What a great job you have done in covering Taft High sports. It is really nice looking forward to your articles right after it happens. The article on the Tigers baseball team was the best written I have ever read.
Hopefully, you will be writing more about them in the next 2 weeks.
As a Taft Alumni, with three sons, grand-kids and wife all Taft High grads, we are very proud of these young men and the job the coaches are doing.
As far as I know this has been the best any baseball team has done. Thank you again and GO TIGERS!
The No.-1 ranked Taft High baseball team posted some gaudy numbers this season – the most important, of course, being 12-0, the team’s perfect record in winning the West Valley League regular-season championship.
But to amass a 22-2 overall mark by outscoring the opposition by almost 200 runs, it took some outstanding individual performances at the plate and on the mound for the Tigers — winners of 16 straight games.
Not surprisingly, it was the indomitable senior trio of Caleb King, Josh Salsbery and Jack Stempel who led the way. But don’t discount the undeniable contributions of players such as catcher Eli DeMello, designated hitter Caleb Jones, second baseman Cody Knott, third baseman Kam Kessler, left fielder Tyee Fisher, right fielder Trenton Fisher and reliever Bleiz Kimbrough for making this a team in every sense of the word.
While some stat nerds might argue that the Tigers’ astounding 156-8 scoring edge in league play (more than 13 runs per game) is the most eye-popping figure, it took innumerable intangibles such as unwavering unselfishness and overt camaraderie on top of talent to make Taft the best small-school baseball team in the state.
When head coach Matt Hilgers’ and assistant Jason King’s squad of overachievers takes the home field at 5 p.m. Thursday against Santiam Christian in a game to determine seeding for next week’s Class 3A State championships, these are among the immeasurable factors that will matter.
To get here, however, the Tigers had to assemble and sequence some staggering individual stats. Naturally, a look behind the numbers reveals that starts with team leadership – in other words, tri-captains King, Salsbery and Stempel.
King, playing center field when not pitching, led the Tigers in hitting with a .494 average and a team-high 42 RBIs from the No. 3 slot in the lineup. He scored 35 runs with 38 hits, including eight doubles.
Salsbery, the infield glue at shortstop, led the Tigers with 44 runs, six triples and 18 steals while batting .482 with 40 hits from the leadoff spot.
Stempel, the cleanup-hitting first baseman and ace pitcher, batted .459 with 34 hits, 35 runs, 30 RBIs and a team–high 20 walks.
Then there was DeMello, a sturdy, speedy free-swinging catcher who led the Tigers in plate appearances (109) and at-bats (91) while tying Salsbery for the team lead in stolen bases and triples. Batting second, he hit .440 and scored 43 runs with 20 RBIs on 40 hits, including a team-leading 12 for extra bases.
As if that wasn’t enough plate production, outfielder/designated hitter Jones batted .432; left fielder Tyee Fisher hit .387 with a team-high 10 doubles; second baseman Knott batted .354 with 28 hits, 27 runs and 26 RBIs; and third baseman Kessler batted .282 with six doubles, four triples, 23 runs and 26 RBIs.
Knott and Stempel had the only blasts over the fence for the Tigers, who batted .381 as a team.
With hitting like that, who needs pitching, right?
Come again . . .
As impressive as the Tigers were in the batter’s box, they matched the numbers on the rubber.
Stempel went 7-1 in eight starts with three shutouts and a team-low 0.74 earned run average with 45 strikeouts in 47 innings.
King also fanned 45 batters in going 7-0 in eight starts with a 1.94 ERA in 36.3 innings.
Reliever and spot starter Kimbrough made 12 mound appearances, threw two shutouts and compiled 44 strikeouts with a 2.60 ERA in 32.3 innings.
Kessler was 5-0 with 21 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings with a 2.32 ERA and shared the team lead with Kimbrough in saves.
You can’t have great pitching without stellar defense, correct?
Led by the glove wizardry of sophomore Trenton Fisher in right, Taft committed just 35 errors in 24 games for a .945 fielding percentage.
Parlayed together, relentless hitting, shutdown pitching and stingy defense have made for a shiny diamond of success for the state’s most dominant baseball team.
Scio High assumed the state’s No. 1 ranking in the Class 3A softball ranks Tuesday after defeating playoff-bound Taft 14-4 to conclude the regular season.
Taft sophomore catcher Hailee Danneker hit a two-run home run over a 190-foot fence, which also came back to haunt the Tigers and starting sophomore pitcher Emma Coulter.
“A couple of their home runs would have been long fly-ball outs on our home field,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said. “That is tough on a pitcher. You work hard to throw spin and get a fly ball, and then it lands on the other side of a short-field fence.”
Friday’s winner of a 3 p.m. contest between the second-seeded Tigers (17-9, 8-2 West Valley) and third-seeded Amity (13-8, 7-3) at Dayton High School will face the conference regular-season champion Pirates (18-8, 9-1) at 5 p.m. for the top seed in the State tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Santiam Christian 13-10 Wednesday to advance to Friday’s matchup with Taft.
“We are moving on and learning from the experience,” Stuart said. “We are looking to Friday. As a coaching staff, we are just going to try to light a fire under this team and get them motivated and prepared to take down league opponents in our playoff game Friday at Dayton.”
The Tigers, who have outscored their opponents by 100 runs this season, collected just five hits against the Loggers.
“We were not outmatched by Scio as a team, but they did out-hit us,” Stuart said “We did not come out with the fire needed to get our offense going.”
Senior third baseman Naomi Rini and freshman outfielder Makena Cole joined Danneker with RBIs and runs-scored for Taft.
“We did not string many hits together, and our lineup did not produce from top to bottom,’ Stuart said. “Ultimately, we were able to get some key outs to keep quite a few runners from scoring, but we needed to gain some offensive momentum and it did not come.”
Scio (23-2, 10-0 3A PacWest) was led by senior leadoff hitter Ashton Phillips, who went 3-for-4 with four ruins and three RBIs.
SCIO AB R H BI
A Phillips 4 4 3 3
R McDaniel 3 1 1 1
B Young 3 2 1 2
O Zeiner 3 2 2 3
K Parazon 2 1 0 0
K Pollard 4 0 2 2
M Cooper 3 1 2 0
M Mikolas 2 2 2 3
M Reger 4 1 0 0 TOTALS 28 14 13 14
TAFT 003 10 — 4 SCIO 322 7x — 14
LOB–TAFT 3, SCIO 10. ERR–Makena Cole, Emma Coulter,M Cooper. 2B–Naomi Rini, Makena Cole, B Young, A Phillips. HR–Hailee Danneker, O Zeiner, M Mikolas, A Phillips (2). HBP–M Cooper, K Parazon, B Young. SACB–Alyssa Tanksley.
The Taft High girls golf team made the biggest march up the leaderboard Tuesday to finish sixth behind champion St. Mary’s in the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A State Girls Golf Championships in Banks.
The Tigers, behind a 10th-place finish from three-time Special District 2 champion Maya Hatton’s 85-87–172, finished at 820, a 44-shot improvement from Monday’s opening round at 5,416-yard par-72 Quail Valley Golf Course.
Maya Hatton
The Taft boys (791) placed ninth behind winning Bandon (610) in the 3A/2A/1A competition.
St. Mary’s freshman Baylee Hammericksen shot 70-72—142 to earn medalist honors for the girls, while Bandon freshman Sonny Kennon shot 65-71—136 to win the boys title.
Junior Violet Palmerini placed 33rd for Taft in girls play at 202; junior Olivia Baker tied for 47th at 219; sophomore Sammy Halferty was 54th at 227; and senior Jocelyn Arguello 64th at 283.
Junior Logan Merry led the Taft boys on a 6,346-yard layout by placing 23rd at 178; senior Bonny Patel tied for 31st at 183; junior William Brooks and senior Dawson Wood tied for 44th at 215; and senior Ean Wood finished 56th at 254.
Coach Hatton takes a look at the Taft girls golf season and the State tournament:
“Junior Violet Palermini was the shining star in her round of 93 — crushing her all-time low of 101 Day Two of the District tournament a week ago. I was so proud of her two-day State achievement.
“Maya Hatton had a solid two-day tournament once again earning her All-State honors by placing 10th individually among the 68 competitors for the fourth year in a row. She had tough pairings each day playing with athletes averaging more than 20 strokes higher than her, but she managed her patience, game and character and fought to stay on top.
“Her scores of 85-87 for the two-day state tournament isn’t her best score showing, but her ability to play at a different pace with no one to push her impressed not only me, but those watching her. At the end of her round, she knew she may not earn a state medal for the fourth year in a row, but she didn’t focus on herself, but rather congratulated her teammates on amazing rounds and her fellow competitors as well.
“Her team surrounded her as the scores and individual standings came in. When we found out she once again earned an all-state tournament team honor the attention was turned on her and her accomplishment. This team showed great sportsmanship and really grew together this season and it showed on and off the course.
“Sammy Halferty and Olivia Baker both turned their tournament around by improving their second day rounds. Sammy improved 19 strokes on her Day One and Olivia improved by 11 strokes. Jocelyn Arguello also improved on her first day round by 11 strokes.
“This was an awesome end to a rewarding 20-plus years with the Tiger golf program — 20 seasons as head coach. After finishing Day 1 in 10th place and then witnessing the Tiger athletes improve four places with exceptional play and sportsmanship was a coach’s dream.
“The best part of the final day at State was sharing it with the entire boys golf team who arrived at the golf course at 7:20 a.m. and stayed after the completion of their tournament to support the girls. The team was led by their coach, Andy Morgan, walking the course supporting the Lady Tigers by encouraging words and cheering. Their show of support and sportsmanship was heartwarming.”
Coach Morgan takes a look at the Taft boys golf season and the State tournament:
“We didn’t do much very well as far as our potential is concerned.”
“Bonny Patel played well on the second day of the tournament. Bonny improved from his disappointing Day One score, which was a team focus. Dawson Wood continued to show improvements, while his brother played to his average.
“Where Ean struggled with improving scores, he made up for it with attitude and support of his teammates. Ean knew his average, and set realistic goals. I think he would have enjoyed some better results, but he stayed focused on his game.
“Brother Dawson was looking for better scores after a fantastic practice round, but he should be proud of his results. He did improve on Day Two, which was a team goal.
“William Brooks turned in scores that were above his goals, but showed that he could bounce back from a difficult District tournament. William learned some more about himself, and will respond well to a second year in the State tournament as he looks to lead the future of Tiger golf.
“Team leader Logan Merry had a very disappointing State tournament. He was noticeably discouraged, but presented himself as a gracious competitor and showed an enormous amount of composure and maturity as he failed to reach his personal expectations. The putter gave Logan trouble, an experience that was surprisingly new to him.
“Collectively, the Tigers had their worst weekend of the season. We couldn’t put a finger on the trouble. The team was loose, cohesive and well rested. It was just an example of bad play at the worst possible time.
“While it is always disappointing to fall short of your goal, we knew we were underdogs going into the State finals. Our goal was to win, but our expectation was to put in our best team effort.
“Had we all played beyond our potential, which was the hope, we would have likely failed to break the top three this year. There were some very good scores turned in, and we may have needed some higher final scores to break into the leaderboard.
“We are a bit disappointed in our play, but the experience was fantastic. The team grew athletically, and as young men, eager to grow. Taft will be losing three golfers to graduation, and one to a transfer due to family relocation. It will be hard to match this year’s performance next year.
“I certainly plan to return as coach. There are only two returning players, and we will have to actively recruit within our school. This current team has demonstrated success, and we will attempt to build on that.
“I spoke with legendary coach of the state champion teams of the 80’s and 90s, Jim Sullivan. Jim gave me some advice, relating to building a championship program.
“He emphasizes the importance of empowering the young men to lead from within the golf program — teaching them to excel on the course, and in the classroom — preparing them to be productive members of their community.
“Golf will simply be a product of great young men. I will use this advice as I work with the next generation of Taft championship golf. My goal will be to provide young men with opportunity, allowing them to lead each other to another run of District and State championships. There is plenty of talent in this community.”
Three Taft High pitchers split time on the hill, and senior centerfielder Caleb King dove home two runs with three hits Tuesday to lead the Tigers to a 6-1 victory over Salem Academy that closed out the regular season.
Jack StempelBleiz KimbroughJosh Salsbery
No, 1–ranked Taft, which will open the postseason Thursday at home with a league playoff game against fourth-rated Santiam Christian, improved to 22-2 overall with its 16th straight win.
“Going 22-2 is nice, but we’re looking to play for a couple more weeks,” Taft coach Matt Hilgers said.
Senior starter Jack Stempel, junior lefthander Bleiz Kimbrough and senior Josh Salsbery combined to strike out seven without a walk and limited the Crusaders to just one hit, a double by leadoff hitter Jacob Haller.
Caleb Jones
Taft scored a run in the first inning and two in the fourth for a 3-0 lead before Salem Academy (11-3, 7-1 3A PacWest) answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, The Tigers scored again in the fifth and twice in the sixth to finalize the scoring.
Trenton Fisher
Salsbery and sophomore Trenton Fisher had two hits each for the Tigers, while Salsbery, Kimbrough and junior third baseman Kam Kessler, who tripled, drove home a run apiece.
“When you’re the No. 1 team in the state, every game is a big game,” Hilgers said. “You lose one and you drop. We have done a good job of focusing on the game at hand.”
Taft, which ran through its West Valley League schedule undefeated at 12-0, will host second-place Santiam Christian (17-8, 9-3) at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Pit. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 10-0 at home on April 10 and 5-1 May 4 in Corvallis.
“We are going after Santiam Christian just like we have every other game,” Hilgers said. “We are looking forward to having our first home game in almost three weeks. Obviously, momentum is huge, but with baseball, momentum can change with one pitch.”
Tyee Fisher
The Tigers have dominated leagues foes this season with a scoring margin of 156-8, or more than 13 runs per game. Taft has outscored the opposition 262-64 in 24 contests.
Eli DeMello
“We are going to get better tomorrow, and we’ll be ready to go Thursday,” Hilgers said. “We still have baseball left to play and we are wanting to compete every day.”
Kam Kessler
Taft’s only losses this season came back-to-back in late March when it lost 8-5 at La Pine (3A Mountain Valley) and 18-9 to Crook County (4A Tri-Valley) in the Madras Tournament during spring break.
“Honestly, I haven’t taken the time to look back at our season, mainly because we continue to focus on the next game,” Hilgers said.
Taft 6, Salem Academy 1
PHOTOS BY ERIC DEMELLO
TAFT AB R H BI
Josh Salsbery 3 1 2 1
Eli DeMello 4 1 0 0
Caleb King 4 1 3 2
Jack Stempel 4 0 0 0
Cody Knott 3 1 1 0
Kam Kessler 4 1 1 1
Tyee Fisher 4 0 1 0
Bleiz Kimbrough 3 0 0 1
Trenton Fisher 3 1 2 0
TOTALS 32 6 10 5
SALEM ACADEMY AB R H BI
Jacob Haller 3 0 1 0
Luke Miller 3 1 0 0
Brandon Reed 2 0 0 1
Gabe Cuanas 2 0 0 0
Michael Pass 3 0 0 0
Jared Larkin 3 0 0 0
Baylor York 3 0 0 0
Connor Benson 2 0 0 0
Emma Gould 2 0 0 0
TOTALS 23 1 1 1
TAFT 100 212 0 — 6
SALEM ACADEMY 000 100 0 — 1
LOB–TAFT 7, SALEM ACADEMY 3. ERR—Josh Salsbery, Kam Kessler, Gabe Cuanas, Luke Miller. 2B—Trenton Fisher, Josh Salsbery, Caleb King, Jacob Haller. 3B—Kam Kessler. HBP–Cody Knott, Gabe Cuanas. SACF–Brandon Reed. SB–Josh Salsbery, Caleb King (2), Luke Miller.
With 99% of the votes in (15,386) and a 45.29% turnout, the Lincoln County May 2018 Primary Election has some clear winners. Thomas O. Branford remains on the bench for Judge of the Circuit Court, 17th District, Position 3. Kaety Jacobson won Lincoln County Commissioner, Position 3. Val Hoyle is winning the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries race. Measure 21-186 – Lincoln County – Local Option Tax Levy for Countywide Public Safety Services, has not passed. Measure 21-183 – North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District #1 – North Lincoln Fire & Rescue General Obligation Bond Authorization, has passed.
United States Representative in Congress, 5th District – Democrat
Peter Wright
Kurt Schrader
848
4917
Governor – Democrat
Ed Jones
Kate Brown
Candace Neville
664
4734
497
State Representative, 9th District – Democrat
Mark Daily
Caddy McKeown
8
168
State Representative, 10th District – Democrat
David Gomberg
4676
United States Representative in Congress, 5th District – Independent
No Candidate Filed
0
Governor – Independent
Dan (Mr P) Pistoresi
Skye J Allen
Patrick Starnes
49
63
113
State Representative, 9th District – Independent
No Candidate Filed
0
State Representative, 10th District – Independent
No Candidate Filed
0
United States Representative in Congress, 5th District – Republican
Robert L Reynolds
Mark Callahan
Joey Nations
512
1837
680
Governor – Republican
Knute Buehler
Keenan W Bohach
Greg C Wooldridge
Jonathan I Edwards III
David W Stauffer
Jeff Smith
Jack W Tacy
Brett Hyland
Bruce Cuff
Sam Carpenter
1708
18
631
15
36
90
5
14
68
1021
State Representative, 9th District – Republican
Teri Grier
32
State Representative, 10th District – Republican
Thomas M Donohue
2279
Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries
Lou Ogden
Val Hoyle
Jack Howard
3306
5443
1518
Judge of the Supreme Court, Position 3
Van Pounds
Meagan A Flynn
2641
7685
Judge of the Supreme Court, Position 2
Rebecca Duncan
8227
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Position 10
Rex Armstrong
Kyle L Krohn
6039
3923
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Position 6
James (Jim) C Egan
7908
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Position 9
Erika Hadlock
7715
Judge of the Circuit Court, 17th District, Position 3
Russell L Baldwin
Thomas O Branford
3960
7158
Judge of the Circuit Court, 17th District, Position 2
Paulette E Sanders
8252
District Attorney, Lincoln County
Michelle R Branam
8166
Lincoln County Commissioner, Position 1
Virginia (Jenny) Demaris
Doug Hunt
Kim Herring
Betty Kamikawa
3910
4113
1402
1929
Lincoln County Commissioner, Position 3
Kaety Jacobson
Terry N Thompson
7494
4189
City of Waldport Council Members (Vote for Two)
Harry K Dennis
Janis Swan
296
430
Starr Creek Special Road District Commissioner, Position 1
Sharre T Smith
27
Starr Creek Special Road District Commissioner, Position 2
Karen Heere
Kay S C Fort
38
25
Starr Creek Special Road District Commissioner, Position 3
Les Fort
51
Measure 21-186 – Lincoln County – Local Option Tax Levy for Countywide Public Safety Services
Yes
No
5589
7225
Measure 21-182 – Port of Alsea – Bonds to replace launch and marina, upgrades, and refinance projects
Yes
No
1573
1240
Measure 21-183 – North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District #1 – North Lincoln Fire & Rescue General Obligation Bond Authorization
Yes
No
1551
1398
Measure 21-184 – Yachats Rural Fire Protection District – Renewal of local option tax for the Yachats RFPD
Yes
No
608
248
Measure 21-185 – Seal Rock Rural Fire Protection District – Continuation of Local Option Tax for Seal Rock RFPD
Yes
No
700
395
Measure 21-187 – Toledo Rural Fire Protection District – Authorizes General Obligation Bond to Improve Service Delivery
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in March and April. For 16 consecutive months, the rate has been close to 4.1 percent, its lowest level since comparable records began in 1976. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in April, from 4.1 percent in March.
In April, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 2,900 jobs, following a revised gain of 5,000 jobs in March. This was Oregon’s first monthly job decline in 16 months. The last decline was in December 2016.
In April, three major industries declined by more than 1,000 jobs. Retail trade dropped by 2,500 jobs, following a gain of 2,400 in March. Health care and social assistance cut 1,400 jobs in April following a gain of 800 during the prior two months. Professional and business services declined by 1,100 jobs and is now down 2,200 since its peak of 244,900 jobs in November 2017.
Meanwhile, seven of Oregon’s major industries added jobs in April, led by leisure and hospitality (+600 jobs) and construction (+500).
Over the past few years Oregon’s economy gradually decelerated, from very rapid growth a few years ago, to moderate growth over the past year. In the past 12 months 29,600 jobs were added, which is a gain of 1.6 percent. This rate of growth is a slowdown from the more rapid expansion during the prior few years when Oregon’s job gains peaked in mid-2015 at 3.7 percent.
Oregon’s annual job gains have been above 1.6 percent since March 2013. Oregon had been adding jobs at a faster pace than the U.S., but now is growing jobs at the same pace as the nation, since U.S. jobs also expanded by 1.6 percent during the past 12 months.
The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources.
The Oregon Employment Department publishes payroll employment estimates that are revised quarterly by using employment counts from employer unemployment insurance tax records. All department publications use this Official Oregon Series data unless noted otherwise. This month’s release incorporates the October, November and December 2017 tax records data. In addition, data for July through September 2017 were revised upward by a total of 500 to 1,300 jobs per month. The department continues to make the original nonfarm payroll employment series available; these data are produced by the BLS.
Effective with the January 2018 data, employment of Oregon’s approximately 17,000 home care workers are counted in private health care and social assistance instead of state government. The change was due to legislative action clarifying that for purposes of workforce and labor market information, home care workers are not employees of state government. The reclassification affects private sector and government monthly change figures for January 2018 and will affect over-the-year change figures through December 2018. It does not affect total payroll employment levels.
Four senior Taft High softball players bid farewell to the home crowd Monday in their final regular-season game, going out the way they hope to conclude their careers – with a dramatic comeback win.
Four senior Taft High softball players bid farewell to the home crowd Monday in their final regular-season game, going out the way they hope to conclude their careers – with a dramatic comeback win.
McKenzie Evenson, Madison Clanton, Alyssa Tanksley and Naomi Rini each contributed in some fashion to lead the seventh-ranked Tigers to a 4-3 victory over Class 4A Yamhill-Carlton (10-15, 7-8) Oregon West).
Madison Clanton
“All of the seniors contributed to this win, which was a great feeling,” Taft coach Sandy Stuart said. “We played hard and were able to come from behind and bring home a big win at home against a tough 4A opponent.”
McKenzie Evenson
Sophomore catcher Hailee Danneker had two of Taft’s five hits to propel Class 3A Taft (17-8, 8-2 West Valley League) to the non-league victory.
Hailee Danneker
“Their pitcher threw very hard and they were aggressive at the plate and on the bases,” Stuart said.
Taft scored two times in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game, 2-2. Leadoff hitter Kyla Knott reached and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Rini. Danneker then tripled and was knocked in by sophomore Emma Coulter, who started in the circle for the Tigers.
Yamhill-Carlton scored in the top of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead, but Taft’s seniors responded.
Claira Tolan
After Evenson reached on an error back to the box and Clanton walked, freshman Claira Tolan’s sacrifice bunt put runners in scoring position. Rini then singled on a two-out, two-strike pitch to drive home the winning runs.
Naomi Rini walk-off hit
“I was confident she would put the ball in play,” Stuart said.
Tanksley also pitched in with a great catch in center that made a big impact, Stuart said.
Alyssa Tanksley
“The fact that they stranded so many runners just shows that our defense was able to make some plays and Emma was able to dig deep and finish all seven innings,” Stuart said. “She worked one batter at a time and moved the ball around. Now, we look forward to more very competitive games.”
Taft concludes its regular season at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at third-ranked Scio (22-2, 10-0 3A PacWest). The Tigers will meet conference champion Dayton at 3 p.m. Friday in a league playoff game.
“It was nice to win on Senior Night. We’re already looking to the next game,” Rini said. “Scio is a good team and we should be competitive.”
“I am proud of the determination we showed today,” Stuart said,
YAMHILL CARLTON IP H R ER BB SO HR
Kyli Nabode 6.67 5 4 2 1 7 0 TAFT
Emma Coulter 7.00 7 3 3 6 8 0 BB–Lisie Kuttrell (2), Megan Gaibler, Jo Rivas, Maddy Bell (2), Madison Clanton.
The Taft High girls golf team got a closer look at Quail Valley Golf Course than it probably wanted to Monday in opening-round play in the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A State Girls Golf Championships.
The Tigers, who finished second in last week’s Special District 2 finals behind senior medalist Maya Hatton, toured the 5,416-yard par-72 layout in Banks in 432 strokes to stand in 10th place in the 12-team field.
Girls scorecard
St. Mary’s shot an opening 323 in the two-day tournament to amass a 43-shot advantage over the combined team of Heppner/Ione.
Another co-op team, Salem Academy/Blanchet Catholic, which defeated the Tigers by eight shots for the District title at Santiam Golf Club, is third at 396.
Two freshmen — Baylee Hammericksen of St. Mary’s and Yvonne Vinceri of Riverdale –share the first-round lead after shooting 2-under 70 under sunny skies and gorgeous course conditions.
Hatton shot a 13-over 85 to stand tied for ninth place just days removed from a 76-75—151 that earned her a third straight District championship.
Junior Violet Palmerini is tied for 48th at 109; junior Olivia Baker is tied for 54th at 115; sophomore Sammy Halferty is 61st at 163; and senior Jocelyn Arguello is tied for 65th at 147.
