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PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 8, 2015 KEIZERTIMES.COM Boys still top league despite second loss By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes McNary High School’s var- sity baseball team took a sec- ond loss in the Greater Valley Conference last week, but was still at the top of the league and ranked No. 7 in the state. “We had nine hits and a lot of fl y balls, but we couldn’t string anything together,” said senior Tim Hays of the 2-1 loss to North Salem High School Tuesday, April 28. If the game could be boiled down to a single pivotal mo- ment, it came early on. “The fi rst inning was tough because with two outs we had bases loaded and I hit one to right fi eld and it hit Tim on the baseline. It was just totally unlucky,” said Mathew Ismay, a sophomore. North scored two runs in the bottom of the frame and held onto the lead for the win. “It was one of those games we would wonder what hap- pened if you were just looking at the box scores, but it came down to that fi rst inning,” said Larry Keeker, McNary head coach. A game with West Salem High School the next day ended with a 1-0 win, thanks to a solo home run by Hays in the seventh inning. “I’d already seen the pitcher and he only threw a fastball and slider. He hung out the slider and I got hold of it,” Hays said. Keeker said the team had been preparing for Hays to sacrifi ce bunt if teammate Connor Goff was able to get on base. When that didn’t hap- pen, Hays just let it rip. “That was a pitcher’s duel and Mickey Walker struck Celts head to district matches KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Celt Krissy Kelty returns a volley in competition Thursday, April 30. The girls and boys tennis teams will begin pigtail rounds of the Greater Valley Conference district meet Thursday, May 14. McNary is expected to enter the tournament with the only undefeated doubles team in the district, Sandy and Hannah Childress. Lady Celts get revenge on Bulldogs in 13-12 win KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Josiah Gilbert winds up a pitch in the game with McKay High School Tuesday, May 5. out nine. Again, their guy did a good job. He had a shutout going all the way to the sev- enth,” he said. The Celtics’ fi nal game of the week was a 6-0 win over West Albany High School. “Nick LaFountaine pitched a complete game and allowed no runs. We had a lot of of- fense and the defense held up behind them,” said Keeker. McNary’s largest challenges on the horizon will be Mc- Minnville and South Salem high schools. The Celts are slated to host South Tuesday, May 12. The Saxons are the only team other than North Salem to take a game off Mc- Nary earlier this season. It was a runaway 11-3 loss for the Keizer team. McMinnville (8-2) is the second-place team in the league and only one game be- hind McNary. The Grizzlies gave the Celtics (9-2) a run for their money the fi rst time around in a 4-3 win for the McNary. “A lot of times we score runs early, and take a lead and then have four or fi ve frames in a row when we don’t score at all. We have to focus on pushing through a whole game,” Ismay said. Several Celts favored for district track titles By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes In just his second year as a track athlete, McNary junior Antoine Wilder is well- positioned to capture his fi rst district title in the 110 hurdles. “I was injured a lot this year, but I’ve got a great coach and he’s helped me be competitive when I didn’t think I could,” Wilder said. Wilder set a new personal record, 15.19 seconds, in the 110 hurdles in a meet with North Salem High School Wednesday, April 29. The time gave his the top spot in the Greater Valley Conference headed into the district meet, which is slated to begin Thursday, May 18. Wilder is also part of the top-ranked 4x400 team in the GVC alongside teammates Riley Moore, Brendan Van Voorhis and Kyle Torres. “We’re kind of taking it one race at a time,” said Torres, sidestepping the question as to his own goals for the meet. Torres is favored in every sprint going into the meet, but said he’s most keen to watch some of the team’s underclassmen,.“There are a bunch who have really stepped up.” On the girls side of the district meet, Danielle Duran has the top time in the 400 meter race, 60.97 seconds. The Top-ranked Celtics headed into the GVC district meet BOYS GIRLS 100 METER 1 - Kyle Torres 2 - Brendan Van Voorhis 400 METER 1 - Danielle Duran 200 METER 1 - Kyle Torres 400 METER 1 - Kyle Torres 2 - Brendan Van Voorhis 110 HURDLES 1 - Antoine Wilder 300 HURDLES 2 - Antoine Wilder 4x100 1 - AJ Johnk Brendan Van Voorhies Riley Moore Kyle Torres 4x400 1 - Antoine Wilder Riley Moore Brendan Van Voorhies Kyle Torres SHOT PUT 3 - Tevita Ma’ake 4x400 relay team of Sydney Hunter, Kailey Doutt, Hali Thurston and Danielle Duran also has the top time in district. McNary sophomore Alyssa Looney has the top mark, 17-feet-and-one-half-inches, in the long jump. Looney said the record came 4x100 2 - Alyssa Looney Courtney Geissinger Sydney Hunter Danielle Duran 4X400 1 - Sydney Hunter Kailey Doutt Hali Thurston Danielle Duran LONG JUMP 1 - Alyssa Looney on something of a fl uke even though she thinks she has a repeat in her. “I totally biffed that jump. I came down and fell to the side putting my hand on a rake,” she said. Looney has high hopes for the 4x400 team, but thinks the 4x100 team, which she is a part of, is fi nally coming together. “We had some tough races early in the season, but we are getting to where we need to be,” she said. The 4x100 team has the second-best time in the GVC, 50.87 seconds. While McNary has several Please see TRACK, Page A9 KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Celt Kinsey McNaught checks the call after sliding into second base in the game with North Salem High School Tuesday, April 28. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Lady Celts of the McNary High School varsity softball team put together a barnburner of a game against West Albany High School Friday, May 1. Starting down 6-0 after two innings, McNary began clawing its way back with a run in the third and fi ve more in the fourth frame. Senior Kimi Ito blasted a three-run homer to knot it up 6-6. “We’ve tried to put it all out there without holding back,” said Celt Nadia Witt. After the Bulldogs took another lead with two runs in the third, McNary took the lead for the fi rst time in the sixth with four runs to make it a 10-8 game. “We’ve shortened up our swings and it helped us see the ball better,” said Haley Ebner. West was poised to take the game in the sev- enth up 12-10, but McNary scored three in its last at-bat to take the win 13-12. “Up to that point in the season, West had only allowed 26 runs for the season and we halved that in one night. The thing about these girls is they do not give up. Even down by six, they were still unfazed,” said Kevin Wise, McNary head coach. Earlier in the season, McNary had lost 4-1 to the Bulldogs. Ito and Kiana Villarreal both went 3-for-5 at the dish with three RBIs. Megan Ulrey, who pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts and one walk, went 2-for-4 alongside Ebner. Madison Oliver, Ebner, Kinsey McNaught and Ulrey all had doubles. Ebner was the leading scorer with three runs. The win put the team on a three-game streak that included 48 runs for the week. The run started with a 26-1 victory over North Salem High School Tuesday, April 28, and continued with a 9-7 win over West Salem High School Wednesday, April 29. “That’s a lot of offense with two good teams in the mix,” Wise said. “The whole year we’ve talked about putting the ball in play and that’s what they did last week.” The streak has also helped the team crawl back up the rankings. It was fourth in the con- ference, at press time, with the same record as Please see SOFTBALL, Page A9