10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018
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COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
Beavers bite back, force Game 3
Oregon State wins
5-3; Razorbacks
crying over foul
UP NEXT:
CWS FINALS GAME 3
• Arkansas Razorbacks (1-1)
vs Oregon State Beavers (1-1)
• Today, 3:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2
By ERIC OLSON
Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — Oregon State
hadn’t been able to catch a break in the
College World Series finals. And then
the ninth inning happened Wednesday
night.
Three Arkansas fielders watched a
foul ball drop between them with two
outs. If one of them catches the ball,
the Razorbacks would have locked up
the national championship.
No one did.
Cadyn Grenier singled in the tying
run, and Trevor Larnach followed
with a two-run homer into the right-
field bullpen to give the Beavers the
lead in a 5-3 win that forced a third
and deciding third game on Thursday
night.
“As soon as you see the ball drop,
you know you have another life,” Gre-
nier said. “I needed to refocus and
make the most of that extra life we got.
That’s a gift.”
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Oregon State’s Cadyn Grenier, center left, and Adley Rutschman (35)
celebrate with teammates after Trevor Larnach hit a two-run home
run against Arkansas that scored Grenier during the ninth inning of
Wednesday’s Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball fi-
nals in Omaha, Neb.
Arkansas (48-20) turned back the
Beavers (54-12-1) when they threat-
ened in the sixth and eighth innings,
and they were in position to do the
same in the ninth if not for the bun-
gled foul ball.
Zach Clayton, who pinch ran for
Zak Taylor after a walk leading off
the ninth, was on third when Grenier
came up to bat with the entire stadium
on its feet.
On a 1-1 pitch from Matt Cro-
nin (2-2), Grenier popped the ball
high behind first base and toward the
stands. There was plenty of room to
make the catch, and second baseman
Carson Shaddy, first baseman Jared
Gates and right fielder Eric Cole con-
verged. No one took charge and the
ball hit the ground.
“I was running and didn’t hear any-
body call it, and I overran it,” Shaddy
said.
While the ball was in the air, Gre-
nier said, he hoped it would flare off
into the stands.
“I knew I hit it decently deep so it
wasn’t going to be a routine pop foul
catch,” he said. “It wasn’t. It landed
in a spot between three guys, and it
worked to our advantage.”
Cronin took a moment to compose
himself, wiping his brow and adjust-
ing his hat. His next pitch was way
high and, after a foul ball, Grenier sent
a drive into left field to score Clayton.
Mariners beat
Orioles 8-7
in 11 innings
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
George decides to
become free agent
By DAVID GINSBURG
Associated Press
BALTIMORE — The Seattle
Mariners have made a habit this
year of mounting comebacks, win-
ning by one run and prevailing in
extra innings.
They combined all three of
those traits in a rousing, dra-
ma-filled matchup with the Balti-
more Orioles.
Denard Span hit a tiebreak-
ing sacrifice fly in the 11th inning
after Kyle Seager delivered a two-
run homer in the ninth, and the
Mariners pulled out an 8-7 victory
Wednesday night.
Playing without injured Nel-
son Cruz for a second straight
game, Seattle got a home run from
Ryon Healy and collected 14 hits
while improving its record in extra
innings to 7-0.
It was the Mariners’ major
league-leading 25th one-run vic-
tory, and it marked the 16th come-
back win in which they have taken
the lead in the seventh inning or
later.
In this one, Seattle gave up a
deflating three-run homer to Chris
Davis in the eighth inning before
rallying.
“We’ve had some great wins
this year. We’ve done a lot of this at
home,” manager Scott Servais said.
“To do this on the road, after giving
up the big home run in the eighth
inning, it’s how we’re wired. We
play all 27 outs, guys don’t quit.
They figure out and find a way.”
The Mariners came to town
having lost six of seven. Now, after
winning three straight over the
lowly Orioles, they can complete
the first four-game road sweep of
Baltimore in franchise history.
SCOREBOARD
LOCAL SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Junior state baseball — Knappa at
Clatskanie, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Baseball — Warrenton Alumni day,
noon
BASEBALL
Game 1
Warrenton 7, Neah-Kah-Nie 0
NeahKahNie 000 000 0—0 0 5
Warrenton 010 105 x—7 8 1
Wagner and Derek; Jackson and Mor-
row. W: Jackson. L: Wagner. RBI: War,
Falls, Knight, Caldwell, Little. 2B: War,
Breitmeyer. HBP: War, Jackson. LOB:
Neah-Kah-Nie 6, Warrenton 5.
Game 2
Warrenton 12, Neah-Kah-Nie 2
NeahKahNie 020 00—2 3 3
Warrenton
452 1x—12 7 1
K.Pieper, Loza (1), A.Pieper (3) and
Montes; Little and Morrow. W: Little. L:
K.Pieper. RBI: War, Breitmeyer 3, Knight
2, Little. 2B: War, Caldwell, Knight, Jack-
son. 3B: War, Breitmeyer. HBP: NKN,
K.Pieper; War, Kapua 2, Morrow 2,
Knight. LOB: Neah-Kah-Nie 3, Warren-
ton 5. DP: Neah-Kah-Nie.
Grenier pumped his fist as he ran to
first and punched the air twice more
when he rounded the base.
Larnach’s 19th homer of the sea-
son ramped up the celebration in the
Beavers’ dugout. Kevin Abel (7-1),
who pitched the eighth, gave way to
closer Jake Mulholland in the ninth.
The game ended when Mulholland
fielded Casey Martin’s comebacker
and threw to second to start a double
play.
“You’ve got to move on,” said
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn,
whose team had been 44-0 when lead-
ing after eight innings. “You can’t take
it back. It’s over. Get your head up and
start getting your mind right because
it’s going to be tomorrow before you
know it and we need to come out here
and give ourselves a chance.”
The Beavers have been the hot-
test hitting team throughout the CWS
but struggled to convert chances in
the finals until they caught their huge
break in the ninth inning.
They had runners on first and third
with none out in the sixth when Kyle
Nobach popped up a bunt that pitcher
Kole Ramage caught. Ramage then
threw back to third to double off Gre-
nier, and a groundout ended the inning.
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Alec Herrera slides home safe for Warrenton.
Warrenton takes two
from Neah-Kah-Nie
The Daily Astorian
W
ARRENTON — Four
games in two days was a bit
too much for the Neah-Kah-
Nie summer baseball team — espe-
cially when all four games were in
Clatsop County, against league cham-
pions from bigger schools.
One day after a doubleheader loss
at Astoria (9-1, 9-2), the Pirates found
themselves outmatched Wednesday
against a Warrenton team that was also
fresh off a league championship in the
spring.
The Warriors handed Neah-Kah-
Nie’s summer team (Hixson Trucking)
two more losses, 7-0 and 12-2. In two
days and 26 innings of baseball, the
Pirates struck out 36 times.
Warrenton pitcher Devin Jackson
threw a no-hitter in Game 1, and Aus-
tin Little only had to work five innings
in Game 2, as the Warriors ended the
game via the 10-run mercy rule.
“It’s always a little more exciting
when somebody throws a no-hitter,”
said Warrenton coach Lennie Wolfe.
“And with credit to Devin, he came
back from a break yesterday, and threw
a bullpen (session) this morning, just to
prepare himself a little more.”
Jackson walked five, but struck out
13.
Still, the Warriors led just 2-0
through five innings, and had help in
scoring the two runs, as blunders in the
field by the Pirates allowed runners to
score from third base in the second and
LEFT: Devin Jackson sends a pitch to the plate for the Warriors. RIGHT:
Kale’o Kapua lays down a bunt trying to drive in a runner at third.
fourth innings.
“Our baserunning was horrendous
in Game 1, and we were real fortunate
just to have those first two runs,” Wolfe
said.
The Warriors found themselves in
rundowns in both games, but ended
up scoring both times, as Neah-Kah-
Nie committed a total of eight errors,
after making seven errors in the losses
to Astoria.
At the plate, the Pirates struck out a
combined 18 times against the Fisher-
men, and struck out 18 more times in
12 innings vs. the Warriors.
Warrenton had eight hits in the
opener, which included three hits
apiece for Gabe Breitmeyer and Dal-
ton Knight. Ethan Caldwell had an
RBI single late in Game 1, then added
a double in Game 2, for his first career
hits.
Breitmeyer added another three
hits, including a triple, in Game 2, to
go with three RBIs.
Knight had a double and drove in
two runs in the nightcap, while three
Neah-Kah-Nie pitchers combined to
hit five batters and walk four.
Little tossed a three-hitter, with five
strikeouts and a walk.
Warrenton hosts its annual Alumni
Day at noon Saturday. Players must
have either played or coached baseball
at Warrenton to participate in the game.
Suggested donations of $10-$20
per player will be accepted after the
game to help the Warrenton junior state
baseball program.
Following the alumni game, the
Warriors will stage their second annual
home run derby, sponsored by Warren-
ton Fultano’s/Bubba’s. Entry fee is $10
for seven balls.
Monday at CMH Field, Knappa
will play Astoria at 4 p.m., followed
by a single game between the Loggers
and Warriors.
Paul George turned down one
option and created a slew of new
ones.
George has decided not to
exercise his $20.7 million option
for next season with the Okla-
homa City Thunder, a person with
knowledge of the situation said
Thursday. George will become an
unrestricted free agent on Sunday.
The person spoke to The Asso-
ciated Press on condition of ano-
nymity Thursday because neither
George nor the team has publicly
announced his decision. ESPN
first reported George’s decision
about the option year.
It was not an unexpected move
for George, who averaged 21.9
points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals
for the Thunder this past season.
By not opting in to the final year
of his existing deal, George opens
up an array of possibilities —
such as going elsewhere, possibly
the Los Angeles Lakers, or sign-
ing a new deal with Oklahoma
City.
He is also expected to be pur-
sued by the Houston Rockets,
who finished this past season with
the NBA’s best regular-season
record.
‘Dark day for
German football’
after World Cup
elimination
KAZAN, Russia — Every-
one was waiting for Germany to
score another late World Cup-sav-
ing goal.
It never came.
Instead, the Germans have
become the fourth defending cham-
pions in the last five tournaments to
be eliminated in the group stage fol-
lowing a 2-0 loss to South Korea on
Wednesday.
The four-time champions
allowed a pair of injury-time goals
while knowing a 1-0 victory would
have been enough to advance
because of the result in the other
group match.
“It’s very, very hard to put it into
words,” said Germany defender
Mats Hummels, a member of the
team that won in Brazil four years
ago. “We believed until the end
today. Even when it was 0-1, I think
we kept trying to turn it all around.”
Germany ended up last in
Group F while Sweden and Mexico
advanced to the round of 16. South
Korea was also eliminated despite
the victory.
It was the first time Germany
has been knocked out in the first
round since 1938, though the team
was not allowed to enter the 1950
tournament.
— Associated Press