Laboratory coordinator Diane Welsh inside the hospital laboratory, a very familiar place to her after 35 years of employment there.
Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital staff took a mid-afternoon break on Tuesday, May 8, to recognize four dozen co-workers who reached employment milestones.
At the 2018 Service Awards Celebration, held in the hospital cafeteria, CEO Dr. Lesley Ogden praised the employees’ dedication to serving the community through their work at the hospital and medical clinics. Topping out the list at 35 years of service was Diane Welsh, Laboratory coordinator, with a hire date of April 18, 1983.
35-year employee Diane Welsh poses with CEO Dr. Lesley Ogden and her Laboratory manager, Stewart Pritchard.
Tracy Dahlman, Pharmacy coordinator, and Carol Scanlan, patient financial counselor, were honored for 30 years of service. Brietta Lefever, RN, of Emergency Services, was celebrated for 25 years.
Carol Scanlan, left, and Tracy Dahlman
Six staff members with 15 years of service were honored: Naomi Carter, Pharmacy; Sarah Lewis, Emergency Services; Rick Rhoton, Nursing Administration; Alicia Stevens, Medical/Surgical Unit; Kelly Taylor, Business Office; and Stacy Thompson, Nutrition Services.
The 15-year employees who attended the ceremony were, from left, Naomi Carter, Rick Rhoton and Kelly Taylor.
The 11 Samaritan employees with 10 years of service are: Dr. Jonathan Babbitt, Emergency Services; Jillian Cochran, Samaritan Women’s Health Center; Karen Dettner, Medical/Surgical Unit; John Jurkanin, Anesthesia; Sherri Nordyke, Patient Registration; Melissa Reade, Respiratory Therapy; Rhonda Salinas, Medical/Surgical Unit; Angel Serrato, Plant Engineering; Salena Veloz, Diagnostic Imaging; Mica Ward, Nutrition Services; and Liz Wood, Medical/Surgical Unit.
A total of 28 others were honored for five years of service.
During the ceremony, HR Director Heather Arce-Torres presented highlights from the years that employees were hired, while Dr. Ogden presented awards. In addition, the supervisors for the top three longest serving employees spoke about their employee, with heartfelt gratitude and a few humorous stories.
And they say the pursuit of perfection doesn’t come easy.
The undefeated West Valley League champion Taft High baseball team might beg to differ. The Tigers put the finishing touches on a 12-0 conference season Wednesday with a 14-4 victory at Dayton.
Sophomore designated hitter Caleb Jones drove in a team-leading three runs and senior first baseman Jack Stempel had three hits to power the No, 1–ranked Tigers to an unblemished conference record and 21-2 overall mark with their 15th straight win.
Jack Stempel
“It’s flat-out awesome,” senior shortstop Josh Salsbery said. “We pitched, hit and just played out of our minds and up to our potential for 12 games.”
Josh Salsbery
Senior pitcher Caleb King, junior left fielder Tyee Fisher, sophomore catcher Eli DeMello and Salsbery had two hits apiece. King, Stempel and Fisher drove in two runs each.
Eli DeMello
King, who started and earned the victory on the hill for the Tigers, doubled twice. He combined with Salsbery and Stempel to limit the Pirates (9-13, 6-6) to two hits.
Caleb King
“We knew we were going to see a better team than the last time we played Dayton [in a 19-0 home win April 20].” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said. “They made some great plays on defense that kept their energy up early. We maintained ourselves and battled them until we stared rolling.”
Leading 3-1, Taft scored eight runs in the top half of the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
“After a couple of low-scoring games, our bats came alive again,” King said. “The bottom of our lineup produced today, and that is always an awesome thing to see.”
The bottom third of Taft’s order – Jones and the Fisher cousins, Tyee and Trenton — contributed four runs on four hits with six RBIs.
Caleb Jones
“Our bats showed up again tonight and that has been a key to our success this year,” Stempel said.
Tyee Fisher
The 10-run road victory improved the Tigers’ scoring margin over league opponents to 156-8 this season, or more than 13 runs per game. Taft has outscored the opposition 256-63 in 23 contests.
“To only allow eight runs in a season is pretty incredible, so that goes to show how great our defense is also,” Stempel said. “It has been an unbelievable year, but we have more games to play.”
Cody Knott turns a doubleTrenton “Magnet” FisherJack Stempel toes the base for an out
The Tigers will meet Salem Academy (10-2, 6-1 3A PacWest) in the regular-season finale Tuesday in a game originally scheduled to be played in Keizer — site of the June 1 State title game. Hilgers said Wednesday he’s been told the game has been moved to the Crusaders’ home field due to maintenance at Volcanoes Stadium.
Taft will host a league playoff game at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 17, against a team to be determined.
“I couldn’t be any more excited about the playoffs and how I imagine the turnout,” said Salsbery, the Tigers’ captain along with Stempel and King. “We have an incredible group of guys with a mentality and desire to win.”
Kam Kessler
Taft’s only losses this season came back-to-back in late March when they lost 8-5 at second-ranked La Pine (18-2, 11-1 3A Mountain Valley) and 18-9 to Crook County (13-10, 8-6 4A Tri-Valley) in the Madras Tournament during spring break.
“Jack, Josh and I have always dreamed of winning a league title,” said King, “so sweeping through the West Valley League our senior year is definitely special, but that’s just one goal. The postseason is right around the corner, and we don’t plan on our season ending anytime soon.”
Coaches Matt Hilgers, left, and Jason King
Taft 14, Dayton 4
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 4 2 2 1
Eli DeMello 5 1 2 1
Caleb King 4 2 2 2
Jack Stempel 5 2 3 2
Cody Knott 4 2 1 0
Kam Kessler 4 1 0 1
Tyee Fisher 4 1 2 2
Caleb Jones 3 2 1 3
Trenton Fisher 4 1 1 1 TOTALS 37 14 14 13
DAYTON AB R H BI
Zach Russell 3 1 1 0
Josiah Primbs 4 0 0 0
Tristan Fergus 3 1 0 0
Luke Primbs 4 1 1 2
Liam Munoz 1 1 0 0
Cristian Garcia 3 0 0 0
Gavin Arce 2 0 0 0
Dylan Lane 1 0 0 1
Garrett Doran 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 24 4 2 3
TAFT 003 082 1 — 14 DAYTON 000 130 0 — 4
LOB–TAFT 7, DAYTON 8. ERR–Bleiz Kimbrough, Josh Salsbery, Gavin Arce, Liam Munoz, Tristan Fergus (2), Josiah Primbs. 2B–Caleb King (2), Caleb Jones, Luke Primbs. HBP–Gavin Arce. SACF–Josh Salsbery. SB–Eli DeMello, Jack Stempel, Zach Russell (2), Luke Primbs.
TAFT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Caleb King (W) 4.33 2 4 3 6 6 0
Josh Salsbery 1.67 0 0 0 1 1 0
Jack Stempel 1.00 0 0 0 1 1 0 DAYTON
Josiah Primbs (L) 4.00 9 8 5 1 3 0
Zach Russell 0.00 2 3 3 1 0 0
Liam Munoz 3.00 3 3 1 2 1 0 PB–Eli DeMello, Luke Primbs. BALK–Liam Munoz. BB–Caleb King, Kam Kessler, Cody Knott, Caleb Jones, Dylan Lane (2), Zach Russell, Liam Munoz (3), Tristan Fergus, Cristian Garcia.
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.
The Class 3A Pirates (17-7, 8-1) regained the state’s top ranking with the two-run victory behind senior starter Ani Heidt, who struck out 10 and walked one against the Tigers (16-8, 8-2).
“We actually played a very tough game on the road in a place where they have a lot of hometown pride and a big fan base,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said.
Heidt went 3-for-3 with three RBIS, while sophomore catcher Sofia Cicirone was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Senior shortstop Malina Ray and freshman first baseman Maddie Fluke had two hits each for the Pirates.
Dayton can clinch the league title Thursday with a victory at third-place Amity (11-7, 7-2), which defeated Sheridan 26-5 Wednesday.
“We came from behind and put a lot of runs on the board,” Stuart said. “We scored seven runs on a very good pitcher who has shut out quite a few teams this year. Ultimately, we had a couple of costly errors and couldn’t quite hold on to the game.”
Behind 3-0, Taft scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead, but surrendered two runs in the bottom half of the inning and four in the fifth to trail 9-4 entering the seventh. A three-run rally came up short.
Taft senior third baseman Naomi Rini, senior center fielder Alyssa Tanksley, sophomore catcher Hailee Danneker and sophomore pitcher Emma Coulter had two hits each for Taft, while Danneker drove in three runs and scored twice.
“The important thing is we know that we can compete with, and beat, one of the top teams in the state,” said Stuart, whose Tigers defeated Dayton 4-2 at home on April 20. “Going in to the playoffs and the State tournament, if we play level-headed and play as a team, we can beat anyone.”
The Tigers conclude the regular season with two games next week – at 3:45 p.m. Monday at home against Yamhill-Carlton (10-12, 7-7 4A Oregon West) and at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at third-ranked Scio (21-2, 9-0 3A PacWest).
Russ Baldwin is running for circuit judge, answering a call to serve. We need forward thinking candidates to address our most serious problems, like poverty, drug addiction, homelessness, crime, and government accountability. These are complex issues. Solutions require fresh minds and a willingness to serve, so we support Russ Baldwin.
We have 3 former prosecutors on the bench emphasizing punishment and restitution for crime victims. But our criminal sentencing guidelines have been standardized by the state since 1989. That is what Mr. Baldwin meant when he said the criminal is not as complex as civil law.
We need an honorable and experienced civil rights lawyer on our bench. Victims of crime deserve compassion, sensitivity and protection by enforcement of laws. Russ Baldwin has that sensitivity and will enforce our laws. If elected, Russ Baldwin will also give similar protection to victims of corporate and governmental abuses. We know. He has assisted us and others for the last 8 years defending against a fraudulent mortgage and banking system. Such “civil” bad acts by big banks have been widely reported in the media nearly every week for the last several years. But our state courts have not been able to keep pace. No-one has been held accountable.
Homelessness, poverty, addiction and crime all increased in Lincoln County when hundreds of people lost their homes after the 2008 financial meltdown. Ten years later, our courts are not timely responding to those needs. Russ Baldwin understands complex litigation, securitization of home loans, mortgage and contract laws, and how a failure to require county recording has contributed to the epidemic of homelessness in our county. We need him on the bench for fairness and timely justice in these matters.
Most law relates to the civil relationships between private parties, and the non-criminalized relationship between citizens and the state. For example, Lincoln Case No. 17cv23360 challenges our local ordinance forbidding aerial spraying. At issue is the purity of our local water, and whether state law allows it to be poisoned through “pre-emption.” ORS 1.050 required the judge to make a decision within 3 months of submission. It was submitted on October 9, 2017. We have waited for 7 months—with no decision. That is the “black-hole” to which Mr. Baldwin publicly refers when showing that our civil docket is not being timely administered. How many more months must pass before our local law is either applied or reviewed on appeal? Pure water is human right, not a convenience. Ask Flint, MI.
It takes a brilliant legal mind with fortitude to go the distance when serving justice for everyone. Russ Baldwin knows that human rights matter, and he has protected those rights in court by challenging deep pockets. That is rare. He has the stamina and clarity to ask deeper questions of litigants and their attorneys. Russ Baldwin is ethical and honest, and is not beholden to any one, except to you the voter.
Pamela Staton, Ph.D.
Lauren Schickling
Lisa DeFalco
Yachats, Oregon
Turns out Taft High senior Maya Hatton’s fate was to arrange a date with State with her mates Tuesday at the District 2 girls golf championships.
Rhymes aside, Hatton’s play was pure poetry over two days of play at Santiam Golf Course in Aumsville.
In a word, it was great . . .
Saving her best for last, the 17-year-old senior shot a career-low 75 Tuesday to win her third District title and lead the Tigers to the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Golf Championships May 14-15 at Quail Valley Golf Course near Banks.
Hatton, who is headed to the College of Idaho to play golf in the fall, added a 1-over 75 to an opening 76 Monday for a school-record, 36-hole 151 to lead Taft to a State-qualifying second-place showing.
“I could not have asked for a better way to end my regular-season tournament play,” said Hatton, who imposed a short shelf life on her first-round 2-over effort as her career-best round by going one stroke better. “Everyone on my team played amazing today, and that is something I will carry with me forever.”
The Tigers finished eight shots behind the co-op team of Salem Academy/Blanchet Catholic and runner-up Katie Goodwin, who fell two strokes short of Hatton’s command performance on the par-74 Santiam layout near Salem. Hatton’s longtime youth golf rival and high school nemesis closed with a 77.
“Going into today, I knew that I had a lead on Katie before I even stepped into the first tee box, which made the first hole a little less stressful for me,” said Hatton, who made the turn with a four-stroke cushion. “I knew I had a couple of strokes to spare, but made sure to stay even-keel and focused.”
Hatton said she knew she had victory in the bag while standing over a par putt on the 17th green.
“I played the hole efficiently, but tried to play it slow, because that last hole was nothing but emotional for me,” she said.
After shedding tears with her playing partners on the closing hole, Hatton putted out on a four-year journey under her coaching parents, mother and longtime head coach, Heather, and assistant and father, Rick.
“I started these two days wanting to play good for myself, but more importantly to make my parents proud,” Maya said. “They have both put so much time and patience into developing my game, and we have all been waiting for me to strike the ball like this forever.”
Rick Hatton, Maya’s swing coach, proved Monday evening to be not only a mentor, but a caddy.
“After my round yesterday, my dad said, ‘I knew you could do it. I just didn’t think I’d be waiting until your senior year at Districts to see it happen. Now, go do it all again tomorrow.’ That statement is something I couldn’t agree with more, and what pushed me to play the same exact way today.”
Additional comments from Taft High head coach Heather Hatton
On Maya:
“As a mom and coach, I’m still in awe of what I witnessed the last two days from our No.1 — Maya Hatton. I’m also so over-the-top proud of my team putting together a team score on Day 2 26 strokes better than Day 1 with a 380. That is in the top 5 all-time best team scores in school history.
“Maya Hatton posted the lowest two-day score Taft has ever seen out of a female Tiger golfer. The closest was Jesse Weaver at the State tournament in 2013 with a 154. Maya posted a 151 — only 3-over par for two days. She shot a 75 on Day 2 with a triple bogey on No. 9 after a lost-ball penalty. She kept her composure and proceeded to play strong for the two-stroke win over two days.
“We have also never had a Lady Tiger three-time District champion. This is exciting for the program and for the school. Maya has worked so hard for so long to get here. She is a three-sport athlete who really is only able to dedicate her time starting with golf season in late February every year.
“This year, she started a little early to get herself ready for a competitive year. This wasn’t an easy season, as she worked on different areas of her game to get it dialed in when it counted the most. We aren’t just talking about a three-sport athlete who excels at her sports, but a strong academic student who is salutatorian and a volunteer in the school and our community.
“She has been volunteering in my youngest daughter’s classroom for the past few weeks (third grade) getting ready to be an education major when she enters College of Idaho in the fall. She has become such an amazing person that we can all be proud of, and I hope has inspired Tiger athletes to strive for the best they can be.
“Watching her dad follow her both days and the pride he had was something I will never forget. When she walked off the 18th green in tears and they embraced, I was a proud mom and wife, the coach in me was gone for just a moment. I’m tearing up now thinking about all of it.”
On the other players:
“Sammy Halferty really came alive both days with a 201. Her 104 on Day 1 was already a PR, then she continued the fire Day 2 with a 46 on the front nine after posting a 56 Day 1 on that same side. She finished with a 97 — breaking 100 as a sophomore only two years into her career.
“She is strong and truly amazed me both days putting together great rounds with all the pressure of our fight to win as a team. Sammy had a birdie on Day 1 and had an eagle putt Day 2. She ended with a par on that hole, but to give herself a chance at eagle in the early stages of her golf experience is incredible. Watching her perform at the level she did over two days was cool.
“Olivia Baker has been a solid player all season and really put together solid two days with a 110-107. She was crushing her drive on Tuesday. I’m excited to watch her compete at State. She is on the verge of breaking 100. She is now hitting the ball further and more solid and with that comes adjustments of your club usage which results in overshooting greens and putting yourself in to spots you aren’t used to.
“With her new-found distance, she really did a great job compensating Day 2 by improving by three strokes. When you have yardage issues with your clubs, it’s tough to adjust and she did it very well. She spent extra time working on her approach shots the morning of Day 2 and it paid off.
“Violet Palermini had a rough first day with a 116, but came back strong with a 15-stroke improvement Day 2. She was in some pain after the sun really got to her Day 1 with a pretty bad burn on her legs. She was determined not to let it affect her. Violet also was in a fun group Day 2 with a girls from Sweet Home, and they just had a great day on the course.
“Jocelyn Arguello played well her second year at Districts. She improved her score this year and each day. She had some great shots and like Olivia, needs to learn how to work with her new found distance. She is striking the ball better and now needs to work with that improvement in her swing.”
On the State tournament:
“Going in to State, we are in the top-five team scores and Maya goes in with a strong individual chance as well. But in golf, you never count yourself in until the final putt is made. You can’t predict what will happen on the course — you hit an awesome drive with a little draw in an area you think you’ll find it and, boom, you can’t find it, have a two-stroke penalty with lost ball and post a triple bogey.
“It’s the athletes that can recover from those truly annoying moments that will come out on top. State will be a game of mental toughness and hard work, experience and determination. I’m looking forward to our team doing their best — and that’s all I can expect.”
The schedule maker had this one nailed from the start.
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.
At stake in the league finale could be the conference championship and seeding priority in the playoffs.
“We played a great defensive game today,” said Taft coach Sandy Stuart, whose Tigers allowed no runs, walked none and committed no errors. “We played together and communicated well.”
Taft senior sophomore starting pitcher Emma Coulter helped her own cause with three RBIs, and senior third baseman Naomi Rini and senior center fielder Alyssa Tanksley had a team-leading two hits each against the Bulldogs (3-17, 1-8).
“We tend to struggle a little with slower pitching, so we did not have a big day at the plate, but we still had some solid hits and were aggressive in the box and on the bases,” Stuart said.
Freshman Kyla Knott, sophomore Hailee Danneker and Coulter scored twice each for Taft, which tallied four runs in the top of the first to jump on Willamina starter Jami Grandy early.
Sophomore Corey VanDamme, Rini and Tanksley also scored for Taft. Senior McKenzie Evenson, freshman Kayla Lininger and Tanksley drove home a run each for the Tigers.
Tanksley and Coulter both doubled for Taft, which scored three times in the top of the sixth inning after adding to a 4-0 lead with a run in the fourth and the fifth.
“We look towards tomorrow,” Stuart said.
Dayton, a perennial power in West Valley play, are coming off a 5-1 loss Monday at third-ranked Rainer (14-4, 7-1 3A Lewis & Clark). Taft defeated Dayton 4-2 at home on April 20.
“We need to be able to play as a team for a full seven innings,” Stuart said. “I have full confidence in this team. They are a great bunch of athletes.”
The Tigers conclude the regular season with two games next week – at 3:45 p.m. Monday at home against Yamhill-Carlton (10-11, 7-6 4A Oregon West) and at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at No. 1-ranked Scio (20-2, 10-0 3A PacWest).
TAFT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Emma Coulter 7.00 2 0 0 0 3 0 WILLAMINA
Jami Grandy 7.00 8 9 4 5 4 0 PB–Amarisa Mooney (6). BB–Kyla Knott (2), Corey VanDamme (2), Emma Coulter.
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.
He’s hoping the trophy grows even bigger.
Merry made the West Valley League’s first team with a tie for third Tuesday in the Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 Boys Golf Championships, leading the second-place Tigers to the State tournament May 14-15 at Quail Valley Golf Course near Banks.
West Valley League Player of the Year Kyle Humphreys of Regis claimed medalist honors over La Pine’s Tommy Rohde at Salishan Spa & Golf Resort. Merry tied for third with Aneesh Namburi of team champion Blanchet Catholic on the 6,203-yard, par-72 resort layout.
“Blanchet Catholic walked away with the team title, as they had in every tournament this season, but we are optimistic because Taft has yet to put in their best collective round all year,” coach Andy Morgan said.
Bonny Patel
Taft’s first-year coach said senior Bonny Patel was solid from the second position, and senior twin brothers Ean and Dawson Wood also played well. Junior William Brooks, playing from the No. 3 spot, struggled for the first time this season, he said.
William Brooks
“It was a well timed off-week, however,” said Morgan, whose team was virtually assured of a State appearance no matter where it finished Tuesday. “He picked a good time to have a rough tournament, which happens to the best golfers.”
Morgan said he expects to see Brooks respond at State and lead the next generation of Taft golfers as the only returning varsity player.
Merry, a junior, is moving with his family to the Albany-Corvallis area as part of his father’s work relocation.
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.
The road win improved the No. 1-ranked Tigers to 11-0 in league play and 20-2 overall with the conference finale scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dayton (9-11, 6-4).
Uncharacteristically, the Tigers fell short of playing in their ninth league game shortened by the state’s 10-run mercy rule. That’s the kind of season it’s been for Taft.
Tuesday’s shutout of the Bulldogs (4-16, 2-9) pushed the Tigers’ scoring margin over league opponents to 142-4 this season, or nearly 14 runs per game. The Tigers, who have won 14 straight games, have outscored the opposition 242-59 in 22 contests.
“We came out flat this afternoon. Defensively, we made a couple of mistakes,” Coach Matt Hilgers said. “Our pitching kept us where we needed to be to get the win.”
Kam Kessler
Junior third baseman Kam Kessler, who doubled and tripled, had three hits, four RBIs and scored three runs for Taft, which scored six times in the first inning. The Tigers added two runs in the third and one in the seventh.
Josh Salsbery
Senior shortstop Josh Salsbery also had three hits, scored a run and joined senior first baseman Jack Stempel with two RBIs.
Jack Stempel
Senior center fielder Caleb King had two hits and scored a run, while junior second baseman Cody Knott scored twice. Stempel and sophomore catcher Eli DeMello also scored for Taft.
Eli DeMello
Kimbrough, who also scored a run, walked none while going the distance.
Bleiz Kimbrough
Willamina leadoff hitter Kaleb Ried had both of the Bulldogs’ hits off Kimbrough. Starter Tanner Onstot surrendered 10 hits to the Tigers in defeat.
“We didn’t have very good approaches at the plate today, and their guy did a good job of keeping us off balance,” Hilgers said. “The good thing about baseball is you get to reset and start over with the next game. For us, that happens tomorrow. We are looking to be better tomorrow in our final league game.”
After Dayton, Taft will play at fourth-ranked Salem Academy (10-1, 6-0 3A PacWest) in the regular-season finale Tuesday, May 15, at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, site of the June 1 State title game. The Tigers will host a league playoff game at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 17, against a team to be determined.
The Tigers’ only losses this season came back to back in late March when they lost 8-5 at second-ranked La Pine (17-2, 10-1 3A Mountain Valley) and 18-9 to Crook County (13-9, 8-5 4A Tri-Valley) in the Madras Tournament during spring break.
Taft 9, Willamina 0
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 5 1 3 2
Eli DeMello 4 1 0 0
Caleb King 4 1 2 0
Jack Stempel 4 1 0 2
Cody Knott 4 2 1 0
Kam Kessler 4 3 3 4
Tyee Fisher 4 0 1 0
Bleiz Kimbrough 1 0 0 1
Trenton Fisher 4 0 0 0
David Elwood 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 34 9 10 9
WILLAMINA AB R H BI
Kaleb Ried 3 0 2 0
Nick Colton 3 0 0 0
Tanner Onstot 2 0 0 0
Keegan Cook 2 0 0 0
Josh Royce 1 0 0 0
Ian Bruckner 3 0 0 0
Austin Wadkins 3 0 0 0
Brad Milton 2 0 0 0
CJ Toney 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 23 0 2 0
TAFT 602 000 1 — 9 WILLAMINA 000 000 0 — 0
LOB–TAFT 8, WILLAMINA 3. ERR–Tyee Fisher, Eli DeMello, CJ Toney, Brad Milton, Kaleb Ried (2). 2B—Josh Salsbery, Kam Kessler. 3B–Kam Kessler. HBP–Bleiz Kimbrough (3), Tanner Onstot. SB–Josh Salsbery, Cody Knott.
TAFT IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bleiz Kimbrough (W) 7.00 2 0 0 0 12 0 WILLAMINA
Tanner Onstot (L) 7.00 10 9 6 1 4 0 BB—Eli DeMello.
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.
1 of 19
Austin Winters was second in the 1,500-meter run and Kaden Hindman second in the javelin for the boys at Voris Field.
Sammy Vasquez was third in the 100-meter run and Gavin Koceja third in the 100-meter hurdles.
Mateo, running the anchor leg, Vasquez, Winters and Eston Whisler won the 4×400-meter relay for the boys.
The Oregon Middle School Meet of Champions is scheduled May 24 at Corvallis High School.
The Class 3A West Valley League District Championships are scheduled Friday and Saturday in Dayton.
In most cases, either the Taft High band or softball team would find itself in a bit of quandary.
This is not most cases . . .
Meet longtime Lincoln City resident Alyssa Tanksley – accomplished musician, star softball player, exceptional person — depending on who you talk to.
From left, future sister-in-law Erica Lund, brother Travis, Alyssa, mother Staci and father Dave.
On Wednesday, the 2018 Community Days Outstanding Youth of the Year faces a dilemma – strum her upright bass in the school band at noon in the Class 3A OSAA Band/Orchestra State Championships in Corvallis, or pound her mitt in center field for the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. in a telltale West Valley League softball game at Dayton.
How about both? The 18-year-old Taft High senior is about to make it happen.
“She doesn’t want to let any of her softball or band teammates down, so she is going to do her best to be at everything,” softball coach Sandy Stuart said. “It’s just another thing that makes her such a great person.”
Tanksley commandeers the outfield for the Tigers, who share first place with Dayton entering Wednesday afternoon’s regular-season league finale that will help determine State playoff seeding — not to mention the conference championship.
“We will need her leadership and her glove and bat,” Stuart said.
Tanksley also provides the baritone beat for Taft, which will strike up the symphonic band earlier in the day at LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State campus. She’ll confront the same kind of grueling schedule next week when the jazz band takes the stage at State.
“Thankfully, with timing of events and administrators willing to go the extra mile to support student-athletes, we plan to have Alyssa there to participate in both,” Stuart said. “Being an exceptional student-athlete, she is able to juggle many things at once.”
Headed for Portland State this fall on a scholarship in pursuit of a degree in Music Performance/Jazz Studies, Tanksley hopes to become a traveling professional bassist and college music instructor.
“Portland State made a very wise choice with this young woman,” Taft drama director Jennifer Sparks said. “I can’t wait to see what she has in store for the rest of us lucky enough to witness her future endeavors.”
A softball and soccer player, Tanksley moved with her family to Lincoln City from the small farming town of Silverton, outside of Salem, in 2005.
Her mother, Staci, is an independent massage therapist. Her father, David does sales and graphics installment for outdoors outfitter Scout Northwest. She has an older brother, Travis, 23, who is considering a career in Emergency Management Services.
Twice honored by the West Valley League for her play in center field, Tanksley will conclude her conference career against the team that provided her greatest athletic highlight to date. She says finally beating rival Dayton this season is her fondest sports memory.
“Everything fell into place mentally and physically, and it was just a great game for us overall,” she said of the 4-2 April 20 home win over the perennially powerful Pirates.
Previously honored as Student of the Month and twice as Student-Athlete of the Month by the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, Tanksley considers herself a full-time musician, spending most of her time in the band room playing bass or relaxing at home on the guitar.
“I’m continuously trying to grow more as a musician,” she said, crediting Andy Hordichok, her “catalyst and inspiration to pursue music” as her Taft High band director of five years.
“Alyssa has taken her passion for playing jazz and morphed not only into an excellent musician, but also into an outstanding leader,” Hordichok said.
“She’s a friend to all and a listener as well,” Sparks said. “She’s devoted to all her teammates — both on the softball field and in the band. She has amazing qualities that many of us lack come natural to her. . . . A void will be created when she leaves Taft, one I will personally feel in my heart. Her constant smile and laughter is contagious.”
If not evolving as an artist, Tanksley is probably reading — science fiction, most likely – or watching “Fear the Walking Dead” or “Game of Thrones.” Whether helping organize school plays or performing in murder mysteries at local restaurants on weekends, classmates and teammates will tell you her positivity spills over to the diamond, her getaway from band.
“I love softball because there are still aspects to the game I still don’t know,” she said. “I love catching pop flies and pushing myself to my limits to catch the ball.”
“Alyssa is one of the hardest-working athletes I have ever coached,” said Stuart, who has mentored Tanksley for six years on travel teams, JV and varsity. “She is a leader on our team. She is always one of the first to arrive and last to leave.”
Hesitantly, Stuart appreciates her center fielder’s recklessness.
“If you ever want to see an outfielder lay out for a ball, you should check out one of our games,” she said. “She is one of the few outfielders I have seen give 100 percent to her team by making the diving play. She is very tough. Not a lot gets to her.”
As a veteran starter, Tanksley has used her leadership abilities to help propel the Tigers to a top-five state ranking. Taft is 7-1 in league play entering its Wednesday showdown with the top-rated Pirates.
Taft Tigers softball team – Alyssa is wearing sunglasses.
“The team this year has such an awesome dynamic,” Tanksley said of the Tigers’ balance in experience. “Thinking short-term, the goal is to win league to secure a good spot in the State bracket. Then, of course, start working our way towards making it to the State championship game.”
Before that comes a hectic Wednesday. But here’s something else you should know about the girl Sparks refers to as “one of Taft High’s shining stars:”
She’s been down this road before.
“Juggling sports with my music has become kind of normal for me right now,” she said.
“I have seen her play her instrument in back-to-back musical events in one day, and play a game of softball in the same afternoon, only to come back to play in the evening,” Sparks said. “Never once have I heard the words, ‘I don’t think I can’ come out of her mouth. It’s always, ‘Let me see what I can do.’”
