Taft to Safeway hood-mounted footage sped up 500%. It was a beautiful Memorial Day in Lincoln City. Traffic was heavy but that was to be expected.
New-look Tigers, Hawks set for semifinal State baseball matchup
A familiar foe in name only will take the field at the Pit Tuesday when the Taft High baseball team plays La Pine to advance to Friday’s Class 3A State championship game.
“We are not the same team that played them back in March, and I don’t expect them to be the same team either,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said of the Hawks, one of just three teams to defeat the Tigers this season. “We have come a long way since then, and I am guessing they have as well.”
No arguing that.
La Pine went on to complete a 22-4 season as once-beaten Mountain Valley Conference regular-season champions before losing a home league playoff game 4-3 to Pleasant Hill.
Taft went on to complete a 24-3 season as undefeated West Valley League regular-season champions before losing a home league playoff game 9-8 to Santiam Christian.
The fourth-seeded Hawks avenged the defeat to Pleasant Hill on Saturday with a 5-4 home win over the Billies.
The top-seeded Tigers could get a chance at redemption against the third-seeded Eagles in a State title matchup Friday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
But winning Tuesday is all that matters.
Tigers vs. Hawks – OSAA Baseball Semifinals
The Taft Tigers host the La Pine Hawks, 4 p.m. at The Pit today. It’s history in the making as the Tigers have never made it this far. Jason King Matt Hilgers Melissa A. Griffin-Jones Taft High 7-12 Athletics
Posted by Lincoln City Homepage on Tuesday, May 29, 2018
“We have taken the same approach in every game, and we need to stay with what is working,” Hilgers said. “This game is no bigger than any previous game. If we didn’t win the last two games, we wouldn’t be playing on Tuesday at home. That can be said about every game we have played this year, and that is how we have approached every game. We just need to focus on the task at hand and stay within ourselves and be successful.”
When the respective league champions take the field at 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Tigers and Hawks are expected to unmask mirror images of each other. In other words, expect solid pitching, sound hitting and steady defense from both dugouts.
“They are very similar to us,” Hilgers said. “They have quite a bit of pitching depth that will help them. They put the ball in play and force the other team to make plays on defense.”
La Pine is the only semifinal team left in the 16-team tournament that isn’t from the West Valley League, a seven-school conference Taft dominated by outscoring its opponents 156-8 in the regular season. While the No. 1-ranked Tigers’ supremacy over their opponents is evident in its 284-76 overall scoring margin, the Hawks’ were nearly as dominant, outscoring the opposition 259-99 — easily the two largest run differentials in the Class 3A ranks.
“Having three teams in the final four shows you how good our league was this year,” Hilgers said. “I know there is one or two other leagues that could have maybe had two make it had they not played each other, but that’s not how it worked out. We have had to bring our best game every game this year and we are looking to continue that on Tuesday and play our best seven innings of baseball.”
That, Hilgers said, was not the case on March 27, when the Tigers fell 8-5 at La Pine just prior to spring break.
“We struggled in that game to make plays on defense and we left a few guys on base that resulted in the final score not being in our favor,” he said, “They are a tough ball club, but we have played tough ball clubs throughout the season.”
Aggressiveness at the plate could be a key in Tuesday’s outcome, Hilgers said.
“We will continue to do what we have done — throw strikes, make plays on defense and put good swings on pitches,” he said.
Numbers aside, anything the 2018 Tigers accomplish establishes precedent for the program.
According to the OSAA, Taft has made the State playoffs six times prior to this season, losing in sub-round play in 2010, in the first round in 1979 and 2004, and in the quarterfinals in 1968, 1978 and 2017.
Friday’s 5-1 home quarterfinal victory over Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa set a standard for future Taft teams to surpass.
The only two words that matter now are “Play ball!”
Honor the fallen on Memorial Day
There’s a reason why you don’t speak Chinese, Korean or Russian in America (unless, of course, you are from one of those countries and are in America reading this).
Memorial Day isn’t about sales or events. It’s about people fighting and dying so you can be free. People choose to join the military and put their lives on the line so you can enjoy freedom. Sometimes they don’t come back alive and we honor them with Memorial Day.
I used to work as the general manager of Putt N Bat here in Lincoln City. Putt N Bat was known for allowing all military, including their entire families, to play a round of mini-golf for free. When lifetime Lincoln City resident and Putt N Bat owner Dick Davis told me the policy applied to all military personnel past and present, I was overwhelmed with emotion. What a good feeling it was to be able to tell the servicemen and women, “This one is on the house, thank you for your service.” More than a few times there was a battle fought where the Veteran wanted to pay “no matter what.” That’s when I would accept their money and then give the kids or whoever was with them free ice cream or batting tokens covertly.
Many times, I would listen to stories from military personnel about how they served with someone who “didn’t make it.” It was sad to hear and obviously shook the storyteller to their core. Some of the stories were intense and hard to listen to. I realized how hard it was for the survivor in front of me to tell it. I learned a lot of military jargon, made some great friends and gained a deep respect for people who lost someone close. That’s why on Memorial Day my family and I visit monuments to the fallen and pay our respects.
Then you have the Pack 47 Cub Scouts. These kids went to Pacific View Memorial Cemetery and planted flags on Veterans’ graves and found a couple that were not marked. We covered that story in detail earlier. On May 25, the Cub Scouts went back and planted more flags and two active military played Taps to honor the fallen. It’s no wonder why Pacific View Memorial was recognized as Business of the Year by the Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce.
Don’t take your freedom for granted. Someone paid for it with blood. Visit a memorial and say thank you. Remember them.
Vacancies on the Lincoln City Public Art Committee
LINCOLN CITY – The Lincoln City Public Art Committee, the appointed advisory body that works to enliven and beautify our coastal town with art installations, is looking for two new members. Applications are available at Lincoln City City Hall, 801 SW Hwy. 101, or at lincolncity.org (“Boards and Committees”).
The Public Art Committee was formed in 2005, to improve the quality of life in the city by allowing residents and visitors to view and interact with art in public places. The committee makes recommendation on the acquisition, installation and maintenance of publicly-owned art in city buildings and properties, using the city’s innovative Percent for Art Program.
Through this program the city sets aside ½ of one percent of the total cost of qualifying capital improvement projects for the design, purchase, and siting of public art projects within city limits. In addition, the Public Art Committee may receive allocations from the General Fund and may also apply for outside grant funding to accomplish its goals.
The list of public art works created through the Percent for Art program is long, and includes the whimsical creatures in front of the Lincoln City Community Center, Sparky the Wish Dragon at Regatta Park, the Cascade Head Sculpture at NW 18th St., “Dancing Water” at Hostetler Park and Joe the Sea Lion on SW 35th St. The program also installed colorful mosaic murals at the Jennifer Sears Glass Studio, the Community Center and on public restrooms in the Wecoma neighborhood.
Currently, the committee is completing an update to a Lincoln City Public Art Master Plan, led by consultants Bill Flood and Valerie Otani. Among the goals of the plan is the commission of a major artwork, with high visibility and scale, and with a budget of $70,000-$120,000.
The Public Arts Committee typically meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 4:15 pm at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. Committee members are appointed by the City Council, and serve three-year terms.
There is one position available for a citizen who lives within the city limits. The other position can be filled by a resident who lives in the city, or within the area served by Taft 7-12, including Gleneden Beach, Coronado Shores, Otis and Rose Lodge.
To apply, pick up a Committee Volunteer Application Packet at City Hall, or download the form from lincolncity.org, or call 541-996-2151. Applicants must agree to a background check, and complete interviews with members of the Lincoln City City Council.
Pirates put end to Taft’s State softball run with 4-2 home win
If you’re going to bow out, why not do it against the No. 1 team in the state?
Top-seeded Dayton High continued its perennial postseason presence by stifling a late Taft rally for a 4-2 victory Friday that propelled it into the semifinals of the Class 3A State Softball Championships.
The ninth-seeded Tigers, who made immense strides this season in closing the gap on the Pirates as a West Valley League power, concluded its season 18-11 after finishing in second place behind conference champion Dayton in the regular-season standings.
“It was a tough game,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said. “We played very solid the first half. We had one inning with a couple of mental errors, and they got a few solid hits and were able to put runs on the board.”
Taft displayed its fortitude by rallying for two runs in the sixth inning to trim a 4-0 lead in half, but couldn’t overcome the pitching of senior starter Ani Heidt, who surrendered just two hits and helped herself at the plate with a key triple in a pivotal fifth inning.
No. 1-ranked Dayton (21-8, 9-1) took advantage of three Taft errors and seven strikeouts for the win. The Pirates tallied a run for a 1-0 advantage in the fourth when senior third baseman Kalina Rojas walked and came around to score, then used Heidt’s triple, a three-base error and an infield single by Rojas to go up 4-0 in the fifth.
Taft freshman shortstop Claira Tolan and sophomore catcher Hailee Danneker scored on sophomore starting pitcher Emma Coulter’s blooper in the sixth to trim the margin to 4-2.
“We managed to come back late in the game and manufactured some runs, but it wasn’t enough to win,” Stuart said. “That’s the game of softball. There are so many different scenarios that can happen and you can’t plan for all of them.”
The West Valley rivals split two-run games in the regular season, with Taft wining 4-2 at home on April 20 and the Pirates prevailing 9-7 at home on May 9.
“Emma pitched an awesome game,” Stuart said. “She did her job on the field and at the plate. We just fell a little short.”
Dayton will play the winner of Friday’s game between Clatskanie (21-3, 7-3 Lewis & Clark) and Grant Union/Dayville/Prairie City (22-2, 8-0 Wapiti) Tuesday at home. The winner will play Friday, June 1, for the State championship at the Oregon State University Softball Complex.
“This was a fantastic season for us,” Stuart said. “We took a young team [five freshmen and two sophomores] into the second round of the postseason, and they played hard all season. We have a bright future ahead for this team and this program.”
Stuart’s seniors — Rini, Tanksley, McKenzie Evenson and Madison Clanton — concurred.
“It was a heartbreaker, but the tenacity of the younger players gives me hope for the future,” Rini said. “They’re going to do great things in the next couple of years.”
“It is a bittersweet thing to pass on the baton, so to speak,” said Tanksley, who joined Tolan with Taft’s only hits. “It’s such a young team that I have no doubt they will do better things in the years to come.”
“There’s a lot of upcoming talent coming from the younger classes, and I can’t wait to watch them compete,” Evenson said.
“Confidence is the key these next couple of years,’ Clanton said. “They have the talent to win a championship.”
Dayton 4, Taft 2
TAFT AB R H BI
Kyla Knott 3 0 0 0
Claira Tolan 3 1 1 0
Hailee Danneker 2 1 0 0
Emma Coulter 3 0 0 2
Alyssa Tanksley 3 0 1 0
Naomi Rini 2 0 0 0
Madison Clanton 2 0 0 0
Corey VanDamme 2 0 0 0
McKenzie Evenson 1 0 0 0
Kayla Lininger 3 0 0 0
TOTALS 24 2 2 2
DAYTON AB R H BI
Malina Ray 4 1 2 0
Ani Heidt 3 1 1 1
Catie Jacks 3 1 1 1
Kalina Rojas 2 1 1 1
Sofia Cicirone 3 0 0 0
Maddie Fluke 3 0 1 0
Emily Elliot 3 0 1 1
Jodi Desmet 3 0 0 0
Gabby Shadden 3 0 1 0
TOTALS 27 4 8 4
TAFT TIGERS 000 002 0 — 2
DAYTON 000 130 x — 4
LOB–TAFT 4, DAYTON 7. ERR–Madison Clanton, Corey VanDamme, Emma Coulter, Gabby Shadden. 2B–Emily Elliot. 3B–Ani Heidt. HBP–Madison Clanton. SB–Kalina Rojas.
TAFT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Emma Coulter 6.00 8 4 3 2 0 0
DAYTON
Ani Heidt 7.00 2 2 0 2 7 0
PB–Hailee Danneker, Sofia Cicirone. BB–Naomi Rini, Hailee Danneker, Ani Heidt, Kalina Rojas.
PHOTOS BY ERIC DEMELLO
King crowns Tigers State baseball semifinalists with complete-game win
One win . . .
That’s all that stands between the Taft High baseball team and the Class 3A State title game.
Senior right-hander Caleb King shut down Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa with a three-hit, 10-strikeout performance Friday to help lead the Tigers into the semifinals of the Class 3A OSAA State Baseball Championships.
“We had a fairly solid game all around,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “We stayed mentally in the game for seven innings, which, at this point, can win or lose a game.”
All Hail the Caleb King – OSAA Baseball Quaterfinals
Caleb King commanded from the hill with a three-hit, 10-strikeout performance Friday, leading the Tigers into the semifinals of the Class 3A OSAA State Baseball Championships.
Posted by Lincoln City Homepage on Saturday, May 26, 2018
Top-seeded Taft (24-4, 12-0 West Valley) will play at home Tuesday against the winner of Saturday’s Pleasant Hill (16-7, 10-2 Mountain View) at La Pine (21-4, 11-1 Mountain Valley) quarterfinal game. The victor will play Friday, June 1, for the State championship at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
Playing an early afternoon game necessitated by the Eagles’ 420-mile, seven-hour drive home to the upper northeast reaches of the state, Taft used two runs from senior shortstop Josh Salsbery and sophomore designated hitter Caleb Jones and a team-leading two hits from Salsbery to advance.
“We came a lot more mentally prepared than we were against Clatskanie [Wednesday in a 9-2 first-round victory],” King said. “Our offense did just enough to scatter some runs across, but our defense was outstanding.”
The ninth-seeded Eagles (20-7, 11-3 Old Oregon) took advantage of some brief early wildness by King to take a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Tigers answered when sophomore catcher Eli DeMello’s sacrifice fly scored Salsbery, who doubled down the left-field line to lead off the bottom half of the inning and advanced to third on a passed ball.
“Other than the one run they scored, not one runner got to third base,” King said. “As a pitcher, it’s such a relief knowing how great of a defense I have behind me.”
Taft, ranked No. 1 in the state virtually the entire season, took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back behind King, who shut out the Eagles the rest of the way.
“Tough defensive play makes it tough on an offense to get a rally going,” Salsbery said. “Caleb did a great job of keeping guys guessing at the plate and our defense did its thing when it need to.”
Taft scored a run in the fourth inning and another in the sixth to culminate the scoring behind King, a first-team All-State pitcher last season who came on to finish off the Eagles by striking out the side in the seventh for the complete-game win.
Junior catcher Coy Aschenbrenner had two of the Eagles’ three hits off of King. Senior right-hander Chris Bathke suffered the loss despite striking out 11 in 5 2/3 innings.
“Caleb threw outstanding and our defense was awesome,” senior first baseman Jack Stempel said. “Eli was a wall behind the plate.”
The regular-season conference champion Tigers stole five bases and got doubles from Stempel, Salsbery and Jones. Salsbery and DeMello had one RBI each, while sophomore right fielder Trenton Fisher also scored a run for the Tigers.
“We have been able to make plays when we needed to and got some timely hits,” Hilgers said. “We still have some work to do at the plate with our approach.”
Taft, seeded ninth last season, defeated Rainer 8-1 on the road to reach the State tournament quarterfinals, but lost 23-11 at top-seeded Stanfield/Echo in its quest to secure a semifinal matchup with eventual State champion St. Mary’s, Medford.
“This win definitely feels good, but we’re far from done,” Salsbery said. “There’s a lot of business to take care of.”
“We can let the win sink in over the weekend, but we have more work to do come Tuesday,” King said.
This year’s Tigers have assumed the favorite’s role for the State title by going 12-0 in the regular season and outscoring their 28 opponents 284-76 and league foes 156-8.
“We’re pretty happy with the win, but we can’t be satisfied,” Hilgers said. “Someone is going to be coming to our yard Tuesday looking to beat us.”
Taft 5, Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa 1
JOSEPH AB R H BI
Chris Bathke 3 1 0 0
Gus Ramsden 2 0 0 0
Zeb Ramsden 3 0 1 1
Rylie Hayward 3 0 0 0
Christopher Nobles 2 0 0 0
Flynn Nave 3 0 0 0
Dylan Staigle 2 0 0 0
Daniel Delancy 0 0 0 0
Coy Aschenbrenner 3 0 2 0
David Salim 3 0 0 0
TOTALS 24 1 3 1
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 2 2 2 1
Eli DeMello 2 0 0 1
Caleb King 3 0 0 0
Jack Stempel 2 0 1 0
Cody Knott 4 0 1 0
Kam Kessler 3 0 0 0
Tyee Fisher 3 0 1 0
Caleb Jones 3 2 1 0
Trenton Fisher 3 1 1 0
TOTALS 25 5 7 2
JOSEPH 100 000 0 — 1
TAFT 120 101 x — 5
LOB–JOSEPH 6, TAFT 9. ERR–Chris Bathke (2). 2B—Coy Aschenbrenner, Josh Salsbery, Jack Stempel, Caleb Jones. SACF–Eli DeMello. SB–Josh Salsbery, Caleb King, Eli DeMello, Cody Knott, Jack Stempel.
JOSEPH IP H R ER BB SO HR
Chris Bathke (L) 5.67 7 5 3 3 11 0
Gus Ramsden 0.00 0 0 0 3 0 0
Trace Evans 0.33 0 0 0 0 0 0
TAFT
Caleb King (W) 7.00 3 1 1 4 10 0
PB–Zeb Ramsden (5). BB–Gus Ramsden, Daniel Delancy, Christopher Nobles, Chris Bathke, Josh Salsbery (2), Caleb King, Eli DeMello, Jack Stempel (2).
West Valley League flexes muscle in State baseball, softball quarterfinals
The West Valley League will step to the plate wielding a big bat Friday with three quarterfinalists in both baseball and softball representing the conference at OSAA tournaments to determine the best Class 3A team in each sport.
In baseball, No. 1-seeded Taft High (23-4, 12-0) will host ninth-seeded Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa (20-6, 11-3 Old Oregon) at 1:30 p.m.
The West Valley League regular-season champion Tigers defeated Clatskanie 9-2 Wednesday in first-round action, while the Eagles defeated Salem Academy (11-6, 7-1 PacWest) 6-3 on the road to advance.
Also Friday, third-seeded Santiam Christian and 10th-seeded Horizon Christian-Tualatin, will also represent the West Valley League in quarterfinal action. Santiam Christian will host Cascade Christian, while Horizon Christian is at Stanfield/Echo.
In softball, top-seeded and West Valley League champion Dayton (20-8, 9-1) will host ninth-seeded Taft (18-10, 8-2) at 5 p.m. The Tigers were a 10-0 winner Wednesday at Stanfield/Echo, while the Pirates defeated Lakeview 10-0 at home.
A third West Valley softball team, 10th-seeded Amity, will meet second-seeded Scio after defeating Cascade Christian 8-1 Wednesday. Scio downed Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa 23-0 to reach the final eight in the 16-team tournament.
Friday’s winners will advance to Tuesday’s semifinals at the home of the highest seeded team. The State championship games will be contested Friday, June 1, with baseball at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer and softball at the Oregon State University Softball Complex.
Both Taft quarterfinal games can be heard live on KBCH-AM (1400).
Knott, Stempel help propel Tigers into State baseball quarterfinals
And now that world order has been restored . . .
Junior second baseman Cody Knott homered and drove in three runs in support of senior starter Jack Stempel to lead top-seeded Taft High to a 9-2 home victory over Clatskanie and into the quarterfinals of the Class 3A OSAA State Baseball Championships.
Taft Tigers win round one – OSAA State Championship
Jack Stempel pitched a gem, Cody Knott went yard and Trenton Fisher made a diving catch in a team effort to win round one of the 2018 Oregon School Activities Association U.S. Bank / Les Schwab Tires / 3A Baseball State Championship.
Posted by Lincoln City Homepage on Wednesday, May 23, 2018
The victory got the No. 1-ranked Tigers refocused in their quest to be crowned Oregon small-school baseball champions after a dominating season of unprecedented proportions was sideswiped last week in a 9-8 league playoff defeat to Santiam Christian.
“We were glad to get the win and get back on track,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “It took us awhile to get going tonight. Having a week off didn’t do us any favors. We need to get back to having a good approach at the plate as soon as we step into the box. We will get better tomorrow and be ready to play Friday.”
West Valley regular-season champion Taft (23-4, 12-0) will host Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa (20-6, 11-3 Old Oregon), at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The Eagles defeated Salem Academy (11-6, 7-1 PacWest) 6-3 Wednesday on the road.
“It was a great team effort all around,” Taft senior shortstop Josh Salsbery said. “Everybody contributed in their own way. When that happens, there’s not much to complain about. Other than the mindset to carry this into the next game, there’s nothing else to look forward to other than Friday’s matchup.”
Knott knocked in the game’s last two runs by clearing the left-field fence in the sixth behind Stempel, who struck out seven in six innings before giving way to junior Bleiz Kimbrough in the seventh.
“Offensively, we didn’t step in the box with a very good approach,” Hilgers said. “We battled through and had some really good at-bats and managed to score every inning but one. Defensively, we were solid and made the plays we needed to in order to win.”
After Clatskanie scored one run in the top of the first, senior centerfielder Caleb King and Stempel walked before an error in right scored both for a 2-1 Taft lead.
Clatskanie, also nicknamed the Tigers, tied the game 2-2 in the top of the second, but the hometown Tigers answered with a run of their own when King scored from second on a throwing error on a grounder by Stempel.
After Clatskanie, which lost 14-3 to Taft in the regular season, left the bases loaded in the top of the third, Salsbery singled to score junior left fielder Tyee Fisher for a 4-2 advantage.
Taft scored three more times in the last of the fifth to lead 7-2 before Knott hit his second home run of the season with a runner aboard in the bottom of the sixth to culminate the scoring behind Stempel.
“It took me awhile on the mound to find the zone, but my team was backing me up in the field and at the plate” Stempel said. “Josh and Cody rolled a double play that swung the momentum our way.”
Kimbrough came on in relief of the ace right-hander to get the final three outs in the seventh for the save.
King, Stempel and sophomore designated hitter Caleb Jones all doubled for Taft, while King stole two bases and Knott and Fisher one each, Sophomore outfielder Trenton Fisher had two hits and two RBIs.
“Trenton had an amazing game today — two RBI singles and a diving catch in right that saved a couple of runs,” King said. “He amazes me every time he steps between those lines.”
Clatskanie, which defeated Lewis & Clark regular-season champion Warrenton (17-4, 10-2) 2-1 in a league playoff game just to gain a spot in the 16-team tournament, finished its season 8-15 overall.
The Tigers will be out to establish a new standard for its baseball program Friday by advancing past the quarterfinals. Taft defeated Rainer 8-1 on the road in first-round play last season to advance to the second round of the State tournament for the first time in 49 years. The team’s regular-season league title this year is the Tigers’ first in 34 seasons.
“This win feels great, but it was expected,” King said. “Last year’s first-round win was an upset, so we were a little more pumped up. This year’s first–round win was more of an expectation. We did what we needed to do and took care of business. We’re excited to advance.”
The State title game will be contested Friday, June 1, at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer. Should it win Friday, Taft will host a semifinal game Tuesday at the Pit.
PHOTOS BY ERIC DEMELLO
Taft 9, Clatskanie 2
CLATSKANIE AB R H BI
James Helmen 3 1 2 1
Cade Warren 3 0 0 0
Dawson Evenson 3 0 0 0
Michael Sterba 2 0 0 0
Chase Baker 0 0 0 0
Foster Evenson 4 0 1 1
Ryan Bochner 3 0 1 0
Noah Patterson 3 0 0 0
Jack Boothe 3 0 1 0
Sam Shockley 2 1 0 0
TOTALS 26 2 5 2
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 4 0 1 0
Eli DeMello 4 0 0 0
Caleb King 3 3 1 0
Jack Stempel 3 2 1 0
Cody Knott 4 2 2 3
Kam Kessler 4 0 0 0
Tyee Fisher 0 1 0 1
Caleb Jones 3 1 1 0
Trenton Fisher 3 0 2 2
TOTALS 28 9 8 6
CLATSKANIE 110 000 0 — 2
TAFT 201 132 x — 9
LOB–CLATSKANIE 9, TAFT 6. ERR–Nic George, James Helmen, Sam Shockley, Jack Stempel. 2B–Ryan Bochner, James Helmen, Caleb King, Jack Stempel, Caleb Jones. HR–Cody Knott. HBP–Michael Sterba, Cade Warren, Sam Shockley. SACF–Tyee Fisher. SB–Caleb King (2), Tyee Fisher, Cody Knott
CLATSKANIE IP H R ER BB SO HR
Dawson Evenson (L) 3.33 2 4 1 4 3 0
James Helmen 2.67 6 5 3 0 2 1
TAFT
Jack Stempel (W) 6.00 5 2 2 2 7 0
Bleiz Kimbrough 1.00 0 0 0 1 0 0
PB–Cade Warren (2). BALK–Jack Stempel. BB–Chase Baker, James Helmen, Dawson Evenson, Caleb King, Tyee Fisher (2), Jack Stempel.
Danneker’s dinger helps Taft barge into State softball quarterfinals
It was the traveling team that felt right at home Wednesday in the first round of the Class 3A OSAA State Softball Championships.
Taft High turned a 286-mile, five-hour bus ride to the upper northeast stretches of the state on the eve of the game into a 12-2 victory over Stanfield/Echo and a berth in the quarterfinals of the 16-team single-elimination tournament.
“The highlight of the game today was everything,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said. “We were relaxed and strong on both offense and defense.”
Catcher Hailee Danneker hit a three-run home run in support of fellow sophomore Emma Coulter, who scattered four hits and had three of her own while going the distance for the five-inning win.
“It really feels like we beat the odds heading across the state and playing in the 90-degree heat,” Taft senior centerfielder Alyssa Tanksley said. “We persevered, and once we got the bats going it felt like nothing was going to stop us.”
Ninth-seeded Taft (18-10, 8-2 West Valley) will play at league champion Dayton (20-8, 9-1), a 10-0 winner Wednesday over Lakeview (11-12, 6-3 Southern Cascade) at 5 p.m. Friday for a spot in the semifinals. The top-seeded Pirates and Tigers split regular-season contests, with Taft winning 4-2 at home on April 20 and Dayton 9-7 at home on May 9.
“The girls came over to the 80- to 90-degree heat and worked hard to win,” Stuart said. “We were relaxed and confident and came out swinging early.”
Three walks set the table and timely hitting cleared it in helping the Tigers jump on top in the one-sided tourney opener with three runs in the top of the first.
After freshman Claira Tolan walked to lead off the game, Coulter singled and Tanksley walked to load the bases. Freshman Makena Cole then walked to bring home the game’s first run before senior Madison Clanton doubled in two runs for a 3-0 Taft lead.
Freshman Kayla Lininger walked to lead off the second inning and Tolan singled before Danneker hit her three-run shot over the fence for a 6-0 advantage.
Taft, which batted around in the inning, loaded the bases again before more walks and two wild pitches scored two more runs for an 8-0 lead. More free passes, errant throws and fielding miscues built a 12-0 cushion by the time the infield dust had settled.
The Cougars (19-7, 9-3 Old Oregon), who walked 10 Taft batters, scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to trim the margin to 12-2.
“Our coaches told us from the beginning that all we needed was confidence at the plate and on the field, and with that confidence would come success.” Taft senior infielder Naomi Rini said. “They couldn’t have been more right.”
Coulter went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Clanton had two hits and three runs batted in. Sophomore Corey VanDamme had two RBIs for the Tigers, while freshman leadoff hitter Kyla Knott, junior courtesy runner Anna Ortiz, Tanksley and Tolan scored twice each.
“We had a slightly different defense out there due to some issues off the field,” Stuart said. “That defense played amazing.”
Stuart credited Tolan for “a killer game” at shortstop and Coulter for an “amazing” effort in the circle.
“We are excited to get to the next round,’ she said. “We are so happy and I am so proud of the work they have been putting in.”
The State title game will be contested Friday, June 1, at the Oregon State University Softball Complex.
Taft 12, Stanfield/Echo 2
TAFT AB R H BI
Kyla Knott 3 2 0 0
Claira Tolan 2 2 1 0
Hailee Danneker 3 1 1 3
Emma Coulter 3 0 3 1
Alyssa Tanksley 3 2 1 0
Makena Cole 1 1 0 1
McKenzie Evenson 1 0 0 0
Madison Clanton 3 1 2 3
Corey VanDamme 4 1 1 2
Kayla Lininger 2 0 0 1
*Anna Ortiz 0 2 0 0
TOTALS 25 12 9 11
ECHO/STANFIELD AB R H BI
K Hart 3 0 2 0
A Putman 2 0 0 0
M Weems 2 0 1 0
N Toombs 1 1 0 0
A Weems 2 1 1 0
L Keltz 2 0 0 0
A Ray 2 0 0 1
A Barnes 2 0 0 0
A Braitgwaite 2 0 0 0
M Huff 2 0 0 0
TOTALS 20 2 4 1
TAFT 390 000 — 12
ECHO/STANFIELD 000 20x — 2
LOB–TAFT 8, STANFIELD/ECHO 4. ERR–Makena Cole, L Keltz, A Barnes. HR–Hailee Danneker. SB–Madison Clanton, Anna Ortiz.
TAFT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Emma Coulter 5.00 4 2 2 1 3 0
STANFIELD/ECHO
A Ray 5.00 9 12 8 10 7 1
PB–Hailee Danneker. WP–A Ray (2). BB–Kyla Knott, Kayla Lininger, Madison Clanton, Makena Cole (2), Hailee Danneker, Alyssa Tanksley, Claira Tolan (2), Emma Coulter,
Homepage-Mini 005 – State Championship Edition
Homepage-Mini number five is live. This issue features the best story Jim Fossum has written to date: It’s All in the Family for Taft Baseball Stars. It tells the story of three Tiger greats, Jack Stempel, Josh Salsbery and Caleb King.
Baseball and softball cards are included in this edition, however, they are a bit small and suggest you wait for us to make the actual trading cards instead of cutting them out of the Homepage-Mini.
Look for the Homepage-Mini in local businesses and at The Pit Wednesday and Friday during Taft Tiger baseball State games.
Print your own Homepage-Mini by selecting duplex printing and flip along the short edge.
