Sports

The undefeated West Valley League champion Taft High baseball team put the finishing touches on a 12-0 conference season Wednesday with a 14-4 victory at Dayton.

Perennial West Valley power Dayton High gained the inside track to the league’s regular-season softball title Wednesday by turning back a last-inning Taft rally for a 9-7 home victory.

Maybe it was fate that allowed senior Maya Hatton to arrange a date with State with her Taft High mates in the District 2 girls golf championships.

Fourth-ranked Taft (16-7, 8-1) will square off at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday against second-ranked Dayton (16-7, 7-1) on the road in a showdown of West Valley League frontrunners following a 9-0 conference win Tuesday at Willamina.

Logan Merry will be taking some shiny new hardware with him in remembrance of his time as Taft High’s leading player when he transfers from the school this summer.

Conference champion Taft High used a 12-strikeout, two-hit shutout from junior left-hander Bleiz Kimbrough to move within a victory of completing a perfect West Valley League baseball season Tuesday by downing Willamina, 9-0.

Taft High 7-12’s Kadence James won the high jump for the girls and Brayan Mateo won two sprints for the boys Monday at the Coast Valley League’s 7th/8th Grade District Track and Field Championships in Lincoln City.

Meet longtime Lincoln City resident Alyssa Tanksley – honored musician, star softball player, exceptional person -- depending on who you ask.

The Taft High boys golf team, led by duplicate 83s from leading players Logan Merry and Bonny Patel, virtually clinched a spot in next week’s State championships under brilliant skies before the home crowd Monday at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort.

After nearly two decades of teaching girls golf, no one knows better than Taft High coach Heather Hatton how fickle the sport can be.