By James Day
The Mount Angel 9-10 baseball all-stars have won the District 7 championship and are playing in the state tournament.
The squad, coached by Ryan Kleinschmit, captured the district title July 18 after a perfect 6-0 run through the tournament at Holland Youth Park in Salem.
Mount Angel went 4-0 in pool play, defeating, in order, Parrish 16-9 on July 11, Keizer 11-0 on July 13, South Salem 18-10 on July 14 and West Salem 18-11 on July 16.
Mount Angel won an 18-12 slugfest against Corvallis in the semifinals and took out Parrish again, this time by a 7-5 score in the title contest.
The squad began state tournament play in Hermiston on July 25 after Our Town’s press-time. Look for a report on the state tournament in our Aug. 15 edition.
Softball plan: Bill Bicknell, who moved to Silverton last month, is hoping to start an “over the line” softball program in the area for men 60 and older.
“Over the line” or short-handed softball requires only three to six players per team and emphasizes hitting and catching.
There are no bases to run and hits are determined when a ball lands in fair territory.
Batters are pitched to by their own teammates. Bicknell said the costs will be minimal and that he hopes to schedule play on weekdays in the late morning.
Interested parties should contact Bicknell at 636-578-8502 or [email protected].
Homer’s Classic: It’s not too late to sign up to participate in the Homer’s Classic 2-mile walk, 2-mile fun run and 8K covered bridge run.
The races start at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 9 on the track at the old high school campus on Schlador Street in Silverton.
Runners and walkers can register in advance ($28 with a T-shirt, $15 without) at www.racenorthwest.com through Aug. 6. Day-of-the-race sign-ups start at 8 a.m. and cost $20, with T-shirts (if available) for an extra $15.
Proceeds benefit youth running programs in Silverton and Mount Angel. Contact Steve Ritchie at 503-559-4346 or [email protected] for more information.
Fall is almost here: Yes, it’s Aug. 1, the notorious dog days of summer, but fall high school sports are just about to start heating up.
Teams can start formal conditioning on Monday, Aug. 10, with the first practices starting Aug. 17.
The first contest date for soccer, cross country and volleyball is Aug. 27, and football teams can participate in jamborees starting that date. Sept. 3 is the first contest date for football.
Silverton and Kennedy football both open on the road Sept. 4, with the Foxes visiting Wilson of Portland at 7:30 p.m. and the Trojans traveling to Knappa for a 7 p.m. game. The annual Silver Falls-Oktoberfest cross country invitational will be Wednesday, Sept. 16 on the “monster” course at Silver Falls State Park.
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