as Kendall Humphrey hit a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 7-3.

In the fifth, Serena Hattori made sure there would be no comeback with a three-run home run to make it 10-3. Maddie Brock hit a solo home run in the sixth to give the Saints an eight-run lead and Huston shut the door in the bottom of the sixth to give the Saints the run rule victory. 

Dunham and Hattori each led the Saints with three RBI in the game while Guyette, who finishes her season with a collegiate single-season record 136 RBI, scored three runs. Guyette was intentionally walked throughout the tournament, but the Saints lineup proved its overall depth again and again.

GAME 2: MT. HOOD 6, LOWER COLUMBIA 5
Momentum shifts were the name of the game in the final game of the NWAC softball season as both the Saints and Red Devils showcased their muscles. Mt. Hood got out ahead in the bottom of the second as Brock singled home Guyette. Dunham, who got the start in game two, held the Red Devils scoreless through the first three games before the LCC bats awoke in the fourth. Humphrey, who tied the tournament lead with three home runs and eight RBI, hit her second home run of the day to give the Red Devils a 2-1 lead. Lower Columbia did not stop there as Elysa Nash and Ava Eib each drove in runs to give the Red Devils a 4-1 lead.

Eib, who also started the game, held the dynamic Saints' lineup to just one run through four innings. The top of the order started the fifth inning for Mt. Hood and the first seven batters reached base before an out was recorded. Taylor Donahue drove in a run on a LCC error, followed by RBI singles by Mckenzie and Dunham. One more run came in on a fielder's choice groundout to give the Saints a 6-4 lead after five.

In the seventh, Alisyn Parkin hit her third home run of the tournament, a solo shot, to cut the deficit to 6-5. However, Huston got the final two outs including a close play at first to end the game, sending the Saints to the victory.

The title makes it five-straight for the South Region as the Saints, Red Devils and Southwestern Oregon have won the past five years. The final three teams this season, including Clackmas, were all from the South, showcasing the continued strength of the region. 

2026 All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Gracie Huston, Mt. Hood
Taylor Donahue, Mt. Hood
Serena Hattori, Mt. Hood
Kate Dunham, Mt. Hood
Sadie Guyette, Mt. Hood
Ava Eib, Lower Columbia
Danika Hallom, Lower Columbia
Kendall Humphrey, Lower Columbia
Alisyn Parkin, Lower Columbia
Kenzie West, Clackamas
Preslie Jensen, Clackamas
Payton Blunt, Clackamas
Isabella Hernandez, Spokane
Samantha Rensvold, Spokane

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