Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current, June 05, 2015, Image 12

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    PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 5, 2015
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Cavewomen blank
Celts in third round
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Lady Celt Kiana Villarreal just misses a tag in the McNary High School softball team’s fi rst round
game with Gresham High School last week.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
After dominating North
Medford High School 12-2
in the second round of the
softball playoffs, the Lady
Celts fell to Grants Pass 5-0
in the quarterfi nal round Fri-
day, May 29.
Despite leading the state
in offense with 311 runs for
the season, McNary High
School’s batters could never
quite get it started against the
Cavewomen. When the team
did manage to load bases,
twice, the Grants Pass team
stepped up on defense with
two double plays.
McNary head coach Kev-
in Wise said a combination of
hard luck – hitting balls right
at infi elders – and simple
tiredness probably got the
best of the team. While the
Celts won the Greater Valley
Conference, McNary only
got to host its fi rst playoff
game and traveled to south-
ern Oregon twice in three
days for the second and third
rounds.
While the team hoped to
make it a bit further, there
was plenty of good news last
week in Lady Celt softball.
The team had eight play-
ers receive all-league honors
including fi ve fi rst teamers.
Pitcher Megan Ulrey, catch-
er Kiana Villarreal, infi elder
Haley Ebner, and outfi elders
Kimi Ito and Kinsey Mc-
Naught were all fi rst team
selections.
“We had four freshmen
who all played huge roles,
especially Haley and Nadia
Witt. In fact, Haley had never
played second base before,”
Wise said.
Madisen Oliver and Kelsi
Christensen were named
second team infi elders. An
honorable mention went to
Witt in the outfi eld. Wise was
named Coach of the Year.
McNary’s play was a work
in progress early in the season,
but ended the season with a
10-game winning streak.
“It took us a while to
work out some kinks, and
limit our errors. We also start-
ed working on shortening up
our swings and putting balls
in play. When both of those
things happened, the tide
started turning,” Wise said.
Please see GIRLS, Page A13
Irish pound boys on diamond
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary High School
varsity baseball team’s playoff
run ended with a 14-2 loss in
the second round. Wednesday,
May 27.
The Celtics faced Sheldon
High School in Eugene and
the Fighting Irish had a 10-0
lead by the end of the second
inning.
“Sheldon is really good,
they can hit,” said Larry Keek-
er, McNary head coach. “Josiah
Gilbert came in the second in-
ning to pitch and did a nice
job. They only got four more
runs the rest of the way. De-
spite the score, we continued
to battle, we did not quit.”
Sheldon batters seemed
to have starting pitcher Nick
LaFountaine’s number from
the get-go. After two singles
by Sheldon’s lead-off pairing,
a home run put the Eugene
team up 3-0.
The Celts’ Trevor Gilbert
managed a double play on a
line drive catch that he con-
verted into a forced out at
third base. The inning fi nally
ended with a fl y out to Cole
Thomas, but Sheldon already
had a 6-0 lead. The team
added four more runs in the
second.
McNary made it to the
board with two runs in the
fi fth inning. Collin Young got
the team started with a dou-
ble, then Cole Thomas drew a
walk. Senior Jacob Vasas hit a
single to load the bases. After
two strikeouts, Connor Goff
drove in Young and Thomas
on a single. They were the last
runs McNary would put up
in the outing en route to the
14-2 loss.
The game brought the
Celtic baseball season to a
close, but McNary exceeded
the expectations of others and
themselves throughout the
season.
The Keizer team suffered
some diffi cult defeats in its
spring break trip to Arizona,
but Keeker said the lessons
stuck with the team the rest
of the season.
“We were able to get to
know each other a lot better.
We learned how to prepare
for games and how to deal
with things not going so well.
It made us tougher,” he said.
In the wake of the trip, the
McNary players focused more
on preparing for each game
and ended up leading the
Greater Valley Conference af-
ter the fi rst round-robin.
“This team surpassed what
many thought they could or
would do,” Keeker said. “Fo-
cusing on fundamentals on
a daily basis was one of the
reasons why they had success
on the fi eld. There is simply
no substitute for making the
‘little things’ important. They
for sure lived up to my high
expectations.”
It wasn’t until two late-
season losses that the Celtics
surrendered the league title
to McMinnville High School,
settling for second place.
The Celts will lose a bevy
of seniors to graduation this
Submitted
Torres
second
in state
400 race
McNary High School se-
nior Kyle Torres took second
place in the 400 meter race at
the state meet Friday and Sat-
urday, May 22 and 23.
Torres and teammate Bren-
dan Van Voorhis both made
the fi nals. Torres turned in a
time of 48.64 seconds and Van
Voohis, a sophomore, took
sixth with a time of 49.66 sec-
onds.
“It was just exciting to
compete at that level, and see-
ing our 4x100 team take third
was great,” Torres said.
In the 4x100, Austin Brown,
Van Voorhis, Riley Moore and
Torres took third with a time
of 42.42 seconds. The same
team took fi fth in 4x400 with
a time 3:22.16.
McNary’s two girls at the
meet, Danielle Duran in the
400 meter, and Kailey Doutt
in the 800 meter were elimi-
nated in the preliminary
rounds.
Host
families
sought
for S-K
players
File
Celt Josiah Gilbert winds up on the bump in a game earlier this
season.
month – including several
pitchers and the entire out-
fi eld – but Keeker said he has
high hopes for the future of
the program.
Please see BOYS, Page A13
Equestrian team takes fi rst in district
McNary High School’s equestrian team, Gracie Lorimor, Claire Zielinski, Alyssa Lorimor and Leah
Burleson, with their fi rst place trophy for winning the small team division in the Willamette District.
Kyle Torres
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
For the fi rst time in sev-
eral years, the McNary High
School equestrian team won
the Willamette District small
team title.
Lady Celts Claire Zielinski,
Alyssa Lorimor, Leah Burle-
son and Gracie Lorimor won
the title in April. Zielinski
earned a berth in the state
meet, slated later this month,
for her performance in the
showmanship event.
“This was a good way to
end our high school career,”
said Alyssa.
“It was really a combina-
tion of having three more
experienced members and
Gracie who is really good,”
Zielinski added. “All of us
were more unifi ed than we
have been in some of the past
years.”
The girls scored the bulk
of their points in individual
events and blew away the
nearest competition by more
than 100 points. McNary had
317 points to Crescent Valley’s
212 points.
Zielinski’s best event is a
trail course leading her horses
Curley and Cowgirl in-hand
and mounted around the are-
na with and without obstacles.
Burleson’s specialty, with
horse Cruz, is dressage.
“Basically, there are letters
placed around the arena and
we have to perform certain
things, like large and small
circles at each one,” Burleson
said.
Gracie said her best event is
showmanship with her horse
Misty.
Please see FIRST, Page A13
Buster Posey, Tim Lince-
cum and Sergio Romo are
a few of the former Salem-
Keizer Volcanoes and now
current San Francisco Giants
players who spent time here
in the Willamette Valley be-
fore their time in the MLB
ranks.
And they all spent time in
the homes of local families
during their fi rst professional
baseball season.
The Volcanoes are seeking
host family candidates for the
fast-approaching season that
begins June 17. Host families
provide a home for the Volca-
noes in their fi rst years as pro
baseball players.
Additionally, host families
gain access to a variety of in-
season benefi ts for opening
their homes to to players.
Volcanoes players are in
their fi rst or second year of
professional baseball, ranging
in age from 18 to 24 years old
while coming from very di-
verse backgrounds and from
all over the globe.
Volcanoes players arrive in
early June and depart in early
September. If you are inter-
ested in the program or want
additional information, con-
tact Rick Nelson at 503-390-
2225 or via email at rnelson@
volcanoesbaseball.com.