10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Twins take
advantage
of Cano’s
errors, beat
Mariners
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Predators on
brink as Rinne
struggles again
in Pittsburgh
Associated Press
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Kyle Gibson
pitched one-run ball into the sev-
enth inning and the Minnesota
Twins took advantage of two
errors on one play by Robinson
Cano in a 2-1 win over the Seattle
Mariners on Thursday night.
Minnesota avoided a three-
game sweep and snapped Seattle’s
five-game winning streak thanks
in part to unexpected blunders
from one of the best defensive sec-
ond basemen in the game.
With two out in the fifth inning
and a runner on second, Cano mis-
played Joe Mauer’s slow grounder.
He compounded the mistake by
trying to catch Ehire Adrianza at
third base, but Cano’s throw was
low, skipped past Kyle Seager and
allowed Adrianza to score.
Gibson (3-4) managed to quiet
Seattle’s hot bats, pitching into the
seventh inning for the first time the
season. The Mariners were aver-
aging 8.17 runs per game so far
in June, but were limited to Ben
Gamel’s sacrifice fly to score Jar-
rod Dyson.
A day after giving up a
game-winning home run in the
ninth, Minnesota closer Brandon
Kintzler got the final three outs for
his 16th save.
Jason Castro homered off Seat-
tle starter Christian Bergman
(3-3) in the fourth, but was the
only major mistake made by the
right-hander.
Gibson lasted just one batter
into the seventh, getting pulled
after giving up a leadoff sin-
gle to Taylor Motter. He allowed
five hits and struck out four. He
also got one big defensive assist
thanks to another highlight catch
by Byron Buxton. With two on
and two out in the fifth, Cano lined
a shot to deep center field. Buxton
raced back and at the last moment
reached above his head falling
backward to make the catch and
likely save two runs.
Submitted Photos
Astoria Middle School’s winning 1,600-meter relay team of (from left to right) Sophie Long, Kelsey
Fausett, Lily Randall and Emma Roe. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com/sports
Astoria Vikings score
big in state track meet
PITTSBURGH — Pekka
Rinne’s struggles in Pittsburgh
have his Nashville Predators on
the brink of elimination.
The Predators are hardly blam-
ing Rinne for their predicament.
The Penguins overwhelmed
Rinne again, sending Nashville’s
star goaltender to the bench in
Pittsburgh for a second straight
game in the Stanley Cup Final. He
was pulled after the first period by
coach Peter Laviolette after sur-
rendering half the goals in a 6-0
rout by the Penguins in Game 5 on
Thursday night.
“We’ve got to be better in front
of him,” Laviolette said. “I don’t
think that they were necessarily
bad goals. Our guys have a tre-
mendous amount of confidence in
him. We just have to do a better
job in front of him.”
The Predators are in a 3-2 hole
with Game 6 coming up Sunday
night in Nashville.
“We know we can be a lot
better,” Predators’ captain Mike
Fisher said. “We’re going home
and we’re going to be re-ener-
gized. Our focus has to be on that
game and getting one win.”
3-on-3 hoops
added to 2020
Tokyo Olympics
Associated Press
The Daily Astorian
La PINE — The Astoria High
girls track dynasty appears to be
set for years to come, follow-
ing the performance of athletes
from Astoria Middle School at the
recent middle school state champi-
onships in La Pine.
Astoria athletes won two indi-
vidual events on the girls’ side,
with six other top-five placers.
Eighth-grader Sophie Long
highlighted her meet with a win
in the 800 meters, finishing in a
time of 2 minutes, 38.27 seconds
to edge Myrtle Point’s Sarah Nich-
olson (2:38.55).
The other win came from Asto-
ria’s foursome of Lillian Randall,
Emma Roe, Kelsey Fausett and
Long, who teamed up to win the
1,600-meter relay in 4:41.81, well
ahead of Roosevelt’s 4:48.94. The
same four placed fourth in the 400-
meter relay (53.69).
Fausett, an eighth-grader, took
second in the 400-meter final in a
personal best time of 1:06.75. She
added a third-place showing in the
javelin, with a career-best toss of
84 feet, 4 inches.
In the 1,500 meters, Asto-
ria sixth-grader Hannah Groncki
was fourth (5:58.08) and eighth-
grader Abby Groncki placed fifth
(6:01.96).
In the 100-meter hurdle final,
Astoria eighth-grader Isabella
Clement took third in 16.76, and
seventh-grader Maddie Sisley was
close behind in fifth (17.43).
Clement and Sisley placed
sixth and seventh, respectively, out
of 34 competitors in the long jump.
The Astoria boys had one indi-
vidual event winner, as eighth-
grader Josh Condit scored a vic-
tory in the javelin with a personal
best throw of 117-1.
Teammates Nathan Pacheco
Moulin and Daniel Garcia Cama-
cho placed fourth and fifth,
respectively.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Owen,
Zachary Schauermann, Axil
Pineda and Condit teamed for
a second-place finish (4:21.26)
in the 1,600 relay, and the
foursome of Condit, Moulin, Stan-
ley Wozniak and Thomas Colvin
placed fourth in the 400 relay.
Colvin was fifth in the 200;
Daniel Messing cleared 5-0 for
fifth in the high jump; Condit was
sixth and Ronan Linnett place
sixth and seventh in the 400; and
Rocky Rub was seventh in the
110-meter hurdles.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland —
The IOC has added 3-on-3 basket-
ball as an Olympic event for the
2020 Tokyo Games.
In another move toward urban
youth sports, BMX Freestyle
cycling will join the Olympic pro-
gram for the first time among a
“net increase of 15 events.”
However, the IOC says there
will be 285 fewer athlete places
than in 2016.
Track cycling will add men’s
and women’s madison races, and
swimming will add men’s 800-
meter freestyle and women’s
1,500 freestyle.
IOC President Thomas Bach
says the 2020 Games will become
“more youthful, more urban and
will include more women.”
Mixed gender medal events
rise to 18 from nine.
Events confirmed today are in
addition to decisions last August
to include sports climbing, skate-
boarding, surfing, baseball and
softball, and karate to the Tokyo
program.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Seattle Mariners starting pitch-
er Christian Bergman throws
against the Minnesota Twins
during the first inning of a base-
ball game Thursday in Seattle.
Pulisic scores
twice, US beats
Trinidad 2-0 in
qualifying
UP NEXT: MARINERS
• Toronto Blue Jays(29-31)
at Seattle Mariners (30-31)
• Today, 7:10 p.m. TV: RTNW
Associated Press
LEFT: Astoria sisters Abby and Hannah Groncki, fifth and fourth, respectively, in the 1,500-meters.
RIGHT: Astoria’s Isabella Clement soared her way to a sixth-place finish in the long jump.
Oregon State pitcher has sex case in past
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Luke Heimlich,
a standout pitcher for Oregon State’s
top-ranked baseball team, pleaded
guilty to a single count of molesting a
6-year-old girl when he was a teenager.
Heimlich’s criminal history was
reported by The Oregonian on Thurs-
day, a day or two before he’s slated
to pitch in this weekend’s regional
final against Vanderbilt. The winner
advances to the College World Series.
The left-hander from Puyallup,
Washington, is projected to be an
early round pick in next week’s Major
League Baseball draft.
In an editorial accompanying the
article, the newspaper said it learned
about Heimlich’s 2012 conviction
while doing a routine background
check before running a lengthy profile
on him.
State became aware of Heim-
Heimlich failed to renew
lich’s status as a registered sex
his registration as a sex
offender or answer any ques-
offender in Oregon within 10
tions about the case, citing
days of his most recent birth-
federal laws that protect stu-
day and was cited in Benton
dent privacy.
County on a misdemeanor
The state police provide
Luke
charge that was dismissed
the school with a list of reg-
Heimlich
last month, according to court
istered sex offenders who are
records reviewed by the AP.
affiliated with the campus on
That citation led The Oregonian a regular basis, Clark said, and the
to the Washington state case and it school then interviews each person
obtained those records using a public and puts safeguards in place to protect
information act request.
other students and staff.
Heimlich did not respond to
Heimlich ultimately pleaded guilty
requests for comment from the news- to one count of molestation between
paper. Coach Pat Casey declined to February 2011 and December 2011, a
comment.
period during which he was 15. Pros-
Heimlich’s attorney, Stephen ecutors dismissed the other charge as
Ensor, did not return a call from the part of a plea bargain.
AP.
He entered a diversion program,
Oregon State spokesman Steve received two years of probation and
Clark declined to say when Oregon was ordered to attend sex offender
treatment for two years, according to
court records. He was sentenced to
40 weeks of detention at Washing-
ton’s Juvenile Rehabilitation authority.
But that sentence was suspended and
he served no time, according to court
records, because he successfully com-
pleted probation.
Heimlich was classified in Wash-
ington state as the lowest-level sex
offender with little risk of repeating
the behavior. He finished his probation
and court-ordered classes in fall 2014,
around the time he moved to Corvallis,
Oregon, to attend Oregon State.
Clark, the OSU spokesman, said
he didn’t know if publicity about the
case would lead to any changes in this
weekend’s pitching line-up.
Heimlich is the top pitcher on Ore-
gon State’s No. 1-ranked baseball
team, compiling an 11-1 record with a
0.76 ERA.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. —
After sliding to score a goal with his
left foot, Christian Pulisic got back
up, raced for a corner and glided
across the grass on both knees.
Just a teenager showing
exuberance.
Pulisic rescued the United
States with a pair of second-half
goals, and the Americans beat Trin-
idad and Tobago 2-0 on Thursday
night to move into third place at the
halfway point in the final round of
World Cup qualifying.
Pulisic, an 18-year-old phe-
nom from Hershey, Pennsylvania,
ended a frustrating start for the U.S.
offense with a goal in the 52nd min-
ute, then added another in the 62nd.
“They were tough in the first
half, definitely,” Pulisic explained.
“They had a lot of guys behind the
ball and we couldn’t work our way
through them. Once we got the first
one, it kind of opened up.”
Pulisic made his international
debut 15 months ago and has seven
goals and five assists in 15 appear-
ances, including four goals and
three assists in his last four contests.
He has scored or assisted on seven
of the last eight American goals.