SPORTS
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Prep Baseball
Pendleton claws back for split
Bucks win game two
on bases-loaded walk
Even under bright skies, Pendle-
ton appeared to be in for a dark Co-
lumbia River Conference opening
Saturday.
The Buckaroos couldn’t make
contact with Hood River Valley’s ace
in the opener, losing 5-1, and after the
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to begin game two, a sweep seemed
inevitable.
But, the Bucks strung together
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
enough quality at-bats to hang around
James Bradt, of Pendleton, gets a hit Saturday in a bases loaded situ-
in the closing game before a four-run ation against Hood River at Bob White Field.
sixth inning rally salvaged a league
split, wining 9-8 going away.
bottom half of the opening anybody had it.”
“I’m proud of the kids for Baseball frame, and the score evened
“That was SportsCenter material,”
the way they battled back,
up twice before Pendleton Whitten said in agreement with the
and it’s a pretty good win for
took the lead for good in the man in blue. “That’s one of the best
us,” Pendleton coach Greg
bottom of the sixth on a bas- high school catches I’ve ever seen.”
Pendleton
Whitten said of snaring the
es-loaded Zack Myers walk.
The highlight-worthy catch didn’t
victory.
With Devon Roe, Smith overshadow a dismal defensive day
The split keeps the Buck-
and Brandon Hergert already for the longtime Buckaroo skipper,
aroos (5-10, 1-1 CRC) on
on base, Myers, a senior though. The Buckaroos took the split
even footing in league play,
catcher, was content to let the despite committing nine errors in two
as Hermiston and The Dalles Hood River bat rest on his shoulder and games — including six in the game
each took a game from the
watch Eagle reliever Kam two win. The defensive gaffes were
other in the their opening
Walker pump four consec- ZLGHVSUHDG RXW¿HOGHUV GURSSHG À\
double dip.
utive balls wide of the plate EDOOVLQ¿HOGHUVRYHUWKUHZ¿UVWEDVH-
Washington State pledge
and into catcher Andrew man.
Ryan Ward was fantastic for Hood Roberts mitt.
³, MXVW FDQ¶W ¿JXUH LW RXW :H GR
River Valley (9-6, 1-1 CRC) on the
“They were all pretty far off the something in every game to shoot
mound in the opener. He struck out 13 plate,” said Myers, who didn’t con- ourselves in the foot,” Whitten said.
batters switching between a high-ve- sider a swing on any of the offerings.
The poor play didn’t make life
locity fastball and a wicked breaking “They were all high, outside and at easy on starters Cockburn or Brady
ball. Just four Buckaroos reached on least six inches off the plate each Smith, who allowed 11 runs, but only
his watch, and after a pair of crooked pitch.”
7 that were earned.
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The bases-loaded walk gave the
“Our pitching staff isn’t good
gles were never in jeopardy of losing. %XFNDURRV WKHLU ¿UVW OHDG RI WKH HQRXJKWRJLYHWHDP¿YHDQGVL[RXWV
“He was throwing fast,” said game, and after Wyatt Morris retired an inning,” Whitten said. “If we do
Buckaroo shortstop Caden Smith, the bottom of the HRV lineup in or- that we’re going to have a tough time
who went 0-for-3 with a strikeout GHUWKHLU¿UVWZLQRI&ROXPELD5LYHU winning.”
against Ward in the opener. “He had Conference Play.
Smith followed up his hitless
some off-speed that was pretty good.
“I don’t think that was the opening game with a three-hit second
There was no way to really tell what game-winning play,” Myers said of game that included two doubles and a
he was going to pitch and when we his go-ahead walk that plated Roe. pair of RBIs. Morris scored four runs,
did it was phoom.”
“If (Kyler) wouldn’t have made that Lunny two.
The action came back to Pendle- catch that would’ve been two more
Pendleton travels to Hood River
ton’s speed in the muddled second runs. That would’ve made it a hell of Valley on Tuesday for a single game.
game.
a lot harder. I feel like that was the First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Pendleton starter Quinn Cockburn JDPH ZLQQHU 7KH ZDON GH¿QLWHO\
———
HOOD RIVER VALLEY 5, PENDLETON 1
was erratic to open the game, putting helped I guess.”
Game one
R H E
the Bucks in a 4-0 hole following a
HRV
100 220
0 — 5 6 1
Myers was referring to an acrobat-
000 100
0 — 1 3 3
three-run Kellan Duffy bomb to right LF GLYLQJ FDWFK FHQWHU ¿HOGHU .\OHU PEN
Ryan Ward and Adam Cameron. Brady Smith, Bran-
Hergert (5) and Quinn Cockburn, Zack Myers (5).
¿HOG &RFNEXUQ ¿OOHG WKH EDVHV IRO- Lunny made in the top of the fourth don
W — R. Ward. L — B. Smith.
lowing the homer, still with no one inning. The lunging play came with
out, but two nifty defensive plays left two outs and HRV’s Kam Walker
PENDLETON 9, HOOD RIVER VALLEY
Game two
R H E
the damage at four runs.
prepared to charge on contact from
HRV
410 120
0 — 8 10 0
PEN
302 004
x — 9 9 6
Thankfully for the Bucks, Pat- second base.
Patrick Harvey, Kam Walker (6) and A. Cameron,
rick Harvey, the Eagles second game
“I was just on auto pilot,” Lunny A. Roberts (4). Q. Cockburn, Wyatt Morris (6) and Z.
W — W. Morris. L — K. Walker.
starter, was no Ward.
said. “The adrenaline was pumping Myers.
2B — Jack Peterson (PEN); Caden Smith (PEN) 2. HR
The Buckaroos got three runs and it just fell right in my glove. The — Kellan Duffy (HRV).
off of the junior right-hander in the umpire said to send it in to ESPN if
1, 9
5, 8
Prep Baseball
6WDQ¿HOG7LJHUVVOLGHSDVW9DOLDQWV
By SAM BARBEE
EO Media Group
Sam Barbee photo
Stanfield’s Ryan Bailey (3) slides
into home for Stanfield’s fifth run
in a 7-2 win over 4A Valley Catho-
lic on Saturday in Stanfield. After
losing its first three, Stanfied has
won nine straight.
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innings and allowed one unearned
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walked three. Klay Jenson earned the
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innings, allowing one earned on two
hits, struck out three and walked
none.
Grogan only ever encountered
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he walked, hit a batter then allowed
a sharp single to center to load the
bases. After Valiant sophomore third
baseman Alex Tranquill worked a
12-pitch at-bat that ended in a swing-
ing strikeout, Makoa Nakamura trot-
ted home on a passed ball to put Val-
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after the run, Grogan got Jakob Pruitt
to pound one into the ground right
in front of his battery mate Thyler
Monkus, who made the easy throw
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“You gotta be able to deal with
that adversity,” Johnson said of Gro-
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You gotta be able to compete. He
battles.”
Grogan was also the leading force
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Grogan had two of them, including
the only extra base hit of the after-
noon — a leadoff double in the
bottom of the second. Though Stan-
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worked seven walks, partly because
Valley Catholic was playing its third
game in three days, and partly be-
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Those walks, especially late in the
game, were crucial to securing the
go-ahead and insurance runs late in
the game.
6WDQ¿HOG SOD\V 7XHVGD\ DW ,UUL-
gon at 4 p.m., and the doubleheader
against Vale on Friday is set to start
at 1 p.m.
———
STANFIELD 7, VALLEY CATHOLIC 2
R H E
VC
100 010
0 — 2 5 3
SHS
011 032 X — 7 4 1
T. Magenheimer, A. Tranquill, B. Robbins and J.
Pruitt; D. Grogan, K. Jenson and T. Monkus.
2B: D. Grogan (SHS).
Prep Softball
The Dalles sweeps Hermiston in league opener
last pitch.”
itself trailing. Though
Softball
In the opener, Herm-
they scored runs con-
iston seemed to be fully
sistently, highlighed by
Kalene Wheeler’s two-
The Hermiston softball team’s in control. The Bulldogs
league-opening doubleheader in The SODWHG WKUHH LQ WKH ¿UVW The Dalles Hermiston run single, the Bulldogs
inning, capped by a
were down 5-3 heading
Dalles was full of heart-break.
into the top of the sev-
The Riverhawks swept the Bull- two-run shot off the bat
enth. The Bulldogs had
dogs 6-5 and 5-4 on Saturday, with the of third baseman Ellery
¿UVWORVVFRPLQJRQDZDONRIIKRPH Jones. In the third, Mikayla Kopacz, the bases loaded with two outs, but a
run, and the Bulldogs (6-9, 0-2) left the who was 5-for-6 on the day, doubled harmless pop-up to the shortstop com-
bases loaded down 5-4 in the top of the and Abi Drotzmann followed with her pleted the sweep for The Dalles.
second dinger of the year to put Herm-
“There were positives to take away,”
seventh in the second game.
Lete said. “We just gotta go back to the
“The conversation we had with our iston up 5-1.
But the Riverhawks got a run in the drawing board on Monday.”
team (after the games) was there are
Hermiston completes its home-
the positives to take away,” head coach bottom of the seventh and went single,
Kylee Lete said. “Yeah, we came up double, home run while down 5-2 to and-home series with The Dalles on
short both times, but look at the sev- take the improbable come-from-be- Tuesday at Rocky Heights Elementary
School. First pitch is scheduled for 4
enth inning. You had an opportunity to hind victory.
In the nightcap, Hermiston found p.m.
quit and you didn’t. You battled to the
By SAM BARBEE
EO Media Group
6, 5
5, 4
Page 3B
Prep Roundup
Rockets, Mustangs
sweep league twin bills
East Oregonian
By ERIK SKOPIL
East Oregonian
The start of the 2015 baseball
campaign wasn’t friendly to the
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pete for a league and perhaps state
title, the Tigers started off the season
with a stumble.
The talented but young club lost
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score of 28-12, including a 10-0
drubbing by Cashmere (WA) on
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(9-3) is 9-0 and has won those games
by an average of 9.5 runs, and most
recently a 7-2 win over 4A Valley
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So what’s caused the quick turn-
around? Pitching, says head coach
Bryan Johnson.
“Our pitching has been pretty
solid,” he said. “You’re going to
win a lot of games if your pitching’s
good. The competition has probably
GURSSHG RII D OLWWOH ELW WKRVH ¿UVW
three teams were solid. But I think
we’ve faced pretty good teams, I
think. The pitching’s been consistent,
and I think that’s the biggest thing. A
lot of guys who can throw strikes and
we keep arms fresh that way.”
It was Dylan Grogan’s turn on the
hill, and he turned in an impressive
performance despite a week full of
illness and arm soreness. The soph-
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK — Justin
Willingham only had one hit in
Saturday’s league doublehead-
er, but it was big one.
The Pilot Rock senior
smacked a grand slam during
the Rockets’ nine-run fourth
inning in Game 2, and Pilot
Rock earned a sweep over Irri-
gon by scores of 5-2 and 14-11.
Mike Hiatt (3 for 4), Bray-
don Postma (2 for 4) and Chris
Weinke (2 for 4) each bolstered
Game 2’s production with two
RBIs for Pilot Rock (-6, 4-0
6' ZKLFK KDV ZRQ ¿YH
games in a row.
Jacob Pierce allowed 11
earned runs on nine Irrigon
hits, but also struck out sev-
en and earned the win. Levi
Thieme allowed no runs off
two hits in the last two innings
for the save.
Irrigon (7-4, 2-2) saw early
leads evaporate in both losses,
and led 7-3 after two innings
in Game 2. Hayden White (3
for 4), Alan Blackman (2 for
4) and Fredy Vera (2 for 4) led
them at the plate while Vera,
Austin Rice and Nate Gumbert
each drove in a pair of runs.
Hiatt pitched a complete
game for Pilot Rock in the
opener, allowing two earned
run on eight hits and striking
out seven while walking two.
Rice also went the distance
for Irrigon, and struck out nine
EXWDOORZHG¿YHHDUQHGUXQVRQ
four hits. He walked six.
,UULJRQ KRVWV 6WDQ¿HOG IRU
a non-league game on Tues-
day at 4 p.m. Pilot Rock’s next
games are Saturday, April 25 at
Weston-McEwen in a league
doubleheader that starts at 11
a.m.
———
PILOT ROCK 5, IRRIGON 2
Game 1
R H E
IHS
110 000
0 — 2 8 0
PRHS
302 000 X — 5 4 0
Austin Rice and Cougar Kroske. Mike Hiatt
and Dillon Fritz. W — Hiatt. L — Rice.
2B — Fredy Vera, Rice (Irrigon); Fritz (Pilot
Rock).
PILOT ROCK 14, IRRIGON 11
Game 2
R H E
IHS
520 130
0 — 11 11 1
PRHS
300 911 X — 14 13 0
Jonny Phillips, Fredy Vera (4) and Cougar
Kroske. Jacob Pierce, Levi Thieme (6) and Dil-
lon Fritz. W — Pierce. L — Vera. S — Thieme.
2B — Jacob Pierce, Bryson Pierce, Chris
Weinke 2 (Pilot Rock). HR — Justin Willing-
ham (Pilot Rock).
HEPPNER
9-10,
WESTON-MCEWEN 2-7
— At Athena, the Mustangs
snapped a four-game skid for
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District 6 on Saturday.
Pat Collins and C.J. Kindle
pitched complete games and
Zach Irons swung a timely
bat to lead Heppner (4-5, 2-2
SD6).
Irons was just 2 for 6 on the
day, but drove in a team-high
¿YHUXQV&ROOLQVIRUDQG
Will Lutcher (3 for 5) also had
RBIs in both games.
Collins limited the Tiger-
Scots (3-12, 0-4 SD6) to one
hit in the opener and gave up
one earned, struck out two and
walked three.
Sutter Ball went the whole
way on the mound in opposi-
tion, but his defense made six
errors behind him. He gave up
no earned runs on four hits,
struck out six and walked two.
Kindle fanned 11 Tiger-
Scots in Game 2, walked six
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on four hits. Hunter Sater had
a three-run double to highlight
Weston-McEwen’s hitting.
Travis Hendley threw
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Weston-McEwen,
surren-
dering seven earned runs on
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strikeouts.
Heppner hosts Irrigon next
Saturday for a twin bill starting
at 11 a.m.
Weston-McEwen will try
IRULWV¿UVWOHDJXHZLQVZKHQLW
hosts Pilot Rock, also on Satur-
day at 11 a.m.
———
HEPPNER 9, WESTON-MCEWEN 2
Game 1
R H E
HHS
200 034
0 — 9 4 2
WM
100 001
0 — 2 1 6
Pat Collins and Weston Putman. Sutter Ball
and Cedric Hall. W — Collins. L — Ball.
2B — Ball (Weston-McEwen).
HEPPNER 10, WESTON-MCEWEN 7
Game 2
R H E
HHS
140 005
0 — 10 10 4
WM
122 000
2 — 7 4 4
CJ Kindle and Weston Putman. Travis
Hendley, Hunter Sater (7) and Cedric Hall. W
— Kindle. L — Hendley.
2B — Sater, Brendan Dearing (Weston-McE-
wen).
SOFTBALL
HEPPNER 1-4, CULVER
2-1 — At Heppner, the Hep-
pner Mustangs and Culver
Bulldogs split their Special
District 6 doubleheader on Sat-
urday, each team earning its
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Culver (4-11, 1-5 SD6)
started the day with a 2-1 win
in nine innings as Heppner (3-
12, 1-5) stranded runners on
second base in both the eighth
and ninth innings.
Meranda Lemmon and
Onna DeLoach gave Heppner
a 4-0 lead early in Game 2 and
HDFK¿QLVKHGZLWKWZR5%,V
Lemmon pitched both
games for Heppner, holding
Culver to six hits on the day.
Heppner’s next game is a
non-league contest on Tuesday
at Echo at 4 p.m.
———
CULVER 2, HEPPNER 1 (9 innings)
Game 1
R H E
CHS
000 100 001 — 2 3 2
HHS
010 000 000 — 1 4 5
J. Harrison and T. Berry. Meranda Lemmon
and Taylor Hamby. W — Harrison. L —
Lemmon.
2B — Lemmon, Onna DeLoach (Heppner).
HEPPNER 4, CULVER 1
Game 2
R H E
CHS
000 100
0 — 1 3 5
HHS
103 000 X — 4 4 2
C. Aldred and T. Berry. Meranda Lemmon
and Taylor Hamby. W — Lemmon. L — Aldred.
2B — Onna DeLoach (Heppner).
IRRIGON 11-10, BURNS
16-6 — At Irrigon, the Knights
had their 10-game winning
streak snapped when the Hi-
landers topped them 16-11 in
a wild opener to a Special Dis-
trict 6 dust-up on Saturday, but
Irrigon got revenge by handing
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in the second game.
League newcomer Burns
(8-6, 5-1 SD6) scattered 25 hits
around the park to win Game
1 despite a 10-2 lead held by
Irrigon after one inning. Burns
pitcher Carli Feist walked 11
Knights, but was supported by
good defense during the come-
back.
“We couldn’t hit a gap to
save our lives,” said Irrigon
coach Dave Cooley.
The Knights (11-2, 5-1)
solved that issue in the second
game to pull even with Burns
at second place in SD6.
Casandra Fleming hit an
inside-the-park grand slam to
put the Knights up 5-0 in the
second inning and Irrigon nev-
er trailed.
“It was just a shot to the
ULJKW¿HOG IHQFH DQG VKH MXVW
cleared the bases,” Cooley said
of the speedy sophomore. “The
girls said after she came in that
they could see smoke coming
off her cleats.”
Mya Chapman held Burns
to eight hits and didn’t allow a
run until the bottom of the third
after Irrigon had extended its
lead to 8-0.
———
BURNS 16, IRRIGON 11
Game 1
R H E
BHS
257 001
0 — 16 25 1
IHS
(10)00 000
1 — 11 9 2
Carli Feist and Shealyne Peasley. Julisa
Garza, Kendra Roberts (3), Mya Chapman (5)
and Lily Mills. W — Feist. L — Roberts.
2B — Peasley, Shelbi Sims (Burns); Kelsie
Stewart, Beatriz Aguilera (Irrigon). 3B — Sims,
Feist (Burns.
IRRIGON 10, BURNS 6
Game 2
R H E
IHS
143 011
0 — 10 9 0
BHS
004 000
2 — 6 8 0
Mya Chapman and Kelly McLaughlin. Carli
Feist and Shealyne Peasley. W — Chapman.
L — Feist.
HR — Casandra Fleming (Irrigon).
TRACK & FIELD
BOARDMAN — Riverside
senior Justyce Smith and Stan-
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each won three events on Sat-
urday at the Columbia River
Invitational track meet on Sat-
urday.
Braithwaite had a personal
record to win javelin with a
throw of 131 feet, 1 inch, and
also won the long jump (19-5)
and 400-meter dash (54.57).
Smith won the 100 (13.24),
200 (27.07) and long jump (17-
0.5). Her marks in the 200 and
long jump were season bests.
The Heppner boys and He-
lix girls each placed second as
a team.
For the Grizzlies it was a
FORVHVHFRQGDV+HOL[¿QLVKHG
with 101 points to Imbler’s
109.
The Grizzlies were paced
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four event wins. Lucy Case
(1,500 meters) and Bethany
Newtson (3,000) won their
races in a strong day for He-
lix’s distance runner that also
saw Macey Tullis place second
in the 800.
Tegan Jackson won the shot
put (32-6.25) and was second
in the discus (91-4), and both
relay teams set season-best
times with the 4x400 team
rounding out Helix’s wins with
a time of 4:46.16.
Heppner’s boys only had
VL[ WRSWKUHH ¿QLVKHV DV (Q-
terprise loaded the podium
for 183 points. The Mustangs
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DQG6WDQ¿HOGZDVWKLUGZLWK
58.5.
Kaden Clark won the
200-meter dash (23.90) and
was second in the 100 (12.07).
Other local event winners
ZHUH 6WDQ¿HOG¶V /DULVVD &DV-
tellanos in girls’ discus (93-10)
and Payton Wright in boys’
pole vault (9-0).