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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2015)
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 Sports shorts Storm take Loyd with No. 1 pick UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Jewell Loyd is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. Loyd, who was chosen by the Seattle Storm on Thursday night, decided to VNLSKHU¿QDOVHDVRQDW1RWUH Dame and enter this year’s draft. She’s the ¿UVW,ULVK player to be taken with the top pick. Fellow underclassmen Amanda Zahui B. was taken by Tulsa with the second pick. Minnesota’s red-shirt sophomore and Loyd were eligible to be drafted because they turn 22 during this calendar year. Seattle took UConn forward Kaleena Mosque- da-Lewis third, Connecticut Sun selected 6-foot-3 center Elizabeth Williams of Duke fourth, and Chicago took 6-foot-4 forward Cheyenne Parker of Middle Tennessee 6WDWH¿IWK NFL reinstates Peterson from suspension MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NFL has reinstated Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, clear- ing the way for him to return after missing most of last season while FACES facing child abuse charges in Texas. The league announced its decision on Thursday. Commissioner Peterson Roger Goodell sent Peterson a letter advising him of his reinstatement. Goodell wrote that Peterson will have to IXO¿OODOOWKHREOLJDWLRQVRI his plea deal with authorities after he reached a plea deal to reduce a felony charge to a misdemeanor. Goodell also told Peterson he would have to continue attending counsel- ing while adhering to the league’s new personal con- duct policy to avoid further discipline. Peterson’s agent has said the star running back wants to play elsewhere next sea- son. But the Vikings say they have no plans to trade him. “I’m defi nitely pissed. I heard a lot of stuff during this time I’ve been injured from everybody. From different people. Defi nitely pissed.” — Kevin Durant Injured Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant on how his sea- son played out and how he felt he was treated by his peers during his time away. The reigning NBA MVP missed 55 games with a foot injury this season including the last two months after it was deemed he needed further surgery to repair a right foot injury. The franchise missed out on the playoffs without him. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1999 — Quarterbacks go 1-2-3 in the NFL Draft as Tim Couch, Donovan Mc- Nabb and Akili Smith go to Cleveland, Philadelphia and &LQFLQQDWL ² WKH ¿UVW TXDU terback trifecta since 1971. 2010 — Ubaldo Jimenez SLWFKHV WKH ¿UVW QRKLWWHU LQ the Colorado Rockies’ 18- year history, dominating the Atlanta Braves in a 4-0 vic- tory. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com SPORTS 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS College Baseball Richards better than ever for Irish Former Buckaroo coming through for No. 25 Notre Dame By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian Notre Dame junior Lane Rich- ards could only watch as his team- PDWHV VWUXJJOHG WR D ¿QLVK last season. Their starting shortstop sidelined mid-season with a potentially dev- astating elbow injury, the Fighting ,ULVK QHHGHG D ¿QLVK MXVW WR UHDFKWKHLU¿QDOUHFRUGLQWKH cellar of the Atlantic Coast Confer- Danny Karnik photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics ence. It’s a completely different story Notre Dame’s Lane RIchards, of Pendleton, is congratulated by after scoring in the team’s 3-2 win over Georgia Tech for No. 25 Notre Dame (24-11, 9-9 teammates that opened ACC play on March 6, 2015. Richards has started every ACC) this season. game at shortstop this season after undergoing Tommy John Sur- The Irish have won eight of their gery on his throwing elbow in April, 2014. last 10 games and swept each of But more remarkable than the grad, is just one of four players their last two ACC series to move into a tie for third place in the Atlan- team’s turnaround is the fact that that has started every one of Notre Richards, a 2012 Pendleton High Dame’s 35 games this season. tic Division. “The last two weekends I think we’ve handled ourselves pretty well,” said Richards on Thursday as the team prepares for a weekend series against NC State (20-14, 8-9). “We never doubted ourselves, but I think we opened a few eyes that we are a good team and are capable of making a run.” The Fighting Irish have never appeared an ACC tournament and if they’re to hold on and make this VHDVRQ¶V WHDP ¿HOG 5LFKDUGV will be at the center of the push. He’s showing no ill effects from his Tommy John Surgery performed by team doctors in April, 2014 — a procedure that while likely not ca- reer-threatening, could have put a damper on the live arm that has made Richards one of the top defen- sive shortstops in the ACC. He was given a 10-month recov- ery window from doctors, exactly the time remaining before the start of his junior season. See RICHARDS/2B CRC Baseball Eagles hold unfamiliar role Dawgs, Bucks seek improvement By ERIK SKOPIL East Oregonian The Columbia River Confer- ence baseball universe has turned topsy-turvy since the conclusion of last season’s conference campaign. Perennial bottom dweller Hood River Valley rode an incomparable string of upsets to the 2014 state title game, and entering this weekend’s slate of league openers, the Eagles appear the only sure-thing. Through non-league play Hood River (8-5) is one of two teams with a winning non-conference record and the lone club with more runs scored than allowed. While their of- fensive or defensive numbers aren’t those of world-beaters — they don’t rank in the top 10 in the state in ei- ther stat — their offense (5.2 runs per game) has been the second most potent, their defense (4.0) the stron- gest of any in the CRC. See CRC/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston’s Daniel Gossler slides into second base as Parkrose’s Marc Weeks goes for the ball in the fi rst game of a baseball doubleheader Friday, April 10 in Hermiston. Prep Tennis Doubles doom Buckaroo boys East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Pendleton boys tennis team won three of four singles matches, but were swept on the doubles courts, falling 5-3 to The Dalles Thursday at West Hills. Top singles player Gareth Haug had little problem taking down Riverhawks Chrisitian Munoz in 6-3, 6-4 straight set fashion. Henry Holdman and Lincoln Johnson du- plicated Haug’s efforts with wins. Buckaroo senior Jeremy Co- chrane was the only singles players to fall. Cochrane, the team’s No. 2 player, was recovering from a shoulder injury that he suffered over the weekend. He double-faulted on 21 serves during two sets, taking a See TENNIS/2B BMCC player inks with Wolves Gerlinger signs with Western Oregon hoops East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton senior Gareth Haug returns a volley from The Dalles’ Christian Munoz in a tennis match on Thursday in Pendleton. HERMISTON 6XQVVWRS%XOOGRJVLQSUHVHDVRQ¿QDOH East Oregonian 7KH %XOOGRJV VWUXFN ¿UVW EXW couldn’t keep its offense rolling as Southridge (WA) came from behind for a 6-1 win in non-league softball action on Thursday. ,W ZDV +HUPLVWRQ¶V ¿QDO OHDJXH tune-up, and there were positives despite the outcome, said coach Kylee Lete. Bunting was one of them, and the Bulldogs (6-7) scored their only UXQLQWKH¿UVWLQQLQJRQDVTXHH]H play that brought Kaleen Wheeler in from third. PENDLETON SOFTBALL Southridge (WA) 6 Hermiston 1 Julissa Almaguer and Taylor Betz also pitched well, said Lete, but were let down by a defense that FRPPLWWHG¿YHHUURUV “(Southridge) had some good KDUGKLWVEXWHUURUVZHUHGH¿QLWHO\ a big factor to this game,” she said. “(Almaguer and Betz) threw the ball well, we just made too many errors behind them and left some runners on base.” Hermiston had its three-game winning streak snapped, and will look to get back above .500 when it travel to The Dalles on Satur- day to take on the Riverhawks in a league-opening doubleheader that starts at noon. ——— SOUTHRIDGE (WA) 6, HERMISTON 1 R H E SHS 021 010 1 — 6 9 0 HHS 100 000 0 — 1 5 5 Sydney Stoner and Ryen Mullaly. Julissa Almaguer, Taylor Betz (3) and Kaleen Wheeler. W — Stoner. L — Almaguer. 2B — Breyanna Naylor (Hermiston). Riley Gerlinger penned her name to a Letter of Intent to continue her collegiate basketball career at Western Oregon Thursday at Blue Mountain Community Col- lege’s Mosby Court. Gerlinger, a 5-foot-10 for- ward, played a key role in the BMCC w o m e n ’s basketball WHDP¶V ¿IWK place at last month’s N W A C tournament. She aver- Gerlinger aged 13.7 points per game and grabbed 5.7 rebounds per game, and was selected to the All-East Region second-team. “It’s way closer to home so my family can come and watch. They’re incredibly excited and proud,” Ger- linger, a Forest Grove native See GERLINGER/2B