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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2022)
PAGE A20, KEIZERTIMES, MAY 06, 2022 GET YOUR CAR ONLINE Fast, no hassle 3555 River Rd N, Keizer (503) 463- 4853 skylineforddirect.com https://www.skylineforddirect.com/ SPORTS Softball collides with Crater By JOSHUA MANES Of the Keizertimes With a six-run sixth, McNary softball was able to come back and secure a home win against the Crater High School Comets on Tuesday. The offensive explosion in the sixth fueled the 6-3 win. The Celtics batted around in the inning with eight hits, all singles. McNary had made contact all game, but just couldn’t put together hits until the sixth. Head coach Kelly Parsell credited the early struggles to Crater’s defense and a lack of adjustment at the plate to put the ball on the ground or at a lower flight. But in the sixth the hits kept coming. “It was exactly what the girls have inside them. It had been there the whole game and it just finally broke through,” Parsell said. “It was great to see them string together hits one-by-one-by-one. Just really proved their work ethic at the plate, their adjustments and their drive.” The Celtics took the lead on a two-out, two-run single from Brookelynn Jackson. Jackson said she went up to the plate looking to make adjustments from her first three at-bats. When she saw her pitch on a 1-0 count, she sent a line drive into cen- ter field that scored Karah Miller and Ellie Martin. “I just knew a base hit was going to work in the gap,” Jackson said. “The pitch I hit was a changeup, and I saw one before. So being able to sit back and drive that to the right side was a big thing I was working on.” The sixth inning rally started when Heather Ebner led off with a single up the middle. With clean-up hitter Kayelee Schwab up, Parsell made a call not often seen. She called for Schwab to bunt, playing for a rally and to take away the double play. Schwab fouled two attempts off, and with two strikes swung away and singled. It wasn’t the first time in the game Parsell called for Schwab to sacrifice. In the fourth she successfully moved Ebner over to second. “We needed [Ebner] in scoring posi- tion and had to make the choice to have [Schwab] bunt,” Parsell said. “Later in the game we were in the same exact situation but needed four runs to win. We thought about having Kayelee bunt, gave her a couple opportunities and then she came through with the hit.” While the offense woke up late, defen- sively the Celtics struggled, committing six errors. All three runs allowed by pitcher Lacey Vasas were unearned. “It's still a lot of in-game situations that are really hard to replicate in practice,” Parsell said. “We just have to use these opportunities and learn from them and grow from them.” The win for McNary snapped an eight- game win streak for Crater in which they had outscored opponents 115-9. The tough non-league matchup late in the season gives a bit of a postseason pre- view, according to Parsell. “This is a good opportunity to get a fake playoff run,” Parsell said. “That is what it feels like. You don’t know the team. You don’t know much about them, they could have traveled from far. But we’re here to play a game, we’re here to win a game, and it was great practice.” And scheduling a similar late season test in future seasons may be the plan going forward, Parsell said. Crater as an opponent may have made the game a little more special. Former Celtic Taylor Kenworthy was on the field for the Comets at second base. Vasas said Kenworthy is her best friend, which can make pitching to her difficult. “We make eye contact and I try not to laugh,” Vasas said. “We both support each other in every single way even though we’re playing against each other and we’re sup- posed to be enemies.” McNary is set to finish out the week on the road. They are at Sprague High School on Thursday (score not available at time of print) and have a doubleheader at Mountain View High School on Saturday. Ellie Martin slides home with the lead run for McNary on Brookelynn Jackson's two- run single in the bottom of the sixth against Crater on Tuesday, May 3, at McNary. The Celtics won 6-3 with six runs in the sixth inning. Photo by JOSHUA MANES of the Keizertimes Golf qualifies Mavericks League begins 2022 roster at MVC districts reveals with Volcanoes and Mavericks By JOSHUA MANES Of the Keizertimes McNary golf was at the Mountain Valley Conference District Golf Tournament on Monday and Tuesday, with positive results. Colby Sullivan and Elijah Clendening both qualified for state with their finishes. Sullivan shot a 146 over the two-day tour- nament, and Clendening a 150. They placed third and fourth respectively. The mens team shot a combined 637, finishing second to Summit High School’s 590. McNary’s team qualified for the regional tournament, with a shot at state. The regionals are next week at the Tokatee Golf Club in McKenzie Bridge. The men will play on Monday, May 9, the women on Tuesday, May 10. By JOSHUA MANES Of the Keizertimes The rosters for the 2022 Mavericks League season have started to be announced. The league unveiled the rosters via Facebook for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and Portland Mavericks to start the week. The Volcanoes roster features seven returning players from last season. Pitchers Brendon Nipp, Jake Lialios, Jared Bell and Matt McDonald return to the mound for manager Tony Torcato. The four combined to go 12-6 last season with 10 saves and 212 strikeouts. In the field, catcher Keyberth Mejias and outfielders Sam Jones and Tony Holton are back. Holton batted .315 in 33 games last season and was second on the team in RBIs. A notable name at the bottom of the Volcanoes roster, Torcato has listed himself as a utility player. The Mavericks only bring back two players, pitcher TJ Pruneda and outfielder Alex Emerson. They also traded for corner infielder Nick DiBenedetto from the Volcanoes. Emerson was second on the team last season in batting average (.321), RBIs (31), hits (51) and runs scored (31). DiBenedetto appeared in 33 games for the Volcanoes last season, batting .307. Rosters for the Senators and Campesinos are expected later this week. Opening day for the Mavericks league is Thursday, May 12, when the Mavericks take on the Volcanoes. P - Brendon Nipp P - Jake Lialios P - Jared Bell P - Matt McDonald P - Colin Driscoll P - Colton Meyer P - Jacob Espitia P - Aaron Neese P - Javier Montero Volcanoes C - Keyberth Mejias C - Jacobi Allen 1B/3B - Travis McFarland INF - Ronnie Keaton INF - Humberto Soto OF - Sam Jones OF - Tony Holton OF- Juan Carlos Abreu UTIL - Tony Torcato Mavericks P - Aldrick Jimenez C - Aitor Hurtado P - Evan Bowles C- Hayden Williamson P - Jacob Trupp 1B/3B - Nick DiBenedetto P - John Over INF/OF - Chase Bessard P - Vyncent Manson INF - Champ Davison P - TJ Pruneda INF - Mitchell Austin INF - Billy Kittrell OF - Quadrese Teague OF - Jackson Day OF - Alex Emerson
