FISHERMEN WELCOME STATE CHAMPS FRIDAY

Coming off their first ever undisputed Cowapa League football championship, the retooled Astoria Fishermen football team will get tested right away, with a pre-Labor Day matchup against the defending 4A state champion Siuslaw Vikings this Friday.


"We are very excited about it," said head coach Howard Rub of Friday's season-opening tilt. "It's my understanding from local historians that this will be the 80th year of football played downtown."


"A lot of things make this real exciting for us. The defending state champs, 80th year of football here, John Warren's daughter being here to be recognized. We'll have school officials, city officials, the mayor will be here to help recognize her."


The OSAA Endowment matchup between coastal 4A football powers is bound to attract a sizable crowd to John Warren Field, which bears the name of the man whose family made significant donations toward building the football stadium at historic Gyro Field thirty years ago. Friday night will hopefully mark the beginning of a major renovation at the historic site, with a raffle for a new car scheduled to help raise funds for a project that will eventually install all-weather turf and convert the football-only field to a multipurpose athletic facility.


With plenty of festivities planned at the field before the football game, a full day of high-caliber athletic competition actually begins at the Brick House gymnasium at noon as the Astoria volleyball team, fresh off a school-best 6th place finish at the state tournament, opens its season against perennial power and state runner-up Estacada in the first game of a mini-tournament. Estacada will play Siuslaw at 2:00 p.m. with Astoria facing Siuslaw at 4:00 p.m. Like the football contest, gate receipts will go to the OSAA Endowment Fund.


After Friday, the volleyball team jumps into Cowapa League play. The football game is the first of five tough nonleague matchups for Astoria, which has loaded up its preseason schedule in anticipation of challenging for a second straight Cowapa title and a return trip to the OSAA state playoffs.


Siuslaw capped a perfect 13-0 season with an overtime victory over Sisters in the 4A championship game at Autzen Stadium. The Vikings featured a host of top-notch athletes and a dominating defense, which allowed less than a touchdown per game during the season. The 21-14 final score in the championship was the only time a team came within three touchdowns of the Vikings, who are pursuing their fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs under 12th-year head coach Tim Dodson.


"What a great challenge in the defending state champions," said Rub. "Similar to us, they lost a lot, but they have a lot coming back and they have some real good, young talent coming up. It shapes up to be a real good matchup."


Astoria, coming off some lean years this decade, has reached the postseason two of the last three seasons, but finished last season with a disappointing 20-16 loss to La Salle in the playoffs. The Fishermen and Falcons will meet in a heavily anticipated rematch at P.G.E. Park a week from Friday. Following that, Astoria travels to Gladstone to play on another turfed field, hosts Philomath, then caps off the non-league portion of its season with a matchup against a tough Central squad at Western Oregon University's MacArthur Field.


"The competition is going to be fierce," said Rub. "We look forward to the challenge. I think that's what you need to do when you think you have a team that's going to contend for your league title. You better schedule some tough nonleague games and get them ready for that. That's what we've done."


"As much as we want to win these nonleague games, the ultimate goal is to get ready for league because that is the ultimate prize."


While Astoria returns one of the state's most exciting players in junior quarterback Jordan Poyer, the surrounding cast will feature many new faces with heavy graduation losses affecting the offensive line and receiving corp. A handful of sophomores will make major contributions and standout junior Trevor Puckett returns after a broken ankle cost him most of his sophomore year.


Two new coaches join the staff, with Hall of Fame baseball coach Dave Gasser returning to the gridiron to direct the Astoria defense and Astoria Ford sales manager Scott Summers adding his expertise. Gasser spent more than 20 years coaching football at Madison and Lakeridge High Schools while racking up three baseball championships. Summers is a former Division I football player at San Diego State, who was escorted by future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk on a recruiting trip.


With Astoria's football history being honored on Friday night, it's our pleasure to announce that Astoria football returns to its historic radio home on 1370-AM KAST this season, with all of the games broadcast live with Matt Richert on play-by-play and Chris Hunt providing color commentary.


KKEE, 1230-AM is home to Ilwaco football this season with Dave Henderson joining the New Northwest Broadcasters on-air staff to handle play-by-play duties and Tim Wirkkala returning to handle color. Ilwaco opens its regular season this Friday with a trip to Cathlamet to take on the perennial B power Mules. Ilwaco welcomes the return of Kevin McNulty, who had a successful run with the Fishermen in the early '90's and takes over head coaching duties from Ned Bittner, who will remain the girls basketball coach.

JACKSON MVP, BUT COKLEYS GO FOR GOLD

Mike Cokley led six players in double figures with 30 points as the Gold Team defeated the Blue Team 115-110 in the All-Star game finale of the Knappa Summer Basketball League Tuesday night at Knappa High School.

Younger brother Tex Cokley hit 7-of-20 3-pointers to finish with 25 points and Jeff Harell (17 points, 13 rebounds), Paul Jarrett (15-12) and Nate McBride (14-11) all finished with double-doubles.

Brian Jackson, voted Most Valuable Player by league opponents, finished with a game-high 42 oints and 15 rebounds for the Blue squad.

The Blues pulled out to early advantages in the first and second half, but quickly ran out of steam, playing without any subs. The Gold came back from a 13-point second half deficit and took the lead just before the 10-minute mark on a Tex Cokley 3-ball. The teams traded the lead several times down the stretch before the Gold team sealed the game at the free throw line in the final few minutes.

Andrew Nieman added 29 points and nine assist for the Blues. Kyle Jackson checked in with 18 with Nick Alfonse scoring 11 points and Andy Murray 10.

The top 12 players were selected to play in the All-Star game by a vote of the rest of the players in the league. The teams were constructed by League Director Craig Cokley for competitive value. Two elected players did not play, with Tim Harrell out due to injury for the Gold, replaced by Jayme Toyas, who tallied 14 points. Josh Ray did not play for the Blue Team, leaving them without a substitute player for the 40-minute contest.

WHEALDON IN PNGA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Ilwaco sophomore Jack Whealdon shot 1-over par 145 over 36 qualifying holes to reach the championship flight at the PNGA Junior Boys Amateur Championship at Burley Municipal Course in Burley, Idaho.

Whealdon shot even par 72 on Monday and +1 Tuesday to finish stroke play in a tie for 23rd. The top 32 golfers from over 100 of the Northwest's top junior golfers move on to bracketed match play on Wednesday. Whealdon, who finished 11 strokes behind the leader Will Holdridge of Blaine, Washington, will tee off early Wednesday morning against Jacob Webb of Issaquah. Webb placed eighth during stroke play, eight strokes ahead of Whealdon. The winner of the morning pairing will move on to the second round later in the day. The tournament culminates with a championship match on Friday.

Whealdon's younger brother Patrick fired a 79 on Tuesday after playing par golf on the front nine. Patrick Whealdon will face off against Chris Babcock in the sixth of eight flights, teeing off at 11:50 a.m.

ED'S SEPTIC WINS TITLE IN OT

Jeff Harrell scored 28 points and hauled down 24 rebounds to lead Ed's Septic to a 70-68 overtime win over Danger Den in the Knappa Summer Basketball League championship game at Knappa High School Thursday night.

Andrew Nieman added 22 points for Ed's Septic, which had split the regular season series against defending champion Danger Den, including a loss in the final regular season game on Monday that gave Danger Den the top seed to the playoffs.

Danger Den led 37-33 at the half after leading by as many as ten points. Nieman, who will play at Warner Pacific College this year, nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11:35 left in the second half to put Ed's Septic in front 46-45. Ed's held Danger Den scoreless for more than seven minutes, opening an eight point lead in the final ten minutes before Rockaway native Tim Lambert broke the drought with a free throw with just under six minutes remaining.

"I think they jumped ahead of us in all three games by ten or so," said Harrell, a 1994 Ilwaco High School grad and former Lower Columbia College Red Devil. "We seem to be a little tight and pressing things, but we're a good physical team and we can wear them down. Those threes that were going in the first half aren't quite as easy in the second and we were able to chip away and get a little bit of a lead towards the end."

Ordinarily, the league games are not officiated until the final four minutes, but league director Craig Cokley took the floor with seven minutes remaining to referee a physical contest that often got testy. Cokley forced both teams to the bench with just seconds remaining in the first half after a verbal altercation threatened to escalate.

Lambert sparked a comeback for Danger Den with back-to-back threes, the second set up by his own steal to pull the league champs within two at 57-55 with 3:10 remaining. After Harrell missed a pair of free throws, Tex Cokley nailed a three pointer to put Danger Den back in front. Blake Gertulla answered with a spinning layup on the other end. Another Cokley three made the score 61-59 Danger Den before a driving Nieman layup tied the score at 61-all with a minute remaining.

"Nieman's led us the whole year," said Harrell. "He's always averaging 30's and Tex, he's a flamethrower. There's nothing more said. He can shoot it from anywhere. He can hit ten in a row. He can do it all. He's got a great stroke."

Danger Den held the ball until a time out was called with 14 seconds left, but on the inbounds, Cokley was trapped at midcourt and forced into a backcourt violation, giving Ed's the ball with :09 seconds left. Nieman missed a contested three at the buzzer and the teams went to overtime.

Ed's Septic scored the first six points of overtime, but Danger Den countered with a Ryan Isom three-pointer and a McBride steal led to a Cokley layup and a timeout by Ed's with the score 67-66 and :52 seconds remaining.

Harrell would go to the line again, this time nailing both shots to put Ed's up 69-66. On the ensuing possesion, McBride drove the lane, but missed a tough reverse layup. Brad Dalton grabbed the rebound for Ed's and was fouled with :14 seconds left, missing the ensuing free throw. After a timeout with ten seconds remaining, Harrell wisely fouled McBride along the sideline, preventing a potential game-tying 3-point attempt. McBride made the first and missed the second free throw, but Harrell grabbed his biggest rebound of the night, heaving the ball downcourt where Gertulla was fouled hard by Cokley in the chase and hit the final free throw of the night.

With the victory, Ed's Septic, which also featured contributions from Luke Roman, Tim Harrell and Chris Dalton, gets to keep its team intact for next season, while Danger Den's squad will be broken up an entered in next year's draft pool.

"We ended up with a nice little squad," said Harrell. "Most everybody made it every time. We played really well together. We're actually excited to play again together next year."

Three Ed's players--Nieman and both Harrells--were selected to play in Tuesday's All-Star game along with Cokley and McBride from Danger Den. The game will be at 7:00 p.m. at Knappa High School and admission is free.

BRUNEY BACK TO MINORS

After a rough month of July, the New York Yankees have optioned righthanded reliever Brian Bruney to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in order to make a couple of roster moves.

The 2000 Warrenton grad made ten appearances in July, surrendering 11 hits and five bases on balls in 6 2/3 innings pitched with an ERA of 10.80. Bruney's ERA jumped from a miniscule 1.91 entering the month to 3.40.

According to Yankees pitching coach and legendary Louisiana lefty Ron Guidry, Bruney has recently begun pitching from the windup with no runners on base, rather than exclusively from the stretch. Bruney has struggled with walks throughout the season, giving up 30 bases on balls in 42 1/3 innings pitched.

Bruney's demotion opens the door for fast-rising 21-year-old righthander Joba Chamberlain, a 2006 2nd-round draft selection of the Yankees who has dominated at every level of the minors since being selected with the 41st overall pick. Chamberlain, the highest drafted Native American in Major League history, struck out a staggering 135 batters in 88 1/3 innings, while compiling a 9-2 record with a 2.45 ERA, primarily as a starter.

Bruney, who broke into the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks in May of 2004, was signed by the Yankees to their AAA farm club in Columbus as a free agent after being released in 2006 and debuted with the pinstripes in August of 2006. The Yankees have since ended their long-term relationship with the Clippers, making Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA their AAA minor league affiliate. Since being drafted by the Diamondbacks, Bruney's professional baseball career has taken him to Yakima, South Bend, Indiana, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, Columbus, GA, New York and now Wilkes-Barre, PA>

MCBRIDE BUZZER BEATER SEWS UP FIRST

Nate McBride's 3-pointer with two seconds remaining lifted Danger Den to a 72-69 victory over Ed's Septic, avenging the defending Knappa Summer League champions only loss of the season and lifting them to the regular season title.

Ed's Septic had won eight straight games following a season-opening loss and will be the second seed in the playoffs, which begin at Knappa High School Wednesday night.

Led by Lower Columbia College guard and former Tillamook High School star Andrew Nieman, Ed's went on a second half run to grab an eight point lead before Danger Den fought back in the final four minutes.

"We moved the ball and got a few open shots at the end," said McBride, Warrenton High School's all-time leading scorer, who is entering his sophomore season of baseball eligibility at Pacific University in Forest Grove. "It worked out good."

McBride hit three straight threes down the stretch, with the final shot coming off an inbounds play, orchestrated in the huddle by '07 Knappa grad and budding coach Paul Isom.

"Paul pulled it all together and called the play and had the double screen for Tex [Cokley] and had a couple guys rolling off," said McBride. "It worked out just like we drew it up. Hats off to Paul, I guess."

Cokley struggled through a bit of an off-shooting night, but finished with 21 points. Ryan Isom scored all 15 of his points from beyond the 3-point arc, while Tim Lambert contributed 8.

Nieman finished with 33 points to lead Ed's Septic, which was playing without defensive standout Tim Harrell, who is resting a sore left arm for Wednesday's playoff game.

Ed's Septic will face The Logger at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night, after Brian Jackson scored 48 points in a 92-85 victory over Nygaard/Hunt., which finished fourth in the final standings and will play top seed Danger Den at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday. Mike Cokley paced Nygaard/Hunt, losers of six straight, with 36 points.

In the battle for last place, former LCC and Rainier standout Kyle Jackson scorched the nets for 53 points as Teevin Bros. defeated Link's Outdoor 105-98. Paul Jarrett scored 32 points and Curtis Olds added a season-high 27. Jarrett and Josh Ray will represent last place Link's Outdoor in next Tuesday's All-Star game at Knappa High.

Twelve players from the six teams were voted on by the players in the league and will be split into two teams to play on Tuesday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free. The league MVP will be announced at halftime. Eight of the twelve All-Stars are current or former college players. Two are 2007 high school graduates.

2007 KNAPPA SUMMER LEAGUE ALL-STARS

DANGER DEN: Tex Cokley, Nate McBride
ED'S SEPTIC: Andrew Nieman, Jeff Harrell, Tim Harrell
THE LOGGER: Brian Jackson
NYGAARD/HUNT: Mike Cokley
TEEVIN BROS.: Kyle Jackson, Nick Alfonse, Andy Murray
LINK'S OUTDOOR: Paul Jarrett, Josh Ray

PNW 13-15 BABE RUTH REGIONALS-Inside The #'s

The Kelso Babe Ruth All-Stars were rarely troubled during a perfect 6-0 run through the Pacific N.W. Regional Championships at Astoria last week.

Kelso defeated Astoria 8-0 in the championship game Saturday completing an impressive 6-day display of fundamental baseball and remarkable depth.

While Kelso did not have a leader in any one offensive category at the tourney, the top seven in the batting order, players who started every game, batted a combined .363. Kelso's top two pitchers, lefty Nick LaRoy and righthander Brandon Middleton, allowed no earned runs over 19 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts and just six walks.

Astoria's top pitchers--Cody Strickland, Ian Dueber and Max Johnson--had their moments, but were by no means dominant. Strickland pitched very well in a 5-inning start and a 2-inning relief stint, but Kelso's tough contact hitting lineup connected for 13 hits off the Astoria righthander. Dueber logged 12 quality innings against Helena and Central Basin, but surrendered 16 hits and had an earned run average of 5.25. Johnson was lights out in a 2-inning relief stint against Central Basin in the quarterfinals, but that followed a day after a disastrous start in the pool finale against West Kootenay when he walked six batters and hit two more in an inning and a third.

Kelso was the most defensively stout team, committing only five errors in six games with two errorless games and only one game with two E's. Astoria was second defensively with a total of eight errors and one errorless game with two 2-error games, including the championship final. Not only did Kelso make the routine plays with precision and regularity, they had the most spectacular plays at the tournament as well.

While Kelso was practically faultless on the diamond defensively and suffered no noticeable dropoff when other players were rotated in or shifted to different positions, Astoria betrayed defensive vulnerabilities both in the infield and outfield, particularly over the final two days of the tournament.

While both championship teams played well defensively, they also put pressure on the defense. Astoria and Kelso were far and away the most aggressive teams on the bases with Astoria edging Kelso in steals with 38 to Kelso's 36. Both teams were caught stealing four times. Douglas, Wyoming finished third with 24 steals in four games played, none against Astoria.

Which brings us to catchers. Few teams dared steal against Kelso's cannon-armed Cody O'Neill and Astoria's Dane Lund. Opposing teams attempted only eight stolen bases against Astoria and were caught four times. O'Neil nailed three of six basestealers. It certainly didn't hurt that both Kelso and Astoria, as the visiting teams 10 out of 12 times, often had early leads. Kelso batted first in all six of its games, choosing to be the visiting team in the championship game after winning the coin toss. Kelso scored in the first inning in five of those games.

Astoria had the slight edge in hits 59-57 and had a decided edge in power numbers (18-9 in extra base hits and five home runs to Kelso's two) in the tournament. Kelso had to contend with a more rugged division, with the traditionally strong Washington and Oregon teams combined with 3-time regional qualifier Lewiston, Idaho.

So, in the end, a more balanced, deeper, fundamentally sound Kelso squad with higher-caliber top of the rotation pitching won out over an Astoria team that could claim to be the better offensive club, but held no other discernable advantage.

Here is a list of the individual statistical leaders for the tournament, and The Last Dam Regional All-Tournament team selections.

PNW REGIONAL TOURNAMENT-Statistical Leaders

BATTING
AVG: Ken Forrester (CA) .714, Dylan Klava (DO) .545, Eric Bouma (WK) .533
HITS: Dane Lund (AS) 12, Forrester 10, Max Johnson (AS) 10,
RUNS: Johnson 11, Lund 9, Lane Sari (KE) 8, Marcus Brown (AS) 8
RBI: Johnson 11, Klava 8, Cody Strickland (AS) 8, Lund 7, Brown 7,
HR: Johnson 2, Klava 2, 9 tied with 1
3B: Lund, Chase Fick (KE), Shay Dearing (KE), Kyle Conway (HE)
2B: Strickland 3, 5 tied with 2
SB: Johnson 8, Brown 8, Marc Gallegos (AS) 8, Lund 7, 4 tied with 6
HIT-GAMES: Lund 6, Ian Erickson (AS) 6, Dylan Slunaker 6, 6 tied with 5

PITCHING
WINS: 6 tied with 2
ERA: Nick LaRoy (KE) 0.00 (11ip), Brandon Middleton (KE) 0.00 (8ip)
K: LaRoy 21, Louie Lopez (HE) 15, Dillon Gardner (JC) 14, Mason Lotz (CB) 14

2007 PNW Regional All-Tournament Team (selected by The Last Dam Editorial Staff-aka Matt Richert)

FIRST TEAM
MVP: Nick LaRoy (Kelso)
P: Brandon Middleton (Kelso), Cody Strickland (Astoria), Dillon Gardner (Josephine Cty)
IF: Robbie Neal (Kelso), Ian Erickson (Astoria), Ken Forrester (Calgary), Eric Bouma (W. Kootenay)
OF: Max Johnson (Astoria), Parker Rodgers (Kelso), Dylan Klava (Douglas), Kyle Conway (Helena)
C: Dane Lund (Astoria), Cody O'Neill (Kelso)
UT: Nico Carbone (The Dalles), Brett Robinson (Central Basin), Jason McMinn (Lewiston)
HONORABLE MENTION
P: Blake Giles (Kelso), Ian Dueber (Astoria), Reid Ashley (Central Basin)
IF: Dylan Slunaker (Kelso), Marcus Brown (Astoria), Case Hinkins (Central Basin)
OF: Lane Sari (Kelso), Mason Lotz (Central Basin), Kyle Knigge (Lewiston)
C: Brady Glover (W. Kootenay), Ryan Schrader (Josephine County)
UT: Tim Fosmo (Douglas), Louie Lopez (Helena)

KELSO IS ALABAMA BOUND

Ace lefthander Nick LaRoy tossed seven innings of 4-hit shutout ball and Kelso collected 13 hits in an 8-0 victory over Astoria in Saturday night's Pacific Northwest 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth Regional Championship game at Ernie Aiken Field in Astoria.

Kelso knocked off Helena, Montana 11-2 in a semifinal game earlier in the day to finish the tournament a perfect 6-and-0 and improve their summer record to 36-2.

Astoria's Max Johnson went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs batted in and Ian Erickson and Dane Lund had three hits each in a 12-6 win over North Washington champion Central Basin in the semifinals.

Kelso's LaRoy, who pitched four dominating innings in a 12-2 win over Central Basin on the first day of the tournament, was a 1st-team all-Trico Division selection last spring as a freshman at Kalama High School.

Left fielder Parker Rodgers went 3-for-3 and catcher Cody O'Neil put the game out of reach with a long 3-run home run to center field in the seventh inning off Astoria starting pitcher Cody Strickland, who went the distance in the loss.

Lund and Erickson each had one of Astoria's four hits off LaRoy, giving them at least one hit in every game of the tournament. Astoria had the most hits and extra base hits in the tournament until LaRoy limited them to four singles, while striking out 10 and walking two batters.

Kelso heads to the Babe Ruth 13-15-year-old World Series at Andalusia, Alabama beginning August 17.

Another Kalama product, second baseman Robbie Neal doubled with one out in the first inning, scoring on Brandon Middleton's two-out base hit to put Kelso on the board.

Shay Dearing hit a line drive off the glove of a leaping Astoria shortstop Marc Gallegos to plate Rodgers in the second inning. That was the first of four straight base hits for Kelso, which plated two more runs on RBI singles by centerfielder Lane Sari and shortstop Dylan Slunaker, yet another Kalama kid.

Astoria's Gallegos led off the game with a hit, but was promptly picked off by the lefty LaRoy, who had struck out 11 of 13 batters faced at the tournament before Gallegos' leadoff safety.

Astoria put runners at first and second with one out in the third inning when rightfielder Zach Dursse walked with one out and Slunaker committed a rare error, underthrowing to first on Gallegos' grounder to short. LaRoy fanned Trevor Couch swinging at a ball in the dirt and pinchrunner Doug Montgomery was gunned down by some distance trying to advance to third base on the loose ball.

Dane Lund led off the fourth inning with a base hit and Marcus Brown walked, putting runners at first and second with nobody down, but LaRoy buckled down to fan Max Johnson on three pitches before Cody Strickland lifted a fly ball to right field for the second out. Lund advanced to third on the play, but just barely, as Dearing made a strong throw to the bag. Ian Erickson, who was batting .500 (3-6) in 2-out situations with runners in scoring position at the tournament, hit a topper back to the mound for the final out.

LaRoy retired nine straight batters until Johnson's leadoff single in the seventh. By that time, Kelso had an 8-0 lead, with O'Neil's 3-run jack in the top of the inning pretty much slamming the door on Astoria's hopes.

Neal went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Dearing was 2-for-2 in the game.

In the semifinals, Cannon Beach native Ian Dueber picked up his second win of the tournament, pitching into the sixth inning with nine strikeouts and two bases on balls. Johnson pitched two hitless innings of relief to close out Astoria's 12-6 win over Central Basin, a team comprised of players from Ephrata, Quincy and Coulee City, Washington.

Marcus Brown put Astoria on the board with a leadoff solo home run to left field in the second inning, Astoria's tournament-leading fifth long ball.

Astoria sent nine men to the plate in a 5-run second inning, featuring RBI singles by Lund, Johnson and Strickland. Lund stole home on a first and third double steal and Strickland gave Astoria a 6-0 lead when he trotted home from third after Central Basin relief pitcher Case Hinkins' pickoff throw sailed four feet over the head of third baseman Max Melburn.

Melburn blasted a 2-run homer in the bottom of the third as Central Basin halved Astoria's lead with three runs, but Astoria answered swiftly with a 3-run fourth inning, highlighted by Lund's RBI triple over the head of the Central Basin centerfielder.

Couch and Erickson delivered RBI singles in the fifth inning and Johnson capped a strong day at the plate with a ground rule double to score a run.

Kelso had little trouble with Helena, holding the Montana champions scoreless until the sixth inning while building a 6-0 lead. Brandon Middleton knocked in the sixth run with the most impressive hit of the tournament, a titanic home run to right field that cleared the center line on Marine Drive and bounced into the bushes across the road.

Middleton, Kelso's top righthanded pitcher, went 2-for-4 at the plate and pitched four innings of 1-hit shutout ball to get the win. Chase Fick, getting the start at second base, scored two runs and drove in two and hit one of two Kelso triples in the game. Dearing hit a 2-run triple in the fourth inning, Rodgers and Neal each had two hits and two runs scored and Neal went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI's.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
KELSO 1-3-0-0-1-0-3 8-13-1
ASTORIA 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0-4-2
W-LaRoy (7ip, 4h, 0r, 10k, 2bb)
L-Strickland (7ip, 13h, 8r, 7er, 3k, 3bb, 3wp)
E-Slunaker, Strickland, Montgomery. LOB-Kelso 6, Astoria 6. 2B-Neal. HR-O'Neil. SB-Dearing. CS-Rodgers, Gallegos, Montgomery. DP-Kelso 1, Astoria 2. PB-Lund.

SEMIFINAL
KELSO 0-1-1-3-1-3-2 11-13-0
HELENA 0-0-0-0-0-1-1 2-4-6
W-Middleton (4ip, h, 0r, 6k, bb)
L-Lopez (4ip, 6h, 5r, 4er, 2k, 3bb, hp)
E-Harris 4, Conway, Lopez. LOB-Kelso 8, Helena 4. 2B-O'Neil. 3B-Dearing, Fick. HR-Middleton. SB-Slunaker, Rodgers 2, Fick, Sari. SF-Fick, Dirks. PO-Neal, McGurn. PB-O'Neil.

SEMIFINAL
ASTORIA, OR 0-1-4-3-3-0-0 12-14-2
CENTRAL BASIN 0-0-3-3-0-0-0 6-9-1
W-Dueber (5+ip, 9h, 6r, 6er, 9k, 2bb, 3hp)
L-Robinson (2 1/3ip, 4h, 5r, 5er, 3k, 3bb)
E-Brown 2, Hinkins. LOB-Astoria 9, CB 9. 2B-Johnson, Hubbard. 3B-Lund. HR-Brown, Melburn. SB-Gallegos 3, Lund, Brown 3, Johnson 2, Couch 2, Hubbard. SF-Hinkins. DP-Astoria 1, CB 1. PO-Lund.

ASTORIA PERFECT, HELENA REACHES SEMIS

Marcus Brown's 2-out single to left field scored Taylor Landwehr with the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Astoria Babe Ruth All-Stars overcame two late-game deficits to defeat West Kootenay 11-10.

Astoria completed a perfect 4-0 run through the American Division and will face Central Basin in today's second semifinal game. West Kootenay was eliminated with the loss. The British Columbia champions would have been in today's 1:00 p.m. semi with a victory.

Down 7-3 after three innings, the Trail, BC based team scored four runs in the fourth inning to tie the game, then took a 9-7 lead on Erik Bouma's 2-run single in the sixth off Brown, who relieved starting pitcher Zach Dursse with two outs in the fourth inning.

Cody Strickland entered the game on the mound with no outs and runners at first and second with the dangerous Brady Glover at the plate. West Kootenay's catcher, 3-for-3 to that point, grounded to first baseman Ian Erickson, who threw to second to get the force out, putting runners at first and third with one down. The next batter, Matt McAuley, West Kootenay's pitcher, dropped an attempted squeeze bunt. Strickland came off the mound to field the ball and got the lead runner at the plate in plenty of time for the second out. Jaryd Roblin lined out to Erickson at first to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Strickland delivered a 2-out, 2-run double just inside the third base line, scoring Brown and Max Johnson to tie the game at 9.

West Kootenay regained the lead in the top of the seventh when Cam Strachan led off with a dribbler to third that Brown was unable to field cleanly. Bunted to second by Danny Crantz, Strachan scored when leadoff batter Matt Davis delivered a bloop single to right field.

Astoria's game-winning rally in the bottom of the seventh inning began when Kiefer Lucore, a defensive replacement in the sixth making only his second plate appearance of the tournament, drove a 3-2 pitch to left field. Roblyn tried to adjust to the ball while backing up, but got his legs tangled and fell down, allowing the speedy Lucore to reach second base. Taylor Landwehr followed with his second hit of the game, banging a hard ground ball through the hole at short into left field and Lucore stormed around third base, scoring on the play. On the relay throw, the ball got loose on the infield allowing Landwehr to reach second.

Marc Gallegos flied out to center field and Trevor Couch followed with a base on balls. Couch and Landwehr advanced to second and third on a wild pitch and with two outs, Brown banged a 2-1 McAuley pitch through the infield for the game-winner.

Astoria collected over ten hits for the third time in the tournament, with Brown, Johnson, Strickland, Erickson, Landwehr and Dane Lund collecting two hits each. Strickland had two doubles and three runs batted in, giving him a tournament-leading three 2-baggers and four extra base hits. Johnson went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI's.

Bouma, Glover and McAuley, West Kootenay's three, four and five hitters, went 7-for-10 in the game.

With West Kootenay losing, Helena, Montana grabbed the second seed in the American Division and will play National Division top seed Kelso in the first semifinal at 10:00 a.m.

Astoria's semifinal game and potential championship game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN with pregame coverage beginning at 12:55 p.m. The winner of this tournament will advance to the Babe Ruth 13-15-year-old World Series in Andalusia, Alabama, beginning August 17. No North Coast area youth baseball team has ever advanced to a national championship.

W. KOOTENAY 1-0-2-4-0-2-1 10-11-1
ASTORIA, OR 5-0-2-0-0-2-2 11-13-2
W-Strickland (2ip, h, r, 0er, k, bb)
L-McAuley (6 2/3ip, 13h, 11r, 11er, 7k, 6bb, hp)
E-McAuley, Brown 2. LOB-WK 10, Astoria 7. 2B-Rypien, Strickland 2, Erickson. SB-Davis, Rypien 2, Gallegos, Couch, Brown 2, Johnson 3, Montgomery, Lund. CS-Glover, McAuley. S-D. Crantz 2. PB-Glover

AN ASSIST FROM NORTH OF THE BORDER

The Astoria 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars have clinched a spot in Saturday's championship round at the Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament at Aiken Field thanks to a little help from the visitors from Calgary.

Calgary's Tom Erick delivered a base hit to left field to score Ty Hades with the game-winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning as Calgary, Alberta defeated Helena, Montana 10-9 in today's final round of pool play.

Helena trailed 7-0 after two innings and stormed back to tie the game at nine with five runs in the sixth inning, the tying run scoring when T.J. Lanier was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in Josh Dirks, who had drawn a bases loaded walk earlier in the inning.

Dirks entered the game as a pinch runner in the third inning and walked twice, singled and doubled, but was stranded at third base in the eighth and tenth innings.

Calgary's Ken Forrester continued his torrid tournament at the plate, hitting a 3-run home run in Calgary's 4-run first inning. Forrester went 3-for-5 on the day to finish the tournament 10-for-14 at the plate with six runs scored. The ace pitcher on Calgary's staff finally found his groove on the mound, tossing four scoreless innings to close out the game and earn the Albertans only win of the tournament.

The Montanans need an Astoria win tonight over West Kootenay, British Columbia in order to reach the semifinals as the number two seed from the American pool. A Montana win today would have put the pressure on Astoria to beat West Kootenay tonight in order to ensure a championship round berth. West Kootenay will either be the top seed with a win tonight, or out of the tournament with a loss.

Kelso had pretty much ensured a championship round berth heading into today's first pool game. They wasted no time in ensuring a top seed, scoring ten runs in the first two innings on the way to a 11-2 victory over Josephine County.

Every Kelso starter had a hit and Blake Giles pitched four innings of 1-hit relief for the win. Parker Rodgers, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a run scored, had the defensive play of the tournament, making a full-speed, full extention leaping grab of a deep drive off the bat of Dylan Armanino near the wall in the left field corner to end the third inning, saving at least one, maybe two runs.

Kelso will take on the #2 team from the American pool at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning in the first semifinal. Central Basin clinched the number two seed in the National pool with Josephine County's loss and will face the American Division top seed at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow in the other semifinal. The North Washington All-Stars have a bye today after completing their pool schedule yesterday.

KELSO, WA 5-5-0-0-0-1-0 11-11-2
JOSEPHINE CTY 1-0-0-0-1-0-0 2-3-4
W-Giles (4ip, h, r, 0er, 3k, 3bb)
L-Bars (1 1/3ip, 5h, 8r, 5er, 0k, 3bb, hp)
E-Slunaker, Middleton, Schrader 2, Lee, Gardner. LOB-Kelso 7, JC 7. 2B-Middleton, Bars. SB-O'Neil, Fick, Slunaker, LaRoy 2, Specht, Dearing, Sari. CS-Slunaker, Rodgers. S-Pierce. DP-Kelso 1, JC 1. PO-Schrader.

HELENA 0-0-3-0-1-5-0-0-0-0 9-9-2
CALGARY 4-3-0-1-1-0-0-0-0-1 10-15-2
W-Forrester (4ip, 3h, 0r, k, bb)
L-Churchill (2 2/3ip, 2h, er, k)
E-Lopez, McLean, Hades, Forrester. LOB-Helena 13, Calgary 12. 2B-Churchill, Dirks, Ranson, Elberg, Erick. HR-Forrester. SB-Martin, McGurn 3, Dirks. S-Fisher, Kupper. SF-Conway, Everts. DP-Calgary 1.

ASTORIA SURVIVES ROCKY START, KELSO 3-0

Going into the final round of pool play, three teams are battling for two championship round berths in each pool at the Pacific Northwest 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth Regional Tournament.


Although no team has clinched a championship round berth, Kelso is the closest. The South Washington champions got four strong innings on the mound from Brandon Middleton and Cody O'Neill went 2-for-2 with a double, two rbi's and two runs scored. Dylan Slunaker added a pair of hits and two runs scored and Parker Rodgers drove in two runs to put Kelso on the brink of the semifinals.


Kelso faces Josephine County Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. With a victory, Kelso would advance to a 10:00 a.m. semifinal on Saturday, while Central Basin would get the number two seed from the National Pool and play at 1:00 p.m. Saturday against American Division number one.


Central Basin closed out pool play with an 11-2 victory over 0-3 The Dalles. Case Hinkins went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI's and Trevor Hyer hit a 3-run home run. Mason Lotz made his fourth consecutive appearance on the mound, tossing 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief with eight strikeouts and two walks to get credit for the victory.


Kelso will reach the semifinals win or lose Friday as long as they keep Josephine County under 14 runs. Josephine County could grab the top seed with a winning margin over six runs and by holding Kelso to eight runs or less. Josephine County would have to score at least 15 runs in a win to eliminate Kelso from the tournament.


Astoria leads the American Division after its 12-5 victory over Douglas, Wyoming. The host team faced a 5-1 deficit in the second inning after Dylan Klava's grand slam, the second homer of the tournament for the Douglas outfielder.


Astoria reliever Taylor Landwehr surrendered just two Douglas hits the rest of the way, as Astoria scored 11 unanswered runs to hand the Wyoming champions their third consecutive come-from-ahead loss.


Dane Lund began the comeback with a 2-run double in the third inning, then drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice in the fourth. The Astoria catcher finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI's and three runs scored. Marcus Brown singled and doubled and drove in three for 3-0 Astoria, which closes out pool play against West Kootenay, BC, a 14-7 winner over Calgary Wednesday morning.


A win for Astoria Friday night would ensure a 1:00 p.m. Saturday semifinal and put Helena, Montana into the championship round if Helena wins its final game against Calgary. If West Kootenay wins a low-scoring game by one run, Astoria would still win the pool. If West Kootenay beats Astoria by seven runs or more and Helena defeats Calgary, Astoria is eliminated and West Kootenay and Helena head to the semis.


NATIONAL POOL-Standings and tiebreaker criteria
KELSO, WA 3-0, 2 runs allowed, +10 run differential
CENTRAL BASIN 3-1, 16 runs allowed, -6 run differential
JOSEPHINE CTY 2-1, 8 runs allowed, -4 run differential
The Dalles, OR 0-3
Lewiston, ID 0-3


AMERICAN POOL-Standings and tiebreaker criteria
ASTORIA, OR 3-0, 4 runs allowed, +4 run differential
HELENA, MT 2-1, 10 runs allowed, -1 run differential
W. KOOTENAY 2-1, 5 runs allowed, -3 run differential
Douglas, WY 1-3
Calgary, AB 0-3

KNAPPA SUMMER LEAGUE ROUNDUP

Ed's Septic and Danger Den prepared for a first place showdown on Monday with wins Thursday night as the second Knappa Summer Basketball League heads toward playoff week.

Andrew Nieman scored 35 points and the Harrell brothers combined for 45 as Ed's Septic won its eighth straight game, routing Teevin Brothers 106-70.

Tex Cokley scored 38 points and Nate McBride hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final three minutes, finishing with 23 points as Danger Den held off The Logger 90-87. Brian Jackson scored a game-high 45 in a losing effort.

Ed's Septic and Danger Den, both 8-1, will play for the top seed in the playoffs in Monday's regular season finale at 7:10 p.m.

Nygaard/Hunt snapped a five-game losing streak against an undermanned Link's Outdoor with a 99-65 victory. Mike Cokley led the way with 36 points.

The final regular season games will be Monday night with plaoffs beginning Wednesday, August 8th with games at 6:00 and 7:10 p.m.

The first Knappa Summer League All-Star game will be held on Tuesday, August 14th at KHS. Game time will be 7:00 p.m. The top 12 players will be chosen by the league players and split into two squads. The league MVP will be announced at halftime.

PNW 13-15 BABE RUTH REGIONALS-Thursday

AMERICAN POOL-Standings
ASTORIA, OR 2-0, 4 runs allowed, +14 run differential
HELENA, MT 2-1, 16 ra, +9 rd
W. KOOTENAY 1-1, 16 ra, -2rd
DOUGLAS, WY 1-2, 37ra, -6rd
CALGARY, AB 0-2, 28ra, -15rd

NATIONAL POLL-Standings
KELSO, WA 2-0, 3 runs allowed, +15 run differential
CENTRAL BASIN 2-1, 25 ra, -5rd
JOSEPHINE CTY 2-1, 17ra, +3rd
THE DALLES OR 0-2, 14ra, -11rd
LEWISTON, ID 0-2, 18ra, -2rd

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE
10:00 a.m.: West Kootenay vs. Calgary
1:00 p.m.: Kelso vs. Lewiston
4:00 p.m.: Central Basin vs. The Dalles
7:00 p.m.: Astoria vs. Helena

DUEBER GOES DISTANCE, JOHNSON GOES YARD

The Astoria Babe Ruth All-Star team is no ordinary host team.

All of the host sites of state, regional and World Series tournaments get a team in the show as part of the deal. Astoria, unlike eight of the other nine teams in the tournament, did not have to earn its way to the tournament on the field. Had they fallen flat at their district tournament and lost every postseason game, they still would be entered into the regional tourney as a host team.
But they didn't fall flat and they practically begged for an invitation to the state tourney to no avail.

With no state tournament action to prepare them for state, the majority of Astoria's starters stayed sharp with their high school teams, including Astoria High School's Junior State champion squad.

Max Johnson and Dane Lund hit well in Eugene with the Junior State squad and the two stalwarts continue to get the job done.

Johnson hit his second home run of the tournament, Lund scored a pair of runs and Cannon Beach native Ian Dueber tossed all seven innings as Astoria defeated Helena, Montana 8-4 to assume first place in the American pool with two games to play.

A dropped pop fly in the third inning opened the door for Johnson's 2-run shot to left field, which put Astoria up 4-1.

Dueber pitched efficiently, mixing fastballs and curves on both sides of the plate, while walking just one batter through the first six innings.

"Dueber came out and threw a heck of a game," said Israel. "He came out and battled."

After another unearned run in the fifth inning put Astoria up 5-2, the Clatsop-Pacific County All-Stars added three insurance runs in the sixth inning. Kiefer Lucore ripped a one-out base hit to left field, went to second on a two-out walk to Trevor Couch and scored on Dane Lund's base hit to the opposite field. Lund and Couch scored when Marcus Brown lofted a bloop single down the line in shallow right field to finally give Dueber a comfortable 6-run cushion to work with.

"[Brown] couldn't have threw it over there better," said Israel. "It's just the little things. We've got to work on the little things. I feel like we probably should have had at least two more runs during that game."

Helena rallied for two runs in the seventh, but fell short, losing for the first time at the tournament to drop to 2-1 in the American pool.

"That was a great little team," said Israel. "They come out and battled. They're first pitcher [Louie Lopez] was a great little pitcher. That's definitely the best pitcher we've seen so far."

Lund was busy behind the plate, throwing out a runner at second trying to advance on a throw home and tagging out two Helena players in rundowns in the fifth inning. Trevor Couch had an outfield assist and a spectacular diving, backhand catch toward the line in left field in the seventh inning.

Astoria takes on Douglas at 7:00 p.m. tonight. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN. Helena closes out pool play against Calgary at 1:00 p.m. Friday.

ASTORIA 0-1-3-0-1-3-0 8-7-1
HELENA 0-1-0-0-1-0-2 4-7-6
W-Dueber (7ip, 7h, 4r, 3er, 4k, 3bb)
L-Lopez (5ip, 4h, 5r, er, 8k, 6bb)
E-Lopez, Conway, Fosmo 2, Grewitt, Couch. LOB-Astoria 6, Helena 4. 2B-Erickson. HR-Johnson. SB-Erickson, Gallegos 3, Lund 2, Brown, Johnson, Strickland. CS-Dueber, Gallegos, Couch, Harris.

RUBBER-ARMED RIGHTY LEADS J-CO TO WIN

Just two days after throwing seven innings and 131 pitches in an 8-7 win over Lewiston, Josephine County's Dillon Gardner, a Rogue River freshman, tossed five strong innings of shutout ball to lead the Grants Pass-based All-Stars to an 8-2 victory over The Dalles Wednesday.

Josephine County stayed alive in the hunt for a championship round berth and put a major roadblock in front of The Dalles, which dropped to 0-2 in pool play.

Gardner, featuring a sharp overhand curve and a sinking fastball, fanned six batters and walked only one while allowing three hits, while dueling The Dalles pitcher Zach Fowlkes.

Taylor Bars gave Josephine County a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third inning and the 1-0 lead held up until the sixth inning, when the South Oregon champs finally got to Fowlkes and reliever Duncan Wilcox for six runs to blow the game open.

Gardner had an RBI double in the inning, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate. Catcher Ryan Schrader had three hits in four at bats for Josephine County, which has a big showdown with 2-0 Kelso Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.

Nico Carbone went 2-for-3 for the Dalles and is tied with Calgary's Ken Forrester for best batting average (.833, 5-for-6). The Dalles needs to win its final two games against Central Basin Thursday (4:00 p.m.) and Lewiston Friday to have any hope of advancing.

JOSEPHINE CTY 0-0-1-0-0-6-1 8-9-1
THE DALLES, OR 0-0-0-0-0-0-2 2-5-2
W-Gardner (5ip, 3h, 0r, 6k, bb)
L-Fowlkes (5+ip, 5h, 3r, 3er, 4k, 7bb)
E-Boucher, Carter, Whitmire. LOB-JC 10, TD 5. 2B-Gardner. SB-Boucher. S-Lee, Morton. DP-TD 2.

DOUGLAS BLOWS ANOTHER BIG LEAD

Down 10-3 after five innings and in danger of making an early exit from the tournament, West Kootenay rallied for six runs in the sixth inning and sealed Douglas's fate with a 3-spot in the seventh to pull out an unlikely 12-11 victory over the Wyoming champions.

Douglas lost a sizable lead for the second straight day after giving up a 6-1 edge to Helena, Montana on Tuesday. Now the "Cats" from cowboy country need a huge upset over Astoria Thursday night to have any hope of advancing to the championship round.

Back-to-back 2-run singles by Sterling Spilinek and Justin Melton put four runs on the board in the first inning for Douglas after West Kootenay struck first on a Brady Glover sacrifice fly.

Douglas added five unearned runs in the third inning, taking advantage of four errors by Trail, British Columbia-based West Kootenay to take a 9-2 lead.

Down 10-3 with two outs in the sixth inning, the comeback began with a base on balls. After back-to-back base hits by Eric Bouma and Glover scored a run, Matt McAuley was plunked by a Spilinek pitch and the Douglas lefty was removed from the mound in favor of Dylan Klava, who would eventually get the final out of the inning, but not until a base hit by Jaryd Roblin, a bases loaded walk to Jesse Rypien and a bases clearing 3-run double by Cam Strachin to pull West Kootenay to within 10-9.

Douglas tallied an insurance run in the sixth, but it was not enough. Tim Fosmo, a winner Monday for the 'Cats in a complete game, came on to try to close the door in the seventh. Joey Underwood led off with a base hit and Bouma followed with a ground ball wide of first. First baseman Spilinek came well off the bag to glove the ball, looked to second and thought otherwise, throwing behind Fosmo covering the bag at first. The ball got past the pitcher, putting runners at second and third with none out. Glover followed with a game-tying single, stole second, went to third on a ground out, then scored on a squeeze bunt by Roblin to put West Kootenay ahead for the second and last time.

Glover finished 2-for-4 with four RBI's, Bouma was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored for B.C., which evened its pool record at 1-1 while dropping Douglas to 1-2.

W. KOOTENAY 1-1-0-1-0-6-3 12-12-6
DOUGLAS, WY 4-0-5-0-1-1-0 11-9-4
W-Wright (3 2/3ip, 4h, 2r, 2er, 3bb, 3k)
L-Fosmo (1ip, 2h, 3r, 0er, k, bb)
S-McAuley (1ip, 0h, 0r, k, 0bb)
E-Underwood 2, McAuley, Davis 2, Rypien, Igo, Fosmo, Edwards, Spilinek. LOB-WK 11, Douglas 10. 2B-Strachin. SB-Roblyn, Glover 2, Davis, McAuley, Rypien, Klava, Spilinek, Boyer, Espeland, Marcus 2, Melton, Boner. CS-McAuley. PO-Glover. S-Roblyn, Boner. SF-Glover. DP-WK 1.

CENTRAL BASIN GAINS INSIDE TRACK

For the second straight day, Lewiston was involved in a dramatic, long affair at Aiken Field and for the second time it all ended in heartbreak for the spuds.

Overcoming an early 5-0 deficit, Central Basin scored seven runs in the final two innings to knock off the Idaho champions 10-9, Lewiston's second consecutive 1-run loss.

Max Melburn's 2-run double in the seventh inning scored Case Hinkins and Mason Lotz to put Central Basin up 10-8.

Batting in the bottom of the seventh, Lewiston got within one when Nick Hall led off with a walk, went to third on an error and scored on a Lotz wild pitch, which put Chris Schrette at third base representing the tying run.

For the second day in a row, Lewiston left the tying run at third to end the game as Jared Heitzman struck out looking at an inside fastball that had most people wearing purple and gold up in arms.

Heitzman went 3-for-4 on the day with a double and three runs scored and as Lewiston's starting pitcher was staked to an early lead when Lewiston struck for five runs in the opening inning.

Four consecutive hits off Central Basin reliever Reid Ashley in the fourth inning gave the 3-time regional qualifiers from Idaho a 7-3 lead before Central Basin's late-game rally began in the sixth.

With the bases loaded and one out, Melburn took a hit by pitch to force in Brett Robinson. Trevor Hyer followed with a 2-run single and another hit by pitch to pinch-hitting Manny Ybarra reloaded the bases.

Kyle Knigge relieved twin brother Kasey and prompted a ground ball off the bat of Craig Omlin. Kasey, having moved to shortstop, made a desperation throw to first that got away as two more runs scored and Central Basin had an 8-7 lead.

Lewiston tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a 2-out rally as Heitzman doubled and scored after three consecutive bases on balls.

Central Basin reliever Mason Lotz, appearing in his third straight game, got credit for the victory. Reid Ashley bailed Central Basin out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the second inning, coming on to strike out Casey Harwick before getting Jaymin Stamper to pop out to the infield. Ashley also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a 2-run double in the fourth inning.

Starting pitcher Brett Robinson struggled, but continued a productive tournament at the plate with three hits and two runs scored in five at bats.

Lewiston and Central Basin combined to strand 23 baserunners in a game that took just under three hours to complete.

CENTRAL BASIN 0-1-0-2-0-5-2 10-12-3
LEWISTON, ID 5-0-0-2-0-1-1 9-8-1
W-Lotz (1.1ip, 0h, r, 0er, 1k, 2bb)
L-Ky. Knigge (1.2ip, 3h, 2r, 2er, 1k, 0bb, hp)
E-Hinkins, Ashley, Hubbard, Ka. Knigge. LOB-CB 13, Lewiston 10. 2B-Melburn, Heitzman. SB-Schrette, McMinn, Young. CS-Young, Melburn. S-Taylor. DP-CB 1.

PNW 13-15 BABE RUTH REGIONALS-Wednesday

STANDINGS-American Division
1. HELENA, MT 2-0, 8 runs allowed, +13 run differential
2. ASTORIA, OR 1-0, 0ra, +10rd
3. DOUGLAS, WY 1-1, 25ra, -5rd
4. W. KOOTENAY 0-1, 5ra, -3rd
5. CALGARY, AB 0-2, 28ra, -15rd

STANDINGS-National Division
1. KELSO 2-0, 3ra, +15
2. CENTRAL BASIN 1-1, 16ra, -6rd
3. JOSEPHINE CTY 1-1, 15ra, -3rd
4. THE DALLES, OR 0-1, 6ra, -5rd
5. LEWISTON, ID 0-1, 8ra, -1rd

WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE
10:00 a.m.: Central Basin vs. Lewiston
1:00 p.m.: Douglas vs. West Kootenay
4:00 p.m.: Josephine County vs. The Dalles
7:00 p.m.: Astoria vs. Helena

ASTORIA RIDES POWER SURGE TO OPENING ROUT

First impressions of the PNW 13-15 Babe Ruth Tournament field? Big boys. Really big boys.

At last year's North Oregon 14-year-old State Tournament, opening day ceremonies included a home run derby. Astoria's Max Johnson was the only player to hit a home run. Granted, they were 14 then, younger and skinnier, but man, what are they feeding them in Calgary?

Astoria may not have a team that will intimidate you physically, but put a bat in their hands and they'll beat your brains out. Just ask the brawny crew from north of the border!

Astoria hit three home runs and Cody Strickland pitched five innings of 4-hit, shutout ball as the host team defeated the Calgary Selects 14-0 in a 5-inning game that capped the second day of the regional tournament at Aiken Field.

A sizable crowd took little time to get into the game as Astoria shortstop Marc Gallegos belted the second pitch he saw from Calgary ace righthander Ken Forrester over the wall in left field. Later in the inning, Max Johnson sent a 3-2 Forrester pitch deep into the night, 350+ feet over the left-center field wall to give Astoria a 3-0 rolling start.

Forrester would struggle with home plate umpire Terry Hendryx's typically tight strike zone, visibly showing frustration on a number of occasions in the early innings as he struggled to get his curve ball into the zone. Astoria's Strickland was unfazed as usual, walking just one batter and striking out four, while allowing four hits on the way to the win.

Strickland helped his own cause with a 3-run jack in the fourth inning to put Astoria up 12-0. Doug Montgomery came up just short of a home run with an RBI ground rule double in Astoria's 6-run second inning. Johnson tacked on two more RBI's with a 2-run single and finished the game 3-for-4 with four ribbies and three runs scored.

Dane Lund nearly joined the over-the-wall gang with a fourth inning double ahead of Strickland's home run. Gallegos and Lund each went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Gallegos added a fifth-inning double to go with his home run.

Calgary drops to 0-2 in pool play and will take the day off today. Astoria returns to action at 7:00 p.m. tonight against Helena. The Montana champions improved to 2-0 at the tournament and 19-4 for the summer with their 16-6 victory over Douglas, Wyoming yesterday.

Tonight's game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:55 p.m.
ASTORIA 3-6-0-3-2 14-10-1
CALGARY 0-0-0-0-0 0-4-2
W-Strickland (5ip, 4h, 0r, 4k, bb)
L-Forrester (4ip, 8h, 12r, 12er, 5k, 6bb, hp)
E-Erick, Hades. LOB-Astoria 4, Calgary 4. 2B-Montgomery, Lund, Gallegos. HR-Gallegos, Johnson, Strickland. SB-Lund 2, Johnson 2, Montgomery. CS-Landwehr. SF-Lund. DP-Astoria 1.

KELSO SPOILS THE DALLES' REGIONAL OPENER

With top pitchers Nick LaRoy and Brandon Middleton getting the day off, the Kelso Babe Ruth All-Stars notched their 33rd win of the summer using their patented brand of rock-solid fundamental baseball.

Kelso defeated The Dalles 6-1 Tuesday to improve to 2-0 in pool play at the PNW Regional 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth Tournament in Astoria as the North Oregon champs dropped their tourney opener.

The Dalles had plenty of opportunity to put some runs on the board in this game.

After Kelso scored three runs in the top of the first behind an RBI single from Robbie Neal, an RBI doulbe by Brandon Middleton and a wild pitch to score Neal, The Dalles put its first two baserunners on via back-to-back singles from Duncan Wilcox and Nico Carbone. Attempting to bunt the runners over, leftfielder Tyler Herriges popped the ball in the air to pitcher Blake Giles. Giles induced a groundout and struck out Zach Fowlkes to end the threat.

In the third, The Dalles pitcher Nico Carbone doubled with one out and advanced to third on Herriges' infield single. Aaron Cochran followed with a ground ball to Middleton at third base. Carbone, breaking for home on contact, was a dead duck at the plate. After a walk to Fowlkes to load the bases, James Stroud grounded back to Giles at the mound to end the inning.

Kelso increased its lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning on a 2-out RBI single by Giles. Kyle Bender scored on an error in the sixth inning and pinch-hitting Chase Fick pushed LaRoy across the plate with a base hit in the seventh inning.

Giles pitched four innings of shutout ball for the win. The Dalles scored a run in the seventh off reliefer Cam Margaris when Wilcox led off with a walk and scored on Herriges RBI single. Dylan Slunaker relieved Margaris with no outs and runners on first and third and retired the side to end the game.

Neal went 2-for-3 at the plate and made two outstanding defensive plays at second base, ranging far to his right to reach up and snare a liner off the bat of Fowlkes to lead off the sixth inning. Two pitches later, Neal went the other way to make a diving stop of James Stroud's ground ball and threw him out.

Carbone went 3-for-3 for The Dalles and went the distance on the mound for the North Oregon champs. The Dalles stranded 11 runners on base.
KELSO, WA 3-0-1-0-0-1-1 6-6-0
THE DALLES 0-0-0-0-0-0-1 1-7-4
W-Giles (4ip, 4h, 0r, 4k, 3bb)
L-Carbone (7ip, 6h, 6r, 4er, 2k, 5bb)
E-Wilcox 2, Carbone, Stroud. LOB-Kelso 7, The Dalles 11. 2B-Middleton, Carbone. SB-Sari 2, Slunaker, Neal, LaRoy, Fick. CS-Rodgers. DP-Kelso 1. PB-Cochran.