Photo by Sean Patterson

Canby's Lisa Ash is safe at third during Canby's easy win over Dallas last Friday. Ash and the Cougars rapped out 15 hits as a team to run away with a 13-3 win that moved them to 4-2 in Pacific-8 Conference play.

By Sean Patterson

With a new coach at the helm, the Canby High School softball team kept pace in the Pacific-8 Conference race with a dominating performance against Dallas last Friday at CHS.

Led by the three-hit, three-RBI effort of Lyndsay Burke, the Cougars blasted the Dragons 13-3 shortly after learning head coach Charlie Tropp had resigned for what he called "personal reasons."

On the mound, star hurler Joanna Barstad kept the Dragons in check, not allowing an earned run while striking out four, walking two and scattering three hits.

It was a nice introduction for interim head coach Greg Herman, who saw his team improve to 4-2 in conference play with its third win in five days.

Earlier in the week, the girls shut out both McMinnville (4-0) and Silverton (2-0), giving them a needed lift after opening the Pac-8 season 1-2.

"The girls played very well all week - and Friday, they really hit the ball," assistant coach Diane Schantin said of the Cougars. "We ended up with a season-high 15 hits that afternoon, so it was a fun game."

Burke was perfect at the plate, but it was teammate Lisa Allen who delivered the big blow, becoming the first CHS player to blast a ball over the fence since it was erected three years ago.

Allen's second-inning drive over the left-field wall sparked a five-run rally that put the Cougars ahead to stay.

Also contributing were Barstad, who was 3 for 4 with a double; Lisa Ash, who went 2 for 3 with an RBI; Megan Rock, who finished 2 for 4 with a double; and Shelly Steinke, who also doubled.

It was enough offense to require the game be stopped after six innings because of the 10-run rule.

Canby didn't muster nearly that much production against Silverton on Wednesday, but thanks to Barstad, two runs were enough.

The right-hander gave up just one hit and didn't walk anyone. She even helped herself at the plate by going 2 for 3 with a double.

Canby jumped ahead in the first inning when Rock reached on an error, stole second and scored on Allen's double. The team added insurance in the seventh when Brea Makin singled and came around on a Rock double.

Canby had eight hits as a team and didn't commit an error in the field.

The week opened with a 4-0 shutout of McMinnville on Monday, a game in which the Cougars scored all their runs in the third inning.

Coming up big in the frame were Toni Herman, who drove in the first run with a fielder's choice, and Allen, who plated two more with a single. Steinke and Lisa Erwert also had key hits in the inning.

It was all the run support Barstad and her sister Sophie needed, as the former struck out 12 in only five innings. Sophie Barstad threw the final two frames to pick up the save.

The wins come as Canby gets ready for a challenging stretch this week. The girls were scheduled to take on defending league champion Tigard on Monday and host Forest Grove, a school that has already beaten CHS once this season, on Wednesday.

The team has this Friday off.

They didn't come easy, but the important thing is the Cougars pulled out a couple of games they had to have.

Such was the case in Pacific-8 Conference baseball last week, as Canby High School survived a couple of scares to win three games and join the race for the league's best record.

Friday at home against Dallas, the Cougars couldn't hold a 2-0 lead, falling behind 3-2 in the fifth, before rallying for four runs in the last of inning to claim their second come-from-behind win in three days.

It was a similar story Wednesday against Silverton, which took advantage of four CHS errors in the seventh to score four times and take a 7-6 lead.

Fortunately, Canby was equal to the task in the bottom of the inning, as pinch runner Paul Salmonson scored on an errant throw and Dustin Peregrin followed with a game-winning two-run home run.

"It was one of those games where you're glad you won, but at the same time you're not all that happy with how you played," Canby head coach Marty Hunter said of the Silverton game. "We played much better Friday, much cleaner. We took care of the ball and didn't give runs away."

Those results, as well as last Monday's 9-3 defeat of McMinnville, pushed the Cougars to 4-2 in league play as the squad embarks on the second round of Pac-8 action this week.

The team was home for Tigard Monday and is scheduled to visit Forest Grove, a school that beat Canby in its league opener two weeks ago, on Wednesday.

Friday against Dallas, the host Cougars led 2-0 before the Dragons tied things up and chased starter Sean Criss in the fifth.

Dallas took a 3-2 lead to the last of the inning but couldn't hold it, as Canby put together a one-out rally. After Ross Crooks walked and Brett Fuge and Josh Cushing singled, Nate Dawson tied it up with an RBI single of his own.

Marcos Quintero then delivered the big blow - a two-run double to put the Cougars ahead for good. Canby got its final run on a Jess Driggers RBI single.

Criss fared well in his five-plus innings, allowing three runs and six hits while fanning three and not walking a batter.

Cushing came on to throw the sixth and Fuge got credited with a save for hurling the seventh. Cushing also led Canby at the plate with three hits.

The win kept Canby within striking distance of the league leaders, Forest Grove (6-0) and Tualatin (5-0), who were scheduled to meet for the first time on Monday.

The Silverton game was nearly a disaster, as Canby blew leads of 5-0 and 6-3 before pulling it out with Peregrin's dinger in the seventh.

A missed double play opportunity opened the door for three Foxes runs in the sixth, but Canby appeared to have the game in hand when it retired two of the first three batters in the seventh.

That's when things took a turn for the worst, as four errors and a hit gave Silverton four unearned runs.

"We couldn't catch it, we couldn't throw it," Hunter said. "It was unbelievable. Fortunately, the kids didn't let that get them down for long. We responded in our half."

Trailing 7-6, the Cougars tied it when Quintero doubled, and with Salmonson pinch-running for him, Driggers singled. A poor throw on the play allowed the runner to cross.

One pitch later, Peregrin launched a ball over the fence in left-center, giving the hosts a 9-7 victory.

The comeback made a winner of Cushing, who relieved Fuge after he got leveled by a runner as he was trying to make a catch of a foul pop-up in the sixth.

Canby's pitchers deserved a better fate: Of the seven runs they allowed, only one was earned.

Monday's win over McMinnville was considerably less stressful, as the team led from start to finish. Crooks had two hits and three RBIs and Fuge had a huge day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double, home run and single.

Starter Criss got the win after pitching four-plus innings. Cushing and Fuge combined to throw the final three frames.

Wednesday's game with Forest Grove begins at 4:30 p.m.

North Marion's dominance of the four singles matches was just enough to lift the Huskies to a 4-3 defeat of Stayton in Capital Conference boys tennis play last Monday in Hubbard.

Lester McBride, Juan Ovalle, Bryce Marsh and Andrew McBride each won their matches while the Eagles wound up sweeping the three doubles bouts.

Ultimately, the outcome came down to Marsh's third-singles match, the only match still going with the teams tied 3-3. He won it 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

"It all came down to Bryce, although he didn't know it at the time," head coach Pat O'Dell said. "He lost the second set but rebounded nicely in the third. It was good to get a win after playing the two best teams in the conference the week before."

All the other matches were over in straight sets, as Lester McBride rolled 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1, Ovalle cruised 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 and Andrew McBride prevailed 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4.

The Huskies were also scheduled to play Cascade last Thursday, but rain forced cancellation. It was rescheduled for Wednesday of this week.

The boys are also scheduled to play the Capital Conference leader, Woodburn, Thursday on the road.

NORTH MARION GIRLS: The Huskies played both Stayton and Sisters close, only to fall by identical 4-3 counts last Monday and Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the girls picked up a singles win from Heather Koenig, a 6-2, 7-6 winner at No. 3, while also getting doubles victories from the pairs of Anna Valverde/Stacy Hogland (6-1, 6-4) and Myra Nevarez and Eva Kasachev (6-4, 6-3).

The Huskies also got strong efforts from Ronecca Dockter, Alexis Fobert and Marci Lim. Dockter put up a good fight before losing in three sets at first singles, and the pair of Fobert and Lim teamed up for the first time and almost pulled out a three-setter (4-6, 7-5, 4-6).

The day before, North Marion lost by the same score against Stayton, only this time the girls got all three of their wins in singles.

Dockter won 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1, Koenig rolled 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 and Stacy Ovchinnikoff pulled out a 6-4, 7-6 win at No. 4.

The Huskies are scheduled for three matches this week, taking on Molalla on Monday, Cascade on Wednesday and Woodburn Thursday.

By Sean Patterson

Strong outings by Angela Carroll and Adrienne Giger carried the Canby High School girls golf team in a pair of matches last week at Willamette Valley Country Club.

Braving a steady rain Thursday, the Cougars' Carroll fired a 96 in leading the team to a second-place finish in a four-school invitational. Canby wound up with a 406 total as a team, trailing only Wilson's 389.

Jean-Marie Peterson and Dallas Yoder also had a decent afternoon, finishing with identical 101s as Canby beat out Oregon City (422) and Madison (494).

Wilson's Michelle Brown was the medalist with an 88.

"It wasn't the best of conditions, but the kids handled it well," CHS head coach Joe Morelock said.

It was the second match in four days for Canby, which again placed third as a team in a Pacific-8 Conference dual last Monday at WVCC.

That afternoon, Giger's strong performance on the back nine highlighted the day for the hosts, as she fired a 44 over that stretch after opening with a 50.

Her 94 led a threesome of Canby players who all finished in the mid-90s: Peterson was right behind her with a 95, and teammate Emily Reif was two shots back at 96.

Together, the Cougars finished with a 383 team total, behind both Tualatin (374) and Tigard (376).

The Pac-8 schools met again for a match Monday in Silverton, the results of which will be featured next week.