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KEIZERTIMES.COM
The2goal2is2
a2state2title
LIFE
OF
W iley
When I fi rst met McNary
head softball coach Kevin Wise
back in March before the Lady
Celts played their fi rst game
and he said he was probably
going to play as many as fi ve
freshmen, including starters at
shortstop, catcher and right
fi eld, I was expecting a long
season.
I could not have been more
wrong.
The Lady Celts went 19-4
during the regular season, in-
cluding six straight wins to
fi nish as co-champions of the
Greater Valley Conference.
Even with all the un-
certainly that came with
the freshmen, Wise said he
thought McNary would reach
the playoffs before the season
started but his expectations
grew after the Lady Celts de-
feated Gresham and narrowly
lost to Jesuit in a spring break
tournament.
Wise thought the girls be-
gan to believe early in league
play when McNary came from
behind to win 9-8 at South
Salem.
As the No. 9 seed in the
state tournament, McNary
then defeated Grant and Lib-
erty to reach the quarterfi nals,
where the Lady Celts faced
No. 1 Oregon City.
Watching Morgan Horn-
back, a junior pitcher, com-
mitted to the University of
Oregon, who struck out 25
batters in the fi rst two rounds,
warmup before the game, I
thought McNary was in for a
long day.
But again the Lady Celts
continued to prove me wrong,
leading 4-1 with two outs in
the bottom of the fi fth.
Playing on the road, one
of the youngest teams in the
state (pitcher Faith Danner is
just a sophomore) had the fa-
vorites to win the champion-
ship rattled and on the ropes.
However, McNary was unable
to fi nish the job and Oregon
City fought back to win 7-4.
“They went way beyond
my expectations,” Wise said af-
ter the game. “I’m not trying
to downplay anything but they
just went way beyond what I
thought they would do. Now
next year coming into it, we
know what the expectations
are.”
What are the expectations
for next season?
“For me, the goal is state
championship,” Wise said. “I
know that’s where we should
be.”
McNary must replace se-
niors Hannah Carr and Nicole
Duran, who were both leaders
and two of the Lady Celts’ best
and most clutch hitters.
But with three freshmen,
Alexa Cepeda in right fi eld,
Haley Bingenheimer at short-
stop and Courtney Roberts
catching, another freshman in
Kendly Jennings, who start-
ed the season at second base
before Carr took the job at
South Salem and ran away
with it, Danner in the circle,
to go along with a talented ju-
nior class of fi rst baseman Hal-
ey Ebner, left fi elder Emma
Kinler and Co-Greater Valley
Conference Player of the Year
Nadia Witt, all set to return,
with an upcoming freshman
class that Wise said is as good
if not better than the crop be-
fore it, who is going to argue
with him?
I know I’m not. The Lady
Celts have proven this writer
wrong enough.
Derek Wiley is the associate
editor of the Keizertimes.
KEIZERTIMES/Derek2Wiley
McNary2sophomore2Sabella2Alfaro2sparked2a2three-run2fi2fth2inning2with2a2double2to2left2fi2eld2in2the2Lady2Celts’2quarterfi2nal2playoff2
game2at2Oregon2City2on2Friday,2May226.2
Lady Celts fall in quarters
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
OREGON CITY—There wasn’t a dry eye, including
coaches, as the McNary softball team gathered in the outfi eld
here after a 7-4 loss in the quarterfi nals of the state playoffs on
Friday, May 26.
“They love each other,” an emotional head coach Kevin Wise
said. “It’s just a great group of girls. They kind of become like sis-
ters. I think when you’re family, you fi ght for each other. That’s
what they did.
“It’s a tough one.”
The Lady Celts led for most of the game, jumping on No. 1
Oregon City and University of Oregon-bound pitcher Morgan
Hornback for a run in the fi rst inning as Haley Ebner singled
and then scored on a double by Hannah Carr.
The Pioneers tied the contest at 1-1 in the bottom of the
third, drawing a walk and then laying down back-to-back bunt
singles off Faith Danner, who didn’t allow a ball out of the in-
fi eld until there were two outs in the fourth.
McNary broke the contest open in the top of the fi fth.
After Sabella Alfaro doubled, Ebner brought her home with a
two-out single to right fi eld.
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KEIZERTIMES/Derek2Wiley
McNary2third2baseman2Nicole2Duran2tries2to2tag2out2an2Oregon2
City2runner.2
McNary baseball team
eliminated at West Linn
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
McNary needed to play a
clean, mistake-free seven in-
nings to upset No. 1 West
Linn.
With two critical errors in
the bottom of the fourth, the
Celtics came up short, falling
10-1 on Wednesday, May 24
in the second round of the 6A
baseball state playoffs.
McNary trailed just 2-1
after Jonah Geist singled and
scored on a Tyler Covalt sacri-
fi ce fl y to right fi eld in the top
of the fourth.
On the mound, Riley Hays
got two outs with a runner at
second in the bottom of the
fourth.
But after an intentional
KEIZERTIMES/Derek2Wiley
walk and hit by pitch loaded
McNary2senior2Hannah2Carr,2with2head2softball2coach2Kevin2Wise,2has2signed2with2Clackamas2
the bases, a single and two in-
Community2College.2
fi eld errors then led to four
West Linn runs.
“Against a really good team
our margin for error in that
game is just so small,” McNary
It was expensive and she was ting injured. I had to sit out head coach Larry Keeker
By DEREK WILEY
said. “We have to make those
never going to play in college. and it wasn’t fun.”
Of the Keizertimes
Carr even thought about type of plays to win that type
McNary senior Hannah So what was the point?
“I think it was just play- not coming out for her senior of game. That’s really what it
Carr had to step back from the
game she started playing as a ing so much because you play year at McNary. But want- comes down to or at least give
6-year-old to realize just how year-round basically,” Carr ing one more season with her us a chance to win.”
The Celtics also had a dif-
teammates, Carr decided to
said.
much she loved it.
fi cult time adjusting to West
“If you’re not playing, give it a try.
Two years ago, Carr stopped
Linn’s turf fi eld.
playing softball in the summer. you’re practicing. I started get-
Please2see2CARR,2Page211
Carr to play on at Clackamas
“The turf is extremely fast
so I think we had some prob-
lems adjusting to the speed of
the ball on the turf,” Keeker
said.
“Balls that would get by us
in the gaps to the fence would
normally probably be cut off
for a single and they’d turn
into a triple. You just have to
make adjustments and we
knew that was the case. But
until it actually happens to
you live, you don’t understand.
It’s super fast. The balls just fl y
on it.”
At the plate, McNary had
just three hits against Tim
Tawa, who has committed to
Stanford University.
Geist was 1-for-3. Jacob
Jackson and Joshua Benson
were both 1-for-2.
Caleb Kiefi uk-Yates added
a pinch-hit double off of a re-
lief pitcher in the seventh.
“Their pitcher (Tawa) was
really good,” Keeker said.
“His fastball, he could ba-
sically throw it wherever he
wanted to so he did a really
good job of throwing his fast-
ball on the corners. The um-
pire was generous not only on
the corners but when the ball
was down. I think his strike
zone was a little bit lower than
typical. That wasn’t the differ-
ence but it makes him really
tough to deal with. He’s tough
already.”
West Linn has won 20
games in a row after defeating
Gresham 8-1 Friday, May 26
in the state quarterfi nals.
The Lions then defeated
Beaverton 3-1 Tuesday, May
30 in the semifi nals. They’ll
play Clackamas Saturday, June
3 at Volcanoes Stadium.
“They are certainly deserv-
ing of that No. 1 seed,” Keeker
said.
The game was the fi nal one
for McNary’s 10 seniors.
“I’m extremely proud of
the senior class,” Keeker said.
“One of the indicators to me
was at the end of the game
how emotional a lot of the
senior were that they knew it
was fi nally came to and end
and the time they invested in
the last four years in the Mc-
Nary baseball program was
certainly something they felt
strongly about.
“A lot of these guys have
been together for a long time
so it was emotional for them.
I was extremely proud of their
efforts throughout the year.
They were good teammates.
They were good leaders. They
have no regrets as far as I can
see.”