8A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
Warriors
lower the
boom on
Toledo, 8-1
Fishermen cruise to another win
The Daily Astorian
The result was predictable
Thursday at CMH Field, where
the fi rst-place Astoria Fish-
ermen hosted last-place Til-
lamook in a Cowapa League
baseball game.
In their daily trek from the
The Daily Astorian
TOLEDO — The Warrenton
softball team took a break from
league play with a nonleague
game Thursday at Toledo, the No.
7-ranked team at the 2A level.
And the Warriors had no prob-
lems against the Boomers, as War-
renton scored eight runs on just
four hits in an 8-1 win.
“We struggled getting our tim-
ing in the fi rst three innings,”
said Warrenton coach Staci
Miethe, whose team is 10-3 over-
all. “Toledo threw their No. 2
(pitcher) at us, which was actually
pretty effective because of the off
speed. We were just starting to dial
in when she began having control
troubles.”
Two Toledo pitchers combined
to walk 11 batters.
For Warrenton, Niqui Blodgett
was dominant in the circle, allow-
ing just two hits with seven strike-
outs and four walks.
“We had a pretty good defen-
sive day,” Miethe said. “Niqui
only gave up two hits,” one of
which was a triple that scored
Toledo’s lone run.
Warrenton catcher Landree
Miethe later picked the base run-
ner off at third to end the inning.
The Warriors host Clatskanie
Tuesday.
school to the Fish Bowl, the
Fishermen ran their league-
best record to 6-0, in an 11-1
drubbing of the Cheesemakers,
now 0-6.
Astoria gave their top
three pitchers the day off and
decided to go deep into the
pitching staff, as junior Trey
Hageman and sophomore Tris-
tin Wallace tossed a two-hitter
for the Fishermen.
Hageman and Wallace
combined to strike out seven
with just two walks, and the
Fishermen — who rarely lose
an inning — rallied from a
1-0 defi cit after a half-inning
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Merchants’
fast-pitch tryout
coming Sunday
The Daily Astorian
Damian Mulinix/For The Daily Astorian
Seaside first baseman Dylan Meyer receives a pick -off attempt during the Seagulls game Thursday
with Banks. More photos from Thursday’s game are available online at DailyAstorian.com/sports
Braves blank Gulls
Researchers
to examine
Hernandez’s
brain for CTE
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — After scor-
ing a near-upset over Banks
on Tuesday, the Seaside Gulls
couldn’t quite keep pace with
the Braves’ bats Thursday night
at Broadway Field.
Banks banged out 11 hits
off two Seaside pitchers, plenty
for an 8-0 win over the Gulls
in Cowapa League baseball
action.
The Braves used three pitch-
ers — Justin Bral, Kobie Lyche
and Casey McGough — who
combined to toss a three-hit
shutout, with six strikeouts and
two walks.
After a scoreless fi rst inning,
Banks scored three times in the
top of the second, highlighted
by an RBI double from Jared
Evans and a run-scoring single
by Blake Goble.
The Gulls committed fi ve
errors in the game, including
two in the third inning, when
the Braves tacked on two more
runs on just one hit.
Seaside had its chances —
Payton Westerholm reached
base on an infi eld single in the
bottom of the third, followed by
a single to left by Brent Walsh,
before Bral was able to get out
of the inning.
The Gulls stranded two
more runners in the fourth and
left two runners on in the sixth,
when back-to-back errors by
the Braves gave Seaside two
base runners with no outs,
before McGough retired three
Associated Press
BOSTON — Boston Univer-
sity researchers will study Aaron
Hernandez’s brain to determine if
the former NFL star suffered from
the same degenerative brain dis-
ease as Hall of Famer Junior Seau
and former Bears defensive back
Dave Duerson, who also took
their own lives.
Hernandez hanged himself
in prison early Wednesday, days
after winning an acquittal in a
2012 double homicide case. He
was already serving a life term in
a 2013 killing.
After a brief public dispute
between Massachusetts authori-
ties and Hernandez’s family, the
former Patriots tight end’s brain
was released to BU’s Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy Cen-
ter. In addition to Seau and Duer-
son, CTE has been found in the
brains of NFL Hall of Famers
Ken Stabler, Frank Gifford, Mike
Webster and dozens of other for-
mer players.
Hernandez attorney Jose Baez
wouldn’t say Thursday if he or
the family believed potential brain
damage from football led to Her-
nandez’s suicide.
The Daily Astorian
Damian Mulinix/For The Daily Astorian
Seaside third baseman Duncan Thompson chases down an er-
rant throw during a game with Banks Thursday.
Damian Mulinix/For The Daily Astorian
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
OAKLAND, Calif. — Cesar Val-
dez waited so long to step on a major
league mound again, he can only hope
his return all these years later might
eventually lead to a long stay.
The second chance he has been so
coveting. One to make his late father
proud.
In the minds of many, Valdez
earned a victory just by getting back
at long last to pitch in the big leagues
for the fi rst time in nearly seven years
during the Oakland Athletics’ 9-6 win
against the Seattle Mariners on Thurs-
day night.
“I thank God fi rst and I thank Oak-
land for the opportunity to return to
the majors after seven years,” Val-
dez said. “It’s preparing me for the
next opportunity, whenever the second
CORNELIUS — The Astoria
girls golf team competed against
golfers from Scappoose Thursday
at Forest Hills Golf Club.
The
match
was
not
team-scored — although the
Lady Fishermen would have fi n-
ished with a season-low score of
462, as four of Astoria’s fi ve golf-
ers shot either career or season
low scores.
Samantha Hemsley topped
Astoria with a season-best
103, followed by Jenna Travers
(106) and Kristen Travers (124)
— both personal best scores;
Sadie Wooldridge added a 129,
and Sarah Lertora shot a personal
best 157.
Sariah Dieffenbach, Anna
Gimre and Jasmin Mabry also
took part in Thursday’s match at
Forest Hills, which will be the site
on Day 2 of this year’s Regionals
tournament.
Seaside assistant coach Dan McFadden walks out to remove start-
ing pticher Gage McFadden during a game with Banks Thursday.
in a row to end the threat.
Otto Hoekstre had a lead-
off double for the Gulls
in the second inning, but
was thrown out on a steal
attempt.
Valdez makes fi rst start in nearly seven years
By JANIE MCCAULEY
Associated Press
The North Coast Merchants’
fast-pitch softball program is
holding a tryout session Sunday
at Warrenton High School, rain or
shine.
The
Merchants
offer
competitive fast-pitch softball
for North Coast girls age 10 to
14.
There are currently two teams
in the association — 12U (2004
birthday and younger) and 14U
(2002 birthday and younger).
Summer fees are $200 per player.
Tournaments are two-day events
out of town.
There is a $10 tryout fee for all
new players. Tryouts for 12U are
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 2-4 p.m.
for 14U.
To
pre register
or
for
more information, leave mes-
sage on North Coast Merchant
Facebook page, or email
Staci Miethe at stacimiethe@msn.
com.
Astoria golfers
perform well at
Forest Hills
ATHLETICS 9, MARINERS 6
Oakland Athletics starting pitch-
er Cesar Valdez throws to a Se-
attle Mariners batter during the
second inning of a baseball game
Thursday in Oakland, Calif.
with two runs in the bottom
of the fi rst and never looked
back.
Jasyn Gohl had three of
Astoria’s 10 hits, while Sam-
boy Tuimato had two hits and
scored three runs, and Zac Pat-
terson hit a solo home run to
highlight the win.
UP NEXT: MARINERS
• Seattle Mariners (7-10)
at Oakland Athletics (8-8)
• Tonight, 7:05 p.m.
TV: NSCA, RTNW
chance comes.”
He allowed three runs and fi ve hits
in four innings, struck out four and
walked two. This marked just the third
start of his career at age 32 and 10th
appearance in all — and he is probably
headed right back to the minors soon.
A right-hander from the Domini-
can Republic, he was called up from
Triple-A Nashville to fi ll in for injured
opening day starter Kendall Grave-
man. Valdez last pitched in the big
leagues on June 10, 2010, with Arizona
just more than a month after his previ-
ous start on May 8.
“Oh, that’s amazing right there,”
teammate Rajai Davis said.
Valdez was traded to Pittsburgh that
December to complete the trade that
sent pitcher Zach Duke to the Diamond-
backs, and his contract was bought by
Florida in July 2011 and by Toronto
later that month. He was released by
Toronto after two days, played several
years in Mexico, spent 2016 in Hous-
ton’s organization and signed with the
A’s during the offseason.
“What a great story. It’s been a while
since he’s been in the big leagues,” A’s
manager Bob Melvin said. “You really
feel good about guys that have perse-
vered and hang around with the aspi-
rations to get back to the big leagues.
He performed well for us this spring,
he’s done well early in the season in
Triple-A so we’re rewarding him with
a start and it’s great to see because very
competitive guys like that don’t take
no for an answer.”
SCOREBOARD
PREP SCHEDULE
TODAY
Baseball — Catlin Gabel at Warrenton
(2), 3:30 p.m.; Nestucca at Knappa (2),
3 p.m.
Softball — Valley Catholic at Astoria
(2), 4 p.m.; Tillamook at Seaside (2), 4
p.m.
SATURDAY
Baseball — Astoria at Rainier, 1 p.m.
Babe Ruth Baseball — Naselle at
Warrenton, 10:30 a.m.; Ilwaco at Knap-
pa, 10:30 a.m.
Softball — Estacada at Astoria, 1 p.m.
Track — Centennial Invitational, 11
a.m.
BASEBALL
Banks 8, Seaside 0
Banks
032 012 0—8 11 2
Seaside
000 000 0—0 3 5
Bral, Lyche (4), McGough (6) and Mc-
Gough, Herb (6); McFadden, Wester-
holm (5) and Landwehr. W: Bral. L:
McFadden. RBI: Banks, Thiessen, Jar.
Evans, Goble, Herb, Vandehey. 2B:
Banks, Jar.Evans; Sea, Hoekstre. HBP:
Banks, Vandehey; Sea, Hoekstre. LOB:
Banks 7, Seaside 6.
Astoria 11, Tillamook 1
Tillamook
100 000—1 2 2
Astoria
202 421—11 10 0
Wilkes, Brown (4), List (6); Hageman,
Wallace (5) and Gohl, Reed. W: Hage-
man. L: Wilkes. RBI: Til, Wagner; Ast,
Strange 3, Fremstad 2, Tuimato, Hage-
man, Gohl, Patterson, Arnsdorf. 2B: Ast,
Arnsdorf. HR: Ast, Patterson. HBP: Ast,
Hageman. LOB: Tillamook 2, Astoria 6.