Photo by Steve Wilkowske

Fueled by unbelievable pitching and a desire to succeed, North Marion's AAA Legion baseball team has made it to the elite eight.

The Huskies, backed by Kory Casto's pitching, defeated Beaverton 3-2 Saturday at Bob Brack Stadium to advance to the American Legion AAA State Tournament this week in Roseburg. The Huskies open state with a 4 p.m. Wednesday game against Klamath Falls.

Saturday's game was reminiscent of North Marion's 12-inning thriller last week against Centennial. With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Bryan Goff led off with a single to right and moved to second on a Ty Brack sacrifice bunt.

After Goff went to third on a passed ball, Tucker Brack laced a 3-1 curveball to right field, scoring Goff and triggering a celebration on the field.

For the seniors who just graduated, this game takes away some of the sting of their Class 3A semifinal loss to Philomath.

"This means a lot," Tucker Brack said, still smiling from his game-winning RBI. "No one thought we could get there (to the state tournament), but here we are. Now they are going to have to deal with us." Coach Randy Brack praised the play of his pitcher.

"He (Casto) had a good fastball all evening," Brack said. "His breaking balls weren't getting over for strikes until later in the game. In the seventh, I think they (Beaverton) were looking for fastballs, and he threw great curveballs."

The result was important for the Huskies because a loss would have put them in a loser-out game on Sunday - a situation they were in last year and didn't want to repeat.

"We had this opportunity last year," Brack said. "We didn't want to get in that same situation where we had to win that last game. These guys are a little tired and we wanted to get it done today."

It was obvious from the start that this was going to be tight all the way through. Beaverton, a school with an enrollment of over 2,000 students, came in with all the prestige of its Class 4A titles and run of a great athletes, including Ryan Wilson, who will be attending San Diego State University on a full athletic scholarship. The Huskies were not intimidated one bit.

In the bottom of the first, Tucker Brack hit a one-out double to left and came around on Casto's single to right, making it 1-0.

In the bottom of the second, the Huskies scored what would be their last run until Brack's clutch RBI in the bottom of the seventh. Adam Kraft singled to center field, and Kyle Castor drilled a double to right center, scoring a hustling Kraft all the way from first base.

Beaverton got one run back in the top of the third inning and tied the game in the top of the fifth.

In the top of the seventh, Casto retired the top three batters in the order and also picked up his 15th strikeout, bringing his whiff total to 31 in his last two outings.

Aside from Casto's pitching, this game was decided by the ability of North Marion's No. 7-8-9 hitters to get on base.

"That's the game right there," coach Brack said in reference to Kraft's hit, Castor's double to score him and Goff's leadoff single in the seventh. "They are the reason we won tonight. Their ability to get on base and give us the clutch hits."

Brack knows the season is not over, too.

"We are going to face a different caliber of teams down there," he said of state. "They are a bunch of all-star teams with thousands of kids to draw from, even more than the teams up here. The games are longer, they are nine innings, but hey, here is little ol' North Marion still in it."

Brack also mentioned that making it to the state tournament will help his teams in the future.

"These games mean a lot for younger guys," Brack said. "It is making them better and giving them great experience. Goff has pitched in two of the biggest games of the summer (against Lakeridge and in Game 3 of the Tigard series), and then came up with the big hit tonight. Kraft has pitched awesome and he had a big hit tonight, then Castor came up huge for tonight."

The game means a lot to the older guys too, Brack said.

"For the older guys, they are kind of still hanging on," he said. "This is their last hurrah, and it's a good way to go out. There can't be a sour note on the season now. We are one of the final eight teams."

Canby golfer Ryan Gilmour will get the opportunity to take on some of the nation's best when he travels to Atlanta for the Independent Insurance Agent Junior Championship tournament.

The national event, considered one of the top four national junior golf tourneys, will be contested at the White Column Golf Course near Atlanta. He is one of only three boys representing the state of Oregon in the tournament.

Gilmour, 15, first had to get through a qualifier at the Colwood National Golf Course in Portland in late June. The national qualifying tournament was held July 24-25 at Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis.

After surviving a bout with the stomach flu while playing 18 holes Monday morning in the Peter DeMarco McNary Junior Tournament in Keizer, Gilmour played his second 18 holes of the day and came through with a 72 at Trysting Tree.

"I didn't feel good at all when I woke up, but I was able to play through it," he said. "It was a busy day, playing two tournaments in two different places, but it worked out."

He followed up his solid opening round with an even better one on Tuesday, shooting a 70 to finish with a two-day total of 142 and a tie for first place.

Gilmour tied Alex Casebeer of Illahee Hills Country Club for top honors. Close behind them was Tony Paraseni, the high school Class 4A individual champion, who came in with a 143. He will be unable to attend the tournament in Georgia, however, so fourth-place finisher Ryan Dessendach will go instead.

Only the top three boys and top girl were invited to participate in the "Big I," regarded as one of the four majors at the junior level. Representing the state in the girls competition will be Kelly Groff of Illahee.

Gilmour, who helped the Canby High School golf team reach the state tournament, will be a sophomore at CHS this fall.