APRIL 23, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A21
8
OREGON'S
YEARS
1 FORD
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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