Photo by Steve Wlkowske

The Cougars outlasted the Reynolds Raiders 1-0 on Tuesday, thanks mainly to the overpowering performance of pitcher Joanna Barstad, who had 12 strikeouts.

By Sean Patterson
of the Herald

In yet another one-run, extra-inning game, Canby survived a close call with Reynolds to advance to the second round of the high school Class 4A state softball playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Pinch-runner Brea Makin raced home with the only run of the game in the bottom of the 12th, giving the Cougars a 1-0 shutout in their opening-round game last Tuesday at Canby High School.

The win set up a May 26 date with North Eugene, the winner of the Midwestern Conference and the school that eliminated the Cougars from the postseason a year ago.

"I'm sure the kids haven't forgotten about last year," said Canby coach Greg Herman of the opportunity to take on the second-ranked Highlanders (25-3).

"We're looking forward to that challenge. The nice thing is, the girls feel like they've gotten that monkey off their back. A couple years in a row we were knocked out in the first round. Now we've moved on."

Results of Friday's game were not available by press time, as the Herald went to press early this week because of the Memorial Day holiday.

The Cougars (23-4) manufactured the winning run against Reynolds after battling to a scoreless tie for more than two hours.

After surviving some close calls - the Raiders loaded the bases in the seventh and had runners on second and third with one out in the 12th - Canby executed its bunting game to perfection to win it.

Lindsay Burke led off the last inning with a single and had Tara Cullington pinch run for her. Kelsey Cutsforth then put down a bunt that the Raiders fielded, but a throw to second was too late to get Cullington.

Toni Herman then executed her fourth successful sacrifice of the game to move the runners to second and third. A pop to the catcher failed to get anyone home, but Canby wasn't finished.

With Makin inserted as a pinch runner at third, Lisa Erwert put down a squeeze and Makin charged for the plate. The Raiders tried to make a play at first, but the ball got away from the first baseman, allowing the winning run to score.

"We've had a few of those games this year, and they're never easy to watch," said Herman, referring to a pair of 1-0 extra-inning affairs with Tigard.

"Fortunately, we were able to get that run home and make the plays we had to make."

Up until then, the game was a showcase of pitchers Joanna Barstad and Heidi Nutter. Both allowed six hits and both made key pitches to get out of jams.

Canby's Barstad was the more dominant of the two, striking out 12 to Nutter's three, but the Cougars couldn't come up with the clutch hits early on.

The home team threatened in the fourth, as Erwert laced a double over the left fielder's head and Megan Rock followed with a perfect bunt and steal of second to put runners on second and third with nobody out.

But a pop to second, a force-out at home and a grounder to third ended the threat.

The Raiders, the No. 3 team out of the Mt. Hood Conference, had their golden opportunity slip away in the seventh, when they rapped three singles to load the bases with one away.

Canby, the No. 2 seed out of the Pacific-8 Conference, got out of it when Erwert fielded two grounders at short - the first of which forced a runner at home and the second of which she threw to first for the third out.

The Cougars mounted a rally of their own in the last of that inning, putting runners at second and third with two out, but the Raiders' Heather Munson fielded a hard-hit ball at third and threw home to get the would-be winning run.

North Marion senior Bret Hyder wears a smile on his face most of the time. The Husky utility man says he has a lot to be happy about, from being on what many consider the best high school baseball team in the state to knowing who he is.

"I really feel like I am blessed," Hyder said. "Sometimes it almost seems like I am living a version of the movie, 'The Truman Show.' I'm not saying the world revolves around me or anything. It just seems like everything in my life is put neatly into place and turns out okay."

While Hyder holds a 3.95 grade point average and holds his faith very important, he is quick to point out his passion for sports in general and baseball in particular.

"I have been playing ball since I was in kindergarten. I took last year off and played golf in the spring, and it showed me how much I really miss the game," he said.

Hyder has no problem with his role as utility man on the team. He is ready to do whatever is necessary to help the Huskies, who entered the Class 3A playoffs last Friday as the state's top-ranked team.

"Baseball is just fun to be around, whether you are playing or watching.

Being a utility man is fine with me," he said. "Like I said, I am really blessed to be on any team, so being on one this good is really great."

Hyder has filled in at third and second base when asked by his coaches and gives his all on every play. Most recently, when second baseman Ty Brack was the victim of a freak accident before a game, Hyder was inserted in the lineup as the lead-off hitter.

And, in the field, he ranged to his right to make a backhand grab that saved a no-hitter for pitcher Kory Casto.

"I have always been a pretty good fielder," he said. "I played third and second most of the time in the past, so it was okay with me to be put in either of those or any other position."

"Batting lead-off was great, though," he added. "I have never been the best hitter, in fact I usually get DHed for. I run the bases well, though."

Hyder attributes his athletic success largely to his father's guidance. "My father tells me that desire is the most important thing in all you do, and that a team will always have a place on it for someone who hustles all the time," he said.

Hyder's hustle has also placed him on the North Marion basketball and football squads.

"All of the sports have been great," Hyder said. "One of the best moments I have had was in the football season opener this season."

In the game against Taft, Hyder got to tackle his cousin several times, but the moment he was referring to came when Derek Marsh hit the Taft quarterback and the ball popped loose.

"I grabbed it and ran it in for a touchdown. I have never been so excited in my whole life," Hyder said.

The North Marion football team went 5-4 last season and has not had a losing season in Hyder's four years on the team. He played defensive end and center.

To hear him tell it, life is easy.

"I am never stressed out about homework or anything," he said. "I just try to do the things I am supposed to do when I am supposed to do them and everything turns out okay."

Unlike a lot of his teammates, Bret has no plans to play baseball this summer.

"I would love to but I just won't have the time," Hyder said.

One of the things that will be occupying his time is preparation for college. Hyder plans to attend Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn., this fall.

"It is a small Christian College and that is important to me. I like the idea of being around Christian people," he added.

Hyder is devout in his faith. He attends a Free Methodist Church in Salem where he plays in the youth band. He has not yet selected a career path but says he has not ruled out the ministry.

"I think being a youth minister would be fun and rewarding," Hyder said. 'I am going to go on a missionary trip to Mexico."

Hyder said the most important thing about his last year in high school is that he is satisfied.

"I am going to graduate happy," he said. "I have done everything I wanted to do, from acting to athletics."

Editor's note: Because of the early holiday deadline, results of North Marion's playoff opener Friday were not available by press time. They will be featured in the June 3 edition of the paper.

The bar didn't even bounce.

It's no wonder the North Marion High School baseball team was billed as the top-ranked squad heading into the Class 3A playoffs.

The Huskies, under the guidance of Capital Conference coach of the year Randy Brack, put up some eye-popping numbers en route to going 25-1 overall and 14-0 in league play.