Photo by Sean Patterson

Canby's Shelly Steinke manages to slide under the tag of Tualatin's catcher to score the first run in Wednesday's 5-1 victory. The win lifted the girls to 8-2 in Pacific-8 Conference play.

By Sean Patterson
of the Herald

It seems only Mother Nature can slow the Canby High School softball team these days.

Rain on Friday washed out the girls' scheduled matchup with McMinnville, providing the only bump on the road of a recent seven-game win streak.

Behind the pitching of Joanna Barstad and a near-perfect defense, the Cougars are 8-2 in Pacific-8 Conference play after beating both Tualatin and Newberg last week.

They have not lost since April 7, when the Timberwolves beat them. "The key for us lately has been our defense and pitching," head coach Greg Herman said. "We didn't have any errors in the Tualatin game and the team in general has been solid in the field the past several games.

''We've also seen our bats come around. We had 12 or 13 hits the other day, and we're hitting the ball hard. Everyone is doing their job.''

As a result, Canby finds itself in position to challenge Tigard (10-1) and Forest Grove (8-3) for a Pac-8 championship. The Tigers won 1-0 in a matchup of those two schools on Friday.

Against the Timberwolves last Wednesday at CHS, starting pitcher Joanna Barstad escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and never looked back.

Offensively, Canby's big inning came in the sixth, when Lisa Allen and Lisa Ash belted back-to-back singles to set the stage for Lindsay Burke, whose slap to center loaded the bases.

Allen then came around on an error, and Ash followed when Toni Herman singled. The final run came across when Megan Rock knocked an RBI single to tally Kelsey Cutsforth.

For the game, Shelly Steinke went 2 for 3 at the plate, while Rock and Ash were both 2 for 2. Herman, meanwhile, was a perfect 3 for 3.

And, once again, the Cougars got dominating pitching from Barstad, who struck out nine and allowed just two hits. The run she allowed was earned, bringing her season earned run total to two.

Two days before, Canby shut down Tigard 4-0 behind the pitching of Barstad and her sister Sophie. The elder Barstad pitched the first five innings, allowing only one hit over that span, before giving way to Sophie.

In the field, Steinke came up big in center, making two diving catches. She also had a hot bat, going 2 for 4 at the plate.

Allen also contributed, catching three balls in right and belting out two hits, including a double. The left fielder, Cutsforth, also was hot at the plate in going 2 for 3, and Ash enjoyed yet another strong day at the plate by going 2 for 3.

In all, the Cougars rapped out 12 hits in seven innings.

The team's game with McMinnville last Friday was rescheduled for May 2. The girls are also at Dallas on Wednesday and home for Tigard this Friday. All games begin at 4:30 p.m.

In a tune-up for the critical stretch run, Canby's Eric Logsdon proved once again he'll be a runner to be reckoned with at the district and state track and field competitions.

The Canby High School distance specialist won both his heats Friday at the eight-school Elden Kellar Invitational in Hillsboro, clocking a time of 3 minutes, 56.4 seconds in the 1,500 meters and a quick 8:34.9 in the 3,000 His 1,500 mark broke his own school record (3:57.4), set earlier this season, and his 3,000 run established a meet record.

Logsdon's heroics helped the Cougars score 74 points - good for sixth place as a team. Tigard won the meet with 114.5 points, followed by Hillsboro (93), Glencoe (91.5), Kelso, Wash., (82), Century (77), Canby, Columbia River (73) and Grant (65).

"It was a good day for us - we showed some improvement over the Newberg meet (April 26)," Canby head coach Tom Millbrooke said. "This was probably the only time Eric will run that double in one day. Now we just need to keep him healthy."

Joining Logsdon on the winner's stand was hurdler John Zagyva, whose 15.1-second time established a personal best.

Canby also picked up high placements from Erik Martinez, who set a p.r. in placing fifth in the long jump (20 feet, 7 inches); Todd Wagner, third in the triple jump (42-10) and eighth in the 200 (23.7); and Buck Stone, third in the 3,000 (9:17.3).

In other events, Spencer Porter wound up fourth in the 300 hurdles (41.7); Devin Deller and Richard Walker finished a respective sixth and seventh in the pole vault; Jese Kirsch took seventh in the 400 (54.3); Jason Parker was sixth in the 800 (2:04.5); Rob Bolton got seventh in the 110 hurdles (16.0); and David Roberts placed eighth in the triple jump (40-5 1/2).

Canby's girls, meanwhile, were fifth as a team with 68 points. And, like the boys meet, Tigard was on top with 134.5 points.

The girls didn't have any individual winners, but several earned top-eight placements, including Julie Garcia, second in the 400 (62.3) and fifth in the 100 (13.1), and Julia Hill, who threw the discus a personal-best 102-2 for second.

A personal record also came from the 1,600 relay team of Lexi Newman, Desa Swaim, Garcia and Chris Beck, who ran second in 4:15.2.

In the distances, Janeece Blunck set a p.r. with her fourth-place 1,500 run (5:11.5), and Jessica Johnston wound up sixth in the 3,000 in 11:18.2.

Canby also had two placers in the pole vault, compliments of Bethanie Evans (fourth at 9-0) and Lindsey Morgan (fifth at 8-6), and Beck placed in two races, the 400 (fifth in 62.8) and the 200 (third in 27.1).

Points also came from the short relay (fourth in 52.8), Swaim in the long jump (sixth with a 15-2), Evans (seventh in 17.0) and Chanelle Willis (eighth in 17.1) in the 100 hurdles and Kelsey Kraft in the high jump (seventh with a 4-8 leap).

Last Wednesday, both the Canby boys and girls found out just how deep and talented league opponent Newberg is.

The Tiger boys won all but four events en route to a 93-52 defeat of the Cougars at Newberg High School. The Newberg girls were just as dominant, winning by a 84.5 to 46.5 count.

With that, Canby's boys and girls both fell to 2-3 in Pacific-8 Conference duals with two to go.

"They are as good as they've ever been," Millbrooke said of Newberg. "It wasn't one of our better days - we came out kind of flat in some events - but you have to give them credit. They are a quality program."

Three of Canby's four boys wins came on the track, where Logsdon cruised to a win in the 1,500 meters (4:11.6), Zagyva won a tight 110 high hurdles race (15.3) and Logsdon broke two minutes in the 800 (1:59.3).

The team's only other winner was Wagner, who went 43 feet, 1/2 inch in the triple jump. Wagner also got a pair of seconds on the day, clocking an 11.5-second time in the 100 and clearing 18-6 1/2 in the long jump.

In terms of improvement, the Cougars' Joseph Snyder threw the shot further than ever before (44-8) for second. Runner-up finishes also came compliments of Matt Zwicker in the 3,000 (9:52.4), Porter in the intermediate hurdles (43.3), Deller in the pole vault (12-0) and Erik Wiesehan in the 400 (55.6).

The girls, meanwhile, got the bulk of their points in two events - the 1,500 and the pole vault, both of which they swept.

Blunck (5:14.9), Johnston (5:28.1) and Newman (5:32.3) pulled off the 1-2-3 finish in the race, while Morgan (8-6), Willis (8-6) and Ellen Kraxberger (7-6) did the same in pole vault.

Blunck also got a win in the 800 (2:35.6) and teammate Swaim took the long jump (15-11). Garcia, Beck, Michelle Boeckman and Newman also earned top-two placements.

The Cougars host their final home meet on Wednesday against McMinnville. The team is at Silverton April 9 and district is May 18-19 in Tualatin.

It's a trend that's going to get the Canby High School baseball team into the Class 4A state tournament, but it's not exactly the route the Cougars would like to take.

The formula: Beat everyone on your Pacific-8 Conference schedule with the exception of Tigard and Tualatin, the only two schools the Cougars have been unable to solve in 11 league contests.

Canby, locked in third place behind the unbeaten Vikings (11-0) and the Timberwolves (9-2), are 0-4 against those two teams and 7-0 against everyone else.

"We've had close games with them, but in many cases we've given them extra outs, which leads to big innings," Canby head coach Marty Hunter said. "You just can't afford to do that against teams of that caliber."

It happened again last Wednesday, when a fourth-inning error opened the door for five Tualatin runs in a 7-3 loss on the road.

The Cougars led 3-2 going to the fourth when the Timberwolves mounted a rally. Tualatin eventually tied the game up, then caught a break when, with two out, a throw to first pulled the first baseman off the bag.

Tualatin capitalized by scoring four more runs in the inning to turn a close game into a 7-3 result.

"If we get that out, it's tied and we're right in it," Hunter said. "As it is, your down 7-3 and forced to come back. It changes the whole complexion of the game."

Canby picked up all three of its runs in the third, when Nate Dawson belted a bases-loaded triple to right center to clear the bases.

Josh Cushing also had a good day at the plate, going 2 for 2, and he did an admirable job in his three-plus innings on the mound.

The Cougars bounced back to edge McMinnville 4-2 on Friday, as Sean Criss got the win and Brett Fuge closed it out.

The host Cougars scored twice in the first when Cushing delivered a run-scoring single and a throwing error allowed a second run to cross.

Canby then added insurance in the second when Dustin Peregrin singled, moved over on a bunt and scored on a Garret Miyake single.

Finally, after the Grizzlies scored two in the fourth to pull within 3-2, Canby added insurance in the sixth when Jess Driggers reached on an error, Peregrin doubled and Marcos Quintero delivered a run with a single.

Peregrin enjoyed a solid day both at the plate, going 3 for 3, and in the field, where he made some key plays at third base.

Finally, the Cougars beat Newberg 2-1 on April 24, thanks to the 10-strikeout, two-hit, 0-walk performance of Fuge, who went the distance.

Fuge also helped himself at the plate, lofting a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the first. The home team got its other run in the seventh when Jake Norquist singled in Peregrin, who had been hit by a pitch and bunted over.

"We've had our share of one- and two-run games, which has forced us to throw Josh and Brett quite a bit," Hunter said. "But we're making an effort to spread things out. We were able to spot Josh a bit this week.

''Hopefully, we'll figure out a way to beat Tualatin and Forest Grove down the stretch. We still have to play them each once.''

Canby (13-6) is home for Dallas on Wednesday and at Tigard on Friday. Both games begin at 4:30 p.m.

The team wraps up the regular season with Forest Grove this Monday, Newberg April 10 and Tualatin on April 12.

By John Sexton
for the Herald

The hero Thursday for the North Marion baseball team was not a three-homer effort at the plate or a perfect game by a pitcher (even though both have happened recently).

In fact, the hero was not even on the roster of either team.

The hero was a heavyweight tarp that tipped the scales at 1,300 pounds dry.

At 165 feet by 165 feet, the infield tarp was the reason the Huskies were able to get in their game against Central. North Marion won 15-6.

"We knew the rain was coming," Husky coach Randy Brack said. "We tried to get the fields as prepped as possible in the morning and then put the tarp on the field at noon."

The rain started about 1 p.m.

"When Central got there it was raining pretty hard, so we just took the tarp into consideration, and the fact that we had lights, and agreed to wait as long as we had to to get the game in," Brack said.

Play got underway about 30 minutes late.

"It was actually a little fun to peel the tarp off and have a dry infield under it," Brack said.

Tucker Brack highlighted the fireworks once play got going, getting three hits, including a double and triple. Kory Casto added three RBIs on a pair of hits, while Jeremy Miller added two hits and a pair of RBIs.

The Huskies opened with three runs in the first, but Central answered with three of their own in the second to tie things up. It wouldn't stay that way for long, though, as the Huskies tacked on three more in the third and six in the fourth to blow the game open.

The win lifted North Marion to 9-0 in Capital Conference play, three-and-a-half games ahead of its nearest pursuer, Cascade, whom the Huskies played Tuesday night.