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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2021)
APRIL 23, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A21 8 OREGON'S YEARS 1 FORD # DEALER IN A ROW 3555 River Rd N, Keizer (503) 463- 4853 skylineforddirect.com McNary run-rules South in fi rst game on new fi eld BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes SPORTS LEFT & BELOW: KJ Cluster slides safely into home in McNary's 10-o win over South Salem. Photos by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes “All 15 of our girls can hit. It is such a luxury,” Wise said. The Celtics extended their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second when Allie Martinez scored on a wild pitch. Vasas proved her dominance in the circle right away with her command of the strike zone and pitching to soft contact. The sophomore right-hander credited her defense in allowing her to attack the Saxons lineup. B efore their fi rst game on their new fi eld, McNary softball coach Kevin Wise told his team to not take this moment for granted. It appeared that the Celtics took their coach's advice. Lacey Vasas threw a com- plete-game three-hitter, and added a pair of hits of her own, and Taylor Ebbs went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple as McNary run-ruled South Salem 10-0 in the Celtics fi rst home contest in nearly two years. “One of the things I told the girls is that you never know when this thing is going to end, so play every minute like it's your last,” Wise said. “I am so proud of how they played today.” Ebbs, a senior, echoed her coach's sentiments and stated that she feels All 15 of our girls can hit. It is such a luxury. — KEVIN WISE McNary softball coach blessed to be able to have a senior season after missing her entire junior campaign due to COVID-19. “It is something I don't want to take for granted, because we could lose it in a second,” Ebbs said. A two-out rally in the bottom of the fi rst helped the Celtics gain the early momentum. With runners on third and fi rst, an infi eld single from Kate Ronning helped push McNary's fi rst run across the board. Vasas and Kaylee Schwab each followed with RBI singles of their own to put the Celtics on top 3-0. “A lot of people get nervous on the mound, but pitching honestly calms me down. And knowing that I can count on my defense is also really help- ful,” Vasas said. With two outs and a runner on fi rst in the top of the third, Saxons outfi elder Alivia Benavidez laced a single to cen- ter fi eld to keep the inning alive. But when the runner on fi rst tried getting See CELTS, page A23
