The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, May 08, 2019, Page 7, Image 7

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    ❲✁❡✞✁☎❡✟✠✱ ✡✟✠ ☛✱ ☞✌✍✎
❚ ✁ ✂✄☎✁✆✝✁✆
Suto takes district
title again; LHS
girls place second
❇✏ ✑✒✓✔✕✖ ❇✒✓✖
✗❤✘ ✙✚✛✘✜✈✘✜
Tori Suto ran away with another district title, shoot-
ing a two-day score of 155 — 14 strokes better than
the runner-up — to claim the 4A/3A/2A/1A Special
District 4 girls championship Monday and Tuesday in
Pendleton, earning an individual state berth.
“(She was) keeping the ball in play, not getting out
in the long grass and (wasn’t) making big numbers.
Just being consistent,” Wallowa/Joseph head coach
Marvin Gibbs said.
The Wallowa/Joseph standout and state title con-
tender put the championship out of reach Monday,
shooting an opening round of 78 that left her 11 strokes
✢✣✤✢✥ ✦✧ ★✣✤ ✤✩✤✪★✫✢✬ ✭✤✮✦✪✥✯✰✬✢✮✤ ✲✪✳✭✣✤✴ ✵ ✶✳✮✦✬✤
Propheter of Heppner. Suto was even better Tuesday,
✮✢✴✥✳✪✷ ✢ ✲✪✢✬ ✴✦✫✪✥ ✦✧ ✸✸✹
It was the second district title in as many years for
Suto, who was a state runner-up in 2018. The win also
❯❱❳ ❨❩❛❳❬ ❭❪❱❫❱
❴❵❜ ❝❞ ❢❣❞✐❥❜❴❦❧❜❣s ♠♥♦s ❧♥♣q r❜❞t ✉♥s❜s ✇❦r❵ r❵❜ ①❣sr②✉♣❞③❜ r❣♥✉❵♦ ❞qr❜❣ ✇❦✐✐❦✐❧ r❵❜ ❥❦sr❣❦③r r♥④❣✐❞t❜✐r ⑤♥✐❥❞♦⑥
✷✢✩✤ ★✣✤ ✭✤✪✳✦✴ ★✦✰✯★✣✴✤✤ ✲✪✳✭✣✤✭ ✢★ ✥✳✭★✴✳✮★ ✢✬✬ ✧✦✫✴
Bell, Tigers win district
✮✣✢✺✰✳✦✪ ✢✪✥ ✧✦✫✴✯★✳✺✤ ✭★✢★✤ ✻✫✢✬✳✲✤✴ ✵ ✼✦✫ ✮✢✪✽★
years of her career, as she placed third as a freshman
and second as a sophomore.
“I was happy with her results. Two-time district
have a much better career than that,” Gibbs said.
See Girls / Page 8A
❇✏ ✑✒✓✔✕✖ ❇✒✓✖
✗❤✘ ✙✚✛✘✜✈✘✜
Braden Bell’s intent entering the
✲✪✢✬ ✥✢✼ ✦✧ ★✣✤ ✾✿ ❀✰✤✮✳✢✬ ❁✳✭★✴✳✮★ ✾
Tournament was to be mindful of his
own play and not those around him.
“I focused on playing against my-
self and the course and focused less
on playing against my competitors,”
the La Grande Tigers senior said.
“They were more focused on beating
me. I was more worried about how I
could play.”
❂★ ❃✦✴❄✤✥❅ ✢✭ ❆✤✬✬✽✭ ✲✪✢✬✯✴✦✫✪✥
score of 81 lifted him to an individ-
ual district title as the Tigers boys
✷✦✬✧ ★✤✢✺ ★✦✦❄ ✲✴✭★ ✢★ ★✣✤ ✥✳✭★✴✳✮★
tournament Monday and Tuesday in
La Grande.
❆✤✬✬✽✭ ✲✪✢✬ ✴✦✫✪✥ ✷✢✩✤ ✣✳✺ ✢ ★❃✦✯
day score of 166, one stroke better
than Baker’s Caden Long, who had
✢✪ ✦✩✤✴✢✬✬ ✭✮✦✴✤ ✦✧ ❈❉✸ ✢✧★✤✴ ✢ ✲✪✢✬
round of 84.
“I think he relaxed a little more and
didn’t think he had to hang with Caden,”
La Grande head coach Ron Evans said.
“He could relax and play golf. He played
really well today. He hit some good
shots and made some putts.”
See LHS / Page 8A
❯❱❳❛⑦⑧ ⑨❱❳⑧⑩❶❷❸❹❺❻❸❼❽❸❼
❝❞ ❢❣❞✐❥❜➆s ❾❣❞❥❜✐ ❾❜♣♣❿ s❵♥✇✐ ❥④❣❦✐❧ ⑤♥✐❥❞♦➆s ①❣sr ❣♥④✐❥❿ s❵♥r ❞ r✇♥②
❥❞♦ r♥r❞♣ ♥q ➀➁➁ r♥ ✇❦✐ r❵❜ ❦✐❥❦➂❦❥④❞♣ r❦r♣❜ ♠♦ ♥✐❜ sr❣♥➃❜⑥
❯❱❳❛⑦⑧ ⑨❱❳⑧⑩❹❺❻❸❼❽❸❼➄➅❸➇❷➈➉➈
➎❞♣♣♥✇❞➏➐♥s❜✉❵➆s❴♥❣❦ ➑④r♥❿ s❵♥✇✐ ❥④❣❦✐❧ r❵❜
❝❞ ❢❣❞✐❥❜ ➋✐➂❦r❜ ❦✐ ➒✉❣❦♣❿ ✇♥✐ ❵❜❣ s❜③♥✐❥ sr❣❞❦❧❵r
❥❦sr❣❦③r r❦r♣❜ r❵❦s ✇❜❜➃⑥
La Grande sneaks past Irrigon at home
❇✏ ✑✒✓✔✕✖ ❇✒✓✖
✗❤✘ ✙✚✛✘✜✈✘✜
Parker Robinson homered during a seven-
run second inning, Isaac Zamora and Brody
Kincade drove in what proved to be crucial runs
late, and the La Grande Tigers baseball team held
on against Irrigon at home Tuesday, 9-8.
“It was good to see a little bit of resilience in that
inning and some (ability to) battle,” head coach
Parker McKinley said.
The visiting 3A Knights had scored four runs
in the top of the second inning before La Grande
responded with its own big inning. Kyler Malone
scored on an error, Payton Cooper followed later
scoring on a passed ball, and Zamora hit an RBI
single to bring the Tigers within one. Robinson
with two outs.
“That put pressure on the defense, and keep-
ing our foot on the gas pedal was good to see,” he
added.
Irrigon inched within a run after scoring twice in
the fourth, but La Grande re-extended the lead to
❊✯❉ ✦✪ ❋✢✺✦✴✢✽✭ ●❆❂ ✭✳✪✷✬✤ ✢✪✥ ❍✳✪✮✢✥✤✽✭ ✭✢✮✴✳✲✮✤
■✼ ✳✪ ★✣✤ ✲✧★✣✹
The Knights made one more push, getting back
within a run by scoring twice in the sixth, but were
unable to pull even.
Four pitchers combined to get the Tigers
★✣✴✦✫✷✣ ★✣✤ ✷✢✺✤❅ ❃✳★✣ ✰✤✴✣✢✰✭ ★✣✤ ★✦✰ ✤❏✦✴★ ❑✼
Devin Bell, who pitched a perfect seventh with the
game on the line for the save.
▲❂★ ❃✢✭ ✢ ▼✰✳★✮✣✳✪✷◆✭★✢❏ ✤❏✦✴★❅ ✢✪✥ ✢✬✬ ✧✦✫✴ ✦✧
✧✦✬✬✦❃✤✥ ❃✳★✣ ✢ ★✣✴✤✤✯✴✫✪ ✣✦✺✤ ✴✫✪ ★✦ ✴✳✷✣★ ✲✤✬✥ them did a good job, for the most part throwing
❯❱❳❛⑦⑧ ⑨❱❳⑧⑩❹❺❻❸❼❽❸❼➄➅❸➇❷➈➉➈
❾❣♥❥♦ ➊❦✐③❞❥❜ ❞✐❥ r❵❜ ❝❞ ❢❣❞✐❥❜❴❦❧❜❣s ❣❜♠♥④✐❥❜❥ q❣♥t ❞ q♥④❣②❣④✐
❥❜①③❦r r♥ ♠❜❞r ➋❣❣❦❧♥✐❿ ➌②➍❿❴④❜s❥❞♦⑥
to give the Tigers a 6-4 lead. Kincade added a run
later in the frame on a double steal.
“We talked about winning innings, and the big-
gest thing we need to try to do is avoid the big
inning. We didn’t avoid the big inning, so we
needed to have a bigger inning,” McKinley said,
later pointing out that six of the runs were scored
strikes and pitching to contact,” McKinley said.
●✦❑✳✪✭✦✪ ✲✪✳✭✣✤✥ ❖✯✧✦✴✯✾ ❃✳★✣ ★✣✴✤✤ ●❆❂✭✹ ❆✦★✣
Zamora and Wyatt Earp also had two hits, and
Malone turned in a three-hit day.
P✢ ◗✴✢✪✥✤ ▼❈❘✯❙ ✦✩✤✴✢✬✬◆ ✲✪✳✭✣✤✭ ★✣✤ ✴✤✷✫✬✢✴
season Saturday when it hosts McLoughlin.
See Baseball / Page 7A