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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Athletes of the Week
HALLE
HELMERSEN
Astoria
T
he 5-foot-6 sophomore reserve guard hit the biggest shot of the season
for the Astoria Lady Fishermen in a 55-52 win over Banks Feb. 5. Her
3-pointer as time expired beat the Braves and pulled Astoria into a fi rst-place
tie with Banks in the Cowapa League standings. She scored 20 points off the
bench, including nine in the fi rst quarter. Three nights later, she scored a team-
high 13 points in a win at Tillamook.
Lillard has
29 in Blazers’
chippy 129-
107 win over
Warriors
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Damian
Lillard scored 29 points and the
Portland Trail Blazers snapped
Golden State’s fi ve-game win-
ning streak with a chippy 129-
107 victory Wednesday night
that included the late ejection of
Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Jake Layman added 17 points
off the bench for the Blazers,
who had eight players in double
fi gures. The win snapped a two-
game skid.
Kevin Durant and Stephen
Curry each had 32 points for the
Warriors, who rested DeMar-
cus Cousins following a victory
at home over Utah the night
before.
After a tight three quarters,
Layman’s long jumper gave
Portland a 104-101 lead in the
fi nal period before Zach Collins
blocked Damion Lee’s layup on
the other end.
Collins and Klay Thompson
exchanged words, and the frus-
tration spilled over to players
from both sides. The two play-
ers were given offsetting tech-
nical fouls.
Portland led 110-103 before
Draymond Green was called for
a fl agrant foul on Collins with
3:54 left. Kerr reacted angrily,
throwing his clipboard to court
and yelling at the offi cials
before he was ejected.
Lillard made the three tech-
nical shots and Collins made
his free throws to give Portland
a 115-103 lead. Layman added
a 3-pointer to all but seal the
win.
In addition to Cousins, the
Warriors rested guard Shaun
Livingston and forward Andre
Iguodala. Kerr said before the
game that Cousins and Living-
ston got the night off because
of the back-to-back games, and
Iguodala was additionally a “lit-
tle banged up.”
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Girls basketball — Seaside at Banks, 6 p.m.
Boys basketball — Seaside at Banks, 7:30
p.m.; CRL playoff : Willamina at Warrenton, 7
p.m.; NWL playoff : Neah-Kah-Nie at Knappa,
7 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls basketball — CRL playoff : Rainier or
Willamina vs. Warrenton, 7 p.m., at Clatsop
Community College.
Swimming — OSAA state meet, Tualatin,
TBA
Wrestling — District 1/3A, at Warrenton, 3
p.m.; District 1/2A, at Toledo, TBA
LUKE
NELSON
Seaside
T
he junior wrestler had the best fi nish for the Gulls in the District 1 tourna-
ment Feb. 8-9 in Tillamook. After a fi rst-round bye at 220 pounds, Nelson
won by technical fall (15-0 at 5:07) over Jackson Turner of Estacada, followed
by a 7-1 decision over Tillamook’s Dawson McKibbin in a semifi nal match. Nel-
son lost to James Ellis of Banks in the title bout to fi nish second. Nelson is one
of two Seaside wrestlers who qualifi ed for the state tournament Feb. 22-23.
King Felix entering critical
last season of Seattle contract
By JACK MAGRUDER
Associated Press
PEORIA, Ariz. — Every day for
several years, Felix Hernandez has
walked past large photos of himself
and Randy Johnson — the Seattle
Mariners’ only Cy Young Award
winners — in the hallway leading to
the clubhouse of their spring train-
ing complex.
King Felix will make those walks
for perhaps the last time this year,
with a bigger goal as motivation.
“I know this is my fi nal year, but I
don’t think I am done,” the 33-year-
old Hernandez said this week fol-
lowing Seattle’s fi rst spring training
workout. “I think I can do a lot of
good things, and it is going to be a
push for my Hall of Fame career. It
means a lot. Now Edgar (Martinez)
is in the Hall of Fame. We’ll see.”
Hernandez, who has 168 victo-
ries and a career 3.34 ERA, is try-
ing to reverse recent trends enter-
ing the fi nal season of a seven-year
contract that calls for a $27 million
salary. His fastball average velocity
dropped to a career-low 90.4 mph
last season as calculated by Fan-
graphs, and his ERA was a career-
high 5.55 in 29 outings. He briefl y
was moved to the bullpen for his
lone career relief appearance, a
move that did not sit well.
But as spring training begins,
Hernandez has a spot in the starting
rotation, even if it is not as his cus-
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Felix Hernandez throws against the Oakland Athletics last season.
tomary No. 1.
“I don’t care what happened last
season,” he said. “This is a new
year. I came here ready to go. Let’s
see what is going to happen.”
Yusei Kikuchi, Mike Leake and
Marco Gonzales are the top three
in the Mariners rotation, and left-
hander Wade LeBlanc pitched
well last season. Top prospect Jus-
tus Sheffi eld was acquired from the
Yankees in the James Paxton deal,
although he is likely to start the sea-
son in the minors.
Hernandez will look to recover
from a second half in which he
was 0-7 with a 6.44 ERA in his
last 10 appearances. His percent-
age of swinging strikes was at a
career low, and opponents’ contact
on pitches in the strike zone was a
career high.
“He’s struggled the last few
years. We’ll see what it brings,”
Seattle manager Scott Servais said.
“Felix is a competitor. He is a very
proud player, like many veteran
players are. He wants to get back
to doing his thing. We are going to
let him.”
No pressure? Bailey’s job is to keep champion Beavers on top
By ERIC OLSON
Associated Press
Oregon State has won 111 of its
last 130 baseball games, is com-
ing off its third national champi-
onship since 2006 and its career
coaching wins leader Pat Casey
retired last fall.
Enter Pat Bailey, the 63-year-
old interim head coach who hopes
to earn the permanent job for
2020.
“People think there’s a lot
of pressure,” Bailey said. “I’m
going to be who I am. I can’t be
somebody else. In terms of the
pressure part, I just think people
a lot of times put undue pressure
on themselves and make things
out to be a lot bigger than what
they are.”
Bailey has been through this
before, though not at this level. He
was successor to Casey at George
Fox College and won the Division
III championship four years before
he joined Casey’s Oregon State
staff in 2008.
As a high school coach in Ore-
gon, Bailey replaced a two-time
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Former Oregon State coach Pat Casey, left, celebrates with his associate
head coach Pat Bailey after beating Arkansas for the NCAA College World
Series baseball championship.
state champion coach at West Linn
and led the program to a state run-
ner-up fi nish before he left for
George Fox.
Athletic director Scott Barnes
named Bailey interim coach last
September when Casey announced
he was retiring after 24 seasons.
Casey remains as a senior associ-
ate athletic director. Bailey’s task
is to keep the Beavers doing what
they’ve been doing.
“Our expectations are extremely
high,” he said.
The Beavers begin the defense
of their national title in Surprise,
Arizona, when the Division I sea-
son opens Friday. They open
against New Mexico, play Gon-
zaga on Saturday and Minnesota,
the team they beat in super region-
als, on Sunday.
Kevin Abel, who as a freshman
won a record four games in the
College World Series and threw a
two-hit shutout against Arkansas
in Game 3 of the fi nals, heads a
pitching staff that remains mostly
intact. Bryce Fehmel, a 10-game
winner last year, and Grant Gam-
brell are the Nos. 2 and 3 starters,
and 16-save closer Jake Mulhol-
land returns.
The Beavers posted some of
the best numbers in program his-
tory last year, and six of the play-
ers from the everyday lineup are
gone. They still have catcher
Adley Rutschman, the 2018
CWS Most Outstanding Player
and possible No. 1 pick in the
Major League Baseball draft in
June, along with first baseman
Zak Taylor and outfielder Pres-
ton Jones.