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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Astoria hammers Valley Catholic
SOFTBALL
The Daily Astorian
Almost a third of the way into the
league season, Cowapa League base-
ball is shaping up to be a two-team
race between the same two teams
that battled to a co-championship last
year.
Banks holds down first place at
3-0, but only by a half-game, as the
Astoria Fishermen (3-1) are on a roll
and rising fast.
After a rough first inning Thurs-
day at CMH Field, the Fishermen
scored a routine 14-4 win over Val-
ley Catholic, Astoria’s third straight
league victory.
Valley Catholic’s Porter Agnew
belted the first pitch of the game for
a solo home run and the Valiants led
2-0 after a half-inning.
But the Fishermen rarely, if ever,
lose an inning.
Astoria rallied with four runs in
the bottom of the first, all runs scor-
ing with two outs. The Fishermen
gradually pulled away, taking advan-
tage of a beaten and battered Valley
Catholic pitching staff.
The Valiants were playing their
third game in four days, and three
Valley Catholic pitchers could do
very little to help, giving up 10 hits
with 11 walks and two hit batters.
Defensively, the Valiants committed
four errors.
Meanwhile, Astoria’s first nine
hits came from nine different play-
ers, before a walk-off, game-end-
ing grand slam home run by Burke
Matthews that gave the Fishermen a
10-run lead.
Trey Hageman pitched a com-
plete game for Astoria, allowing
eight hits with two strikeouts and
three walks.
The Fishermen defense helped
Hageman’s cause, playing error-less
ball in the field and making the plays
that led to seven runners left on base
for the Valiants.
Astoria defeats
Valiants, again
BEAVERTON — The Asto-
ria softball team has scored a com-
bined 31 runs in two wins over
Valley Catholic this week, follow-
ing an 18-9 victory Thursday over
the Valiants in Cowapa League
action.
McKailyn Rogers pitched the first
five innings for Astoria, and Julia
Norris finished in the circle.
In addition to drawing numer-
ous walks and hit batters, Astoria hit
the ball well when the Valiants were
throwing strikes.
Brooklynn Hankwitz was 2-for-3
with a double and a triple, while
Rogers added a pair of doubles.
Norris also went 2-for-3, while
Valley Catholic’s Natalie Alvis was
4-for-5.
Astoria has two games next week
against a struggling Tillamook team
which has lost seven straight.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The ball gets away from the Valley Catholic defense during a pickoff attempt against the Fishermen.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Josiah Hirsch takes a big swing for Astoria.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Kenneth Trey Hageman delivers a pitch.
NBA PLAYOFFS: RND 1
Washington Wizards in the East.
Sixth-seeded Miami and No. 3 Phil-
adelphia are then followed by Port-
land-New Orleans in the other 3-6
matchup.
On Sunday, it’s No. 7 Milwau-
kee at No. 2 Boston, and the Cavs
hosting the No. 5 Indiana Pacers in
the East, followed by No. 5 Utah at
No. 4 Oklahoma City. The Rockets
wrap up opening weekend against
No. 8 Minnesota, ending the NBA’s
longest playoff drought with its first
playoff appearance since 2004.
A look at some things to watch in
the first round:
recovering from a broken orbital
bone and concussion as the postsea-
son begins — and will have to over-
come their inexperience and a rug-
ged Miami team.
Maybe this is the year.
Maybe the Golden State War-
riors, opening the postseason with-
out Stephen Curry or any momen-
tum, won’t be the best of the West,
where there’s a Houston team that
can run and gun as well as they do.
Maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers,
starting from the middle of the pack
in the East, just have too big a hill to
climb, even with LeBron James car-
rying them.
Or perhaps none of that mat-
ters, and the NBA is headed toward
Round 4 of its reigning rivalry.
The postseason opens Saturday
and it’s far from a guarantee it ends
with a record fourth straight NBA
Finals matchup between the War-
riors and Cavaliers. Neither was the
best team in its conference during
the regular season — the Cavaliers
were only No. 4 in the East — and
it’s not hard to envision a Hous-
ton to Toronto trip replacing what’s
become an annual Oakland, Califor-
nia, to Cleveland itinerary.
Then again, the Warriors could
be as dangerous as ever once Curry
returns from a knee injury that could
have him back for the second round.
James has played in the last seven
NBA Finals, so nobody knows how
to get to the finish line better, no
matter from where he starts.
And the other top contenders
have to overcome their history of
disappointments. Houston’s Mike
D’Antoni and James Harden have
never won, and Chris Paul hasn’t
even gotten out of the second round.
The Raptors had their best regular
season ever, but they were last seen
in the postseason getting stomped in
four straight by James and the Cavs
last year in the second round.
Golden State faces No. 7 San
Antonio on Saturday in the post-
season opener, followed by the
top-seeded Raptors and No. 8
Dempsey suspended
additional game
A’ja Wilson top pick of WNBA draft
NEW YORK — Seattle Sound-
ers forward Clint Dempsey was sus-
pended an additional game for an
incident on March 18 against FC
Dallas. That brings the suspension
to two games. Dempsey sat out the
Sounders’ game against Montreal
on March 31, and he’ll miss this
weekend’s match against Sporting
Kansas City.
Dempsey was also fined an
undisclosed amount by the MLS
Disciplinary Committee, according
to a league release on Thursday. The
statement said the suspension was
for “violent contact.” Dempsey was
shown a red card and ejected from
the Dallas game after a video review
for elbowing Jacori Hayes.
— Associated Press
GOLF
Astoria, Seaside
compete in
Scappoose Invite
Finals Round 4? Warriors, Cavs vulnerable
By BRIAN MAHONEY
Associated Pressr
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
No. 6 seed
No. 3 seed
PORTLAND
NEW
TRAIL
ORLEANS vs
BLAZERS
PELICANS
(49-33)
(48-34)
Game 1: Best of 7 series
Saturday, 7:30 PM
At Portland, Moda Center
TV: ESPN
By DOUG FEINBERG
Associated Press
NEW YORK — A’ja Wilson is
thrilled for the chance to head to Las
Vegas.
The South Carolina star was the
No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the
Aces on Thursday night.
“It’s such a great feeling, just an
amazing way to cap off my colle-
giate career,” Wilson said. “My heart
was pounding before she announced
the pick.”
The 6-foot-5 star admitted she
has only been there once, but already
knows the Nevada city slogan.
“What happens in Sin City stays
in Sin City,” Wilson said laughing.
The Aces, who moved to Las
Vegas from San Antonio this past
GOLDEN AGAIN?
Curry’s injury is the only one
that remains, but the Warriors at
one point down the stretch were
also without Kevin Durant, Dray-
mond Green and Klay Thompson,
too. Even the champions couldn’t
overcome that, dropping six of
their final 10 games, but they start
against a San Antonio team whose
injury problems are every bit as bad,
assuming Kawhi Leonard doesn’t
return after missing almost the entire
season.
STREAKING SIXERS
Philadelphia is the hottest team
in the postseason, winning its final
16 games to finish 52-30. But the
76ers are led by postseason new-
comers in Joel Embiid and rookie
Ben Simmons — and Embiid is still
winter, had the first pick for the sec-
ond straight season.
Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell
went second to the Indiana Fever.
Indiana also took Victoria Vivians
with the eighth pick, giving coach
Pokey Chatman a strong young core
to build around.
The Chicago Sky took Diamond
DeShields, who spent the season
playing professionally in Turkey,
and Gabby Williams of Connecticut
with the next two picks.
“I’m excited to see what we can
do,” DeShields said.
UCLA guard Jordin Canada was
selected fifth by the Seattle Storm.
She’ll get a chance to learn from Sue
Bird.
“I love Sue Bird, she’s one of my
role models,” Canada said.
THUNDER STRIKE?
It was an up-and-down regular
season for Oklahoma City, which
acquired Paul George and Carmelo
Anthony to play with Russell West-
brook but finished well back of
Houston and Golden State. But the
Thunder might be one of those teams
better built for the postseason, and
they got an easier road when they
won three straight to grab home-
court advantage against a Utah team
that would have had it before a sea-
son-ending loss at Portland.
WHO WINS?
As good as Toronto is, it seems
futile picking against James and the
firepower around him to get to the
NBA Finals. But the Cavaliers don’t
defend well enough and can be
picked apart by top offenses, so go
with the West champion to win the
title, particularly if it’s Golden State
or Houston.
Take it from another champion.
“I like Houston and Golden State,
pending their health, as being my
top two favorites,” five-time winner
Kobe Bryant said during a confer-
ence call to promote his new basket-
ball analysis show “Detail” that will
run on ESPN during the postseason.
Azura Stevens, who decided to
forego her final year of eligibility at
UConn, was taken sixth by Dallas.
Washington drafted Ariel Atkins of
Texas seventh. Lexie Brown was
picked ninth by Connecticut.
New York took Kia Nurse 10th,
marking the third UConn player to
be taken in the opening round. It’s
the second time in three seasons
that three Huskies were drafted in
the first round. UConn players went
1-2-3 in 2016.
“It’s really cool that we were all
here for each other,” Williams said.
Los Angeles drafted 19-year-old
Russian star Maria Vadeeva with
the 11th pick. She’s the first foreign
player who didn’t play at an Amer-
ican college to be taken in the first
round since 2012.
BANKS — Astoria finished
a close third in a rain-shortened
Scappoose Invitational golf match
Thursday at Quail Valley Golf
Course.
In a Stableford-scored match, Val-
ley Catholic earned the victory with
71 points, followed by Scappoose
(60), Astoria (58), Seaside (21) and
Tillamook (3).
Due to poor course conditions and
rain, the 18-hole event was halted
after nine holes.
Valley Catholic’s Caroline Hob-
son was medalist with 27 points.
Samantha Hemsley led Astoria with
20 points, while teammate Sarah Ler-
tora (11 points) had the only birdie of
the day, with a chip-in on the par 4
eighth hole.
Also competing for the Lady
Fishermen were Jenna Travers (19
points), Sierra Adams (8) and Gracie
Cummings (3).
Seaside sent three golfers to the
match, and the Gulls were led by
Tristyn McFadden with 13 points.
Caitlin Hillman and Maddie Grimm
scored four apiece.
Astoria competes Monday in the
Seaside Invitational, which will take
place at Gearhart Golf Links.
— The Daily Astorian
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Baseball — Tillamook at Seaside, 5 p.m.;
Rainier at Warrenton (2), 3:30 p.m.; Knappa
at Vernonia (2), 3 p.m.
Softball — Rainier at Warrenton (2), 3:30
p.m.; Knappa at Vernonia (2), 3 p.m.
SATURDAY
Track — Lower Columbia Invitational, St.
Helens, 11:30 a.m.; Meet of Champions,
Willamette U., 10 a.m.
BASEBALL
Astoria 14, Valley Catholic 4
Valley C.
201 001—4 8 4
Astoria
400 136—14 10 0
Agnew, Eisenhardt (4), M.Weber (6) and
Pruitt; Hageman and Hillard. W: Hageman.
L: Agnew. RBI: VC, Agnew 2, W.Weber,
M.Weber; Ast, Matthews 4, Kolee 2, Rush
2, Matteucci, Hageman. 2B: VC, Baglai, Ag-
new; Ast, Hirsch. HR: VC, Agnew; Ast, Mat-
thews. HBP: Ast, Reed, Rush. LOB: Valley
Catholic 7, Astoria 6. DP: Valley Catholic 2.
GIRLS GOLF
Scappoose Invitational
Team: Valley Catholic 71, Scappoose 60,
Astoria 58, Seaside 21, Tillamook 3.
Medalist: Caroline Hobson, Valley Cath-
olic, 27
Valley Catholic (71)
Caroline Hobson, 27
Annmarie Gallardo, 20
Megan Birrell, 16
Paige Nearman, 8
Natalie Roth, 7
Scappoose (60)
Morgan Hall, 25
Kenzy Sue, 14
Kaitlyn Bakkensen, 13
Rylie Cook, 8
Calli Enos, 3
Astoria (58)
Samantha Hemsley, 20
Jenna Travers, 19
Sarah Lertora, 11
Sierra Adams, 8
Gracie Cummings, 3
Seaside (21)
Tristyn McFadden, 13
Caitlin Hillman, 4
Maddie Grimm, 4
Tillamook (3)
Steph Verdin, 3
Natalie Gitchell, 0