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Hood River News, Wednesday, May 13, 2015
A7
HRV baseball wins first conference title in 22 years
With Columbia River Conference title in hand, HRV looks to secure home-field advantage in playoffs
Photos by Ben Mitchell
EAGLES BASEBALL got its first conference title in 22 years with a win over Pendleton on Friday in Hood River. From left to right: members of the team mug for the camera after the win; first baseman Mon-
tana Kurahara gets ready to send another Buckaroo back to the dugout; and Ryan Ward, who gave up only one hit during the game, throws a pitch from the mound at Traner Field.
By BEN MITCHELL
News staff writer
They’ve been gunning for it all season and
on Friday, they finally got it.
The HRV Eagles boys baseball team locked
up its first conference title in 22 years after
defeating Columbia River Conference oppo-
nent Pendleton, 6-1, at Traner Field. With
two league games left in the season, the
Buckaroos, who were nipping at the Eagles’
heels before Friday’s game, can no longer
catch HRV, along with The Dalles and Her-
miston.
After coaching last year’s underdog team
to a second-place finish in the state tourna-
ment, Erich Harjo has been saying all season
that his players had their eyes set on win-
ning the CRC title. And thanks to what Harjo
characterized as a well-rounded team, they
did.
“They were really excited to see one of
their goals be accomplished,” he said. “They
feel like everybody has their role on the
team. There hasn’t been one guy carrying us
all year; it’s been a team effort.”
The last time the program won a title was
in 1993, when the team wasn’t even in the
CRC, according to outgoing HRVHS Athletic
Director Keith Bassham. That year, HRV was
a 3A team in the Tri-Valley Conference,
which included Sherwood, La Salle, Estaca-
da, Banks, Gladstone, and The Dalles. This is
the fifth season HRV has played in the CRC.
The win marked HRV’s best outing this
season against the Buckaroos, who have
played the Eagles tight, including two games
that were decided by a single run — one of
which resulted in one of the two league-
game losses HRV has sustained this season.
Harjo said that on Friday, HRV “took that
game under control,” in the early innings,
putting up three runs against the Buckaroos
in the bottom of the first and two more in the
bottom of the second, which he felt took a
psychological toll on Pendleton.
“They immediately get down three runs —
that’s a tough thing to bounce back from
mentally as a high school team,” he noted.
And thanks to HRV’s efficient fielding, as
well as what Harjo called an “electric” pitch-
ing performance by Ryan Ward, the Eagles
were able to keep the Buckaroos scoreless
until the fifth inning, when they scored their
sole run.
“It’s a lot of practice, a lot of repetition.
They know each other; the guys communi-
cate with each other really well,” Harjo re-
marked on how the team has been able to
field so well this season.
Ward had one of his best games of the
year on the mound, giving up only one hit in
seven innings, with no earned runs, walking
four batters, and striking out eight. He was
productive on offense as well, getting two
hits in three at-bats (single, double) and lead-
ing the team with two RBI. Other hitters in-
cluded Skyler Hunter (2 for 4, singles), who
scored two runs, and Adam Cameron (1 for 3,
single), who also had a RBI. Patrick Harvey
and Dallas Buckley were each credited with
one RBI; scoring runs for HRV (besides
Hunter), were Kam Walker, Kellan Duffy, An-
drew Roberts, and Chase Lariza, all with one
run apiece.
With three games left in the season for
HRV — including a non-league contest
against Central Catholic (No. 3 in 6A), which
Harjo said was added to give the team extra
practice against a competitive squad — the
Eagles will look to continue their winning
ways in order to get a good spot in the post-
season.
“We want to win out for sure,” he said. “If
we don’t win, then our ranking slides, then
we don’t host a playoff game.”
Currently, HRV is ranked eighth, which is
the lowest ranking the team can have and
still be able to host a playoff game.
After playing a road game in Hermiston
on Tuesday (results not available as of press
time), HRV will host its final league game of
the season on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against The
Dalles. The final game of the regular season,
against Central Catholic, will be Wednesday,
May 20 at 5 p.m. in Hood River.
HRV 14, Marist 2
Eagles fight through a downpour and make it
rain goals during decisive first-round playoff win
By BEN MITCHELL
News staff writer
Photos by Ben Mitchell
HRV LAX PLAYERS Victoria Kohner-Flanagan, Ella Rand, Savannah Brentlinger, and Erin Mayer
(from left to right) celebrate a goal in the top photo; at right, Erin Mayer catches a pass; at left,
coach Andrew McElderry yells encouragement to his players.
For a program that has only made the
playoffs twice in its history, on Monday
night, the HRV girls lacrosse team sure
acted like it had been there before.
The cold and wet weather couldn’t damp-
en the Eagles’ spirits, who cruised to a 14-2
victory over the No. 19 Marist Catholic High
School Spartans during a first-round playoff
game held in Hood River.
Coach Andrew McElderry had nothing
but good things to say about his players,
who outshot, outscored, out-saved, and
wholly outplayed their opponents.
“The girls played well; they were solid,
they were controlled,” he said immediately
after the game. “We possessed the ball for a
hell of a lot of time. Just great possessions.
They saw each other so well. It was just
pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot. I don’t think we
(isolated) the ball twice, the rest were all as-
sists, ball movements.”
McElderry noted that the “rain and the
wet ground were tough on the sticks,” al-
though it would be hard to tell that informa-
tion from the stat sheet. The Eagles never
trailed in the game, who, after a slow start,
opened up with a goal from Savannah
Brentlinger, assisted by Ellen Hudon, with
just over 16 minutes remaining in the half.
Marist responded with a goal less than
three minutes later to knot things up at 1-1.
HRV regained control with less than eight
minutes left in the half when Brentlinger
gained control of the ball at midfield, and
tore through the driving rain, nearly un-
touched by Marist defenders and fired one
in to make it 2-1.
That goal seemed to open the flood gates,
so to speak, for HRV, who poured in another
three goals — two of which came in the final
two minutes — to go up 5-1 at the half.
As bad as the first half was for Marist, the
second half was even worse. HRV shelled
the Spartans with another eight goals in the
half, and led by 10 goals with 17 minutes re-
maining, which triggered a clock run off for
the remainder of the game. The Spartans
were finally able to respond with their sec-
ond and final goal of the night with under
six minutes remaining, but the damage had
long been done.
HRV scored by committee, with seven
players on the roster getting at least one
goal Monday evening.
“It was excellent. It was nice to have a full
team showing,” said Bekah Rottenberg, the
team’s assistant coach. “We had a lot of
swing players step up who had some goals
and assists.”
Leading in the goals category were
Brentlinger and Lydia McElderry, who each
had four, as well as one assist. Next was Erin
Mayer, who had two goals and a team-high
two assists. Following up were Riley Bauer
(1), Sam Davies (1), and the aforementioned
swing players: Kat McElderry and Lauren
Orr, who each had a goal and an assist. Ellen
Hudon also had an assist.
In net, Ella Rand picked a fantastic time
to have her best game of the season, saving
seven of nine shots, for what McElderry
called an “awesome percentage” of 77.8.
With the first round out of the way, the
No. 15 HRV Eagles will travel west to face
the No. 2 Lake Oswego Lakers on Wednes-
day, May 13 at 8:30 p.m. for a second-round
game.
“They’re the number-two team in the
state and they’re an amazing team,”
McElderry noted. “It’s going to be tough.”
SPORTS BRIEFS
team included Becnel, Kloee Brown, Miranda Roberts and Pauli- out one. Hannah McNerney pitched one in relief, giving up two
hits, four runs (one earned), walking one batter, and striking out
Horizon Christian’s track and field team has a chance to earn na Finn; Amy Requa replaced Roberts on the 4x400 squad.
two. Second baseman Jessica DeHart led the team in putouts,
the school its first-ever non-basketball district title Saturday, Softball gets swept by Pendleton
with five and one assist on eight chances. HRV was scheduled to
when the Big Sky Championships will be held in Moro. Both the
The No. 1 Pendleton Buckaroos played like a No. 1 team when play at Hermiston Tuesday afternoon, and was two games up on
Hawk boys and girls teams are among the favorites to win dis- they came into town Friday for a game with No. 20 HRV, defeat-
trict team titles. Field events begin at 10:30 a.m. and running ing the Eagles 14-1 and sweeping the four-game season series. the Bulldogs (1-9 CRC, 7-16 overall) heading into the game. With
events start at 1 p.m. at Sherman County High School. Horizon As of Tuesday morning, the Buckaroos haven’t lost to a Columbia The Dalles now uncatchable due to a win over Hermiston on Fri-
tuned up for district by competing in Saturday’s Arlington Invita- River Conference opponent yet this season, posting a perfect 10- day, HRV was fighting with Hermiston for the final play-in game
tional, which featured all 10 of the Big Sky teams. Horizon’s boys 0 league record, 16-7 overall, thanks to the most productive bats heading into Tuesday’s conference; a win over Hermiston means
finished second to Goldendale (the lone non-Big Sky squad) in in all of Class 5A. After Pendleton put up three runs to start the HRV is in. The Eagles wrap up their regular season on Friday with
the 11-team meet; the Hawk girls were ninth. Top placers for game, HRV (3-7 CRC, 10-14 overall) was able to limit Pendleton a home game against The Dalles/Dufur (6-4 CRC, 14-9).
Horizon were Mason Bloomster, who won the discus throw with to one run in the second inning and another in the third, then Baseball camp fundraiser this Saturday
a school record 122-foot, 4-inch toss. Ryan Aldrich also surpassed gave up five in the fourth and four in the fifth, after which the
Skyler Hunter, HRV baseball shortstop, along with other mem-
the school record he had set two weeks ago, throwing 120-1 to game was ended due to the mercy rule. HRV managed three hits bers of the HRV baseball team, will be putting on a baseball
finish second. Fellow senior Jared Davis was second in the long (all singles) to Pendleton’s 14, and five errors to Pendleton’s camp as a fundraiser for the high school team. The camp is Sat-
jump and third in the high jump. Sophomore Jony Nelson contin- none. HRV’s lone run came from Breanna Weekly, who scored off urday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the HRVHS baseball field
ued to lower his personal best in the 1500-meter run, finishing an RBI single from Makena Zeller in the bottom of the fourth in- and is open to kids in grades 3-8. Bring baseball gear and a sack
second in 4 minutes, 29.36 seconds. Freshman Andy Hung ran his ning. Weekly and JoJo Karr had the other two hits for HRV; Week- lunch and get ready to have a fun time learning and improving
way into the 800 conversation at district by cutting seven sec- ly also stole a base, as did Zoe Munn. Starting pitcher Kaylin your baseball fundamentals and skills. Cost of the camp is $20;
onds off his personal best, clocking 2:22.69 in the two-lap race. Winans got the loss, pitching four innings in which she allowed checks made payable to “HRV baseball.” Parents with questions
Among the top marks for the Hawk girls were Haley Becnel’s 400 12 hits, 10 runs (seven earned), walked two batters, and struck can call Skyler Hunter at 541-490-4994.
(72.73 seconds) and both the third-place relay teams. The 4x100
Horizon track aims for district title