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Friday, October 4, 2024

Taft sets up softball showdown at Dayton with shutout win

Tigers Softball

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 9, WILLAMINA 0

TAFT                 AB  R  H BI
Kyla  Knott           2  2  1  0
Naomi  Rini           5  1  2  0
Hailee  Danneker      5  2  0  0
Emma Coulter          3  2  1  3
Claira Tolan          2  0  0  0
Makena Cole          2  0  1  0
McKenzie Evenson      1  0  0  1
Caitlyn Rundstrom    1  0  0  0
Madison  Clanton     1  0  0  0
Alyssa  Tanksley      4  1  2  1
Corey VanDamme        2  1  1  0
Kayla Lininger        4  0  0  1
TOTALS               32  9  8  6

WILLAMINA            AB  R  H BI
Katrina Graham        3  0  0  0
Taryn Hunt            3  0  0  0
McCayla Tuck          3  0  0  0
Amelia Mooney         3  0  0  0
Andrea Otter          3  0  1  0
Amarisa Mooney        2  0  0  0
Andrea Otter          3  0  1  0
Amarisa Mooney        2  0  0  0
Jami Grandy           2  0  0  0
Jessica Nolen         2  0  1  0
Emma Shrabel          2  0  0  0
TOTALS               23  0  2  0

TAFT                          400 113 0 — 9
WILLAMINA                000 000 0 — 0

LOB–TAFT TIGERS 9, WILLAMINA 2. ERR–Andrea Otter, Amelia Mooney (2), Katrina Graham (2). 2B–Alyssa  Tanksley, Emma Coulter. HBP–Kyla  Knott. SACF–McKenzie Evenson. SB—Kyla Knott, Hailee  Danneker.

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.

Taft roster/schedule

Class 3A West Valley League standings

Class 3A OSAA rankings

 

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Jim Fossum
Jim Fossumhttp://SilverandBlackToday.com
Homepage Executive Editor and former longtime Sports Editor of the near-200,000 circulation Las Vegas Review-Journal, Fossum brings 40 years of award-winning experience covering virtually every facet of print and digital journalism to Lincoln City Homepage. The former longtime reporter for the Newport News-Times and Lincoln City News Guard is also Editor-in-Chief and Senior Columnist for SilverandBlackToday.com, which covers the NFL's Oakland (Las Vegas) Raiders.

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