Something had to give.

The Canby and Wilsonville baseball teams came into their Thursday, May 22, matchup at Canby High School sporting identical 14-0 conference records – but only the Wildcats left with their perfect season intact.

Wilsonville scratched across single runs in each of the game’s first three innings, got a shutdown pitching performance from senior starter Wade Hagey and rode those to a key 3-0 win over the Cougars.

With the loss, No. 3 Canby saw its 15-game winning streak snapped and fell to 14-1 in NWOC play and 22-3 overall. Next up, the Cougars play at Wilsonville in their regular season finale at 5 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Wilsonville High School.

“It was a good game. Both teams battled hard,” said Canby senior first baseman Colby Herren, who went 1 for 1 at the plate with a walk. “It was mostly a pitching duel. Both teams played great defense and our guys put the ball and play and that’s all we can ask for.”

“I felt like we battled early and got some barrels, but the ball just didn’t fall our way,” added Cougar senior pitcher/third baseman Brady Ackerman, who went 1 for 4 with a double, and also threw five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three. “We’ve got to come out tomorrow with extra fire, a little more competitive edge and just go out there and punch first. Just get out there and score first and try to get ahead early.”

The top-ranked Wildcats, meanwhile, won for the 26th straight time and improved to 15-0 in Northwest Oregon Conference play and 26-0 overall.

The Wildcats got things going right from the start of the contest, with senior Connor Johnston opening the game with a single to right, freshman Beau Johnson following with a walk and Mark Wiepert adding an RBI single past third base for a 1-0 lead.

After Canby’s first at-bat was derailed by a double play, Ben Wiepert hit a one-out solo homer to left for a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.

After Hagey got three straight outs to escape a two-on, no-out jam in Canby’s half of the second, the Wildcats added their final run in the third when Johnson led off with a single to center, then scored when Mark Wiepert doubled to left.

The last real drama in the game came in the bottom of the seventh when the Cougars loaded the bases with two outs before Wilsonville senior reliever Owen Eggert struck out Ackerman to end the contest.

“We’re going to keep our heads up,” Herren said. “We’ve got another good pitcher going tomorrow and we’re going to go in there battle, go in there swinging.”

“We’ve got to give it our all every chance we get (because) every game could be our last from here on out,” Ackerman added. “I just think we’ve got to come out a little more hot next time.”

The Cougars also saw senior shortstop Hayden Davis go 1 for 2 at the plate with two walks.