Sherwood team up to the challenge

Baseball: Tonkin Nissan scores a 4-1 win over Canby in the tourney third-place game

By Dan Brood

The Times, Jul 15, 2010

UNDERNEATH IT — Tonkin Nissan second baseman Brandon Scott settles underneath a pop-up during the team's 4-1 win over Canby on Sunday.

DAN BROOD / The Times

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TUALATIN — It doesn’t seem to matter who is missing from the line-up.

It also doesn’t seem to matter who the opponent is.

The Sherwood-based Tonkin Nissan OIBA baseball team always seems to be ready to compete.

With that attitude, the Tonkin Nissan squad has already picked up plenty of wins this summer. On Sunday, that attitude got the Sherwood squad a bit of hardware.

Tonkin Nissan, despite missing some key players due to other commitments or injury, scored a 4-1 win over the Canby American Legion AAA team in the third-place game of the Suburban Door Wood Bat Tournament, held Sunday at Tualatin High School.

“That’s still fun. I’m still happy,” said Sherwood High School senior-to-be Nick Lopez, who turned in a complete-game pitching performance in the third-place game win. “We got a plaque.”

“For us to get something here at this tournament is awesome,” Tonkin Nissan coach Jon Strohmaier said. “What a weekend it was for us. The guys really stepped up this weekend.”

The Sherwood team opened the tournament Friday with a 5-2 win over Century. In Saturday’s semifinals, Tonkin Nissan was edged 3-2 by Jesuit.

In Sunday’s game, with third place on the line, Lopez and Canby’s Jordan Hopper locked up in a pitchers’ duel early in the contest.

Canby, getting a double and another batter hit by a pitch, threatened with two outs in the top of the first inning, but Lopez got out of the jam with an inning-ending grounder back to the mound.

That was the only threat either team had until the fifth inning.

But, in the bottom of the fifth frame, with the teams still locked up in a scoreless tie, Tonkin Nissan broke through.

Connor Munro ignited things for the Sherwood team by drawing a leadoff walk. He moved to second base on a wild pitch and then advanced to third on an infield single by Brandon Scott. Sean Campbell then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.

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