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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2015)
:('1(6'$<0$< Sports shorts Oregon adds Notre Dame transfer OL EUGENE (AP) — Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Matt Hegarty is transferring to Oregon, where he will be eligible to play immediately as a graduate student. Hegarty played in 34 games for the Fighting Irish, LQFOXGLQJVWDUWVODVW season moving between guard and center. The IRRWSRXQGHUFRXOG KHOS¿OOWKHVSRWRQ2UHJRQ¶V line left open by the departure of center Hroniss Grasu, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears. Hegarty was a highly touted recruit out of New Mexico. He played nine JDPHVIRUWKH,ULVKLQ before having a stroke and needing heart surgery. He made a full recovery DQGDSSHDUHGLQJDPHVLQ IRU1RWUH'DPH Oregon also added quarterback Vernon Adams from Eastern Washington as a graduate transfer earlier this year. SPORTS Prep Baseball Playoffs make anticipated return to The Rock 3LORW5RFNWRKRVW¿UVW SRVWVHDVRQJDPH By ERIK SKOPIL East Oregonian PILOT ROCK — Justin Will- ingham doesn’t remember where he was the last time Pilot Rock hosted a postseason baseball game. That’s for good reason. “I honestly have no idea,” the 3LORW 5RFN VHQLRU ¿UVW EDVHPDQ said. “I was only three at the time.” )UHVKRIIWKHVFKRRO¶V¿UVWOHDJXH title in nearly two decades, the No. 5RFNHWVZLOOKRVW1R.HQQHG\ WRGD\ DW SP EUHDNLQJ D KRPH SOD\RIIGURXJKWGDWLQJEDFNWR WKH 5RFNHWV VLQFH 7KH RWKHU PHHWLQJFDPHLQGXULQJ:LOO ingham and Pierce’s sophomore seasons. 7KH 5RFNHWV PDJLFDO season has been steeped in clean defense and the consistency of senior arms Pierce and Mike Hiatt. 7KH\ RZQ WKH ¿IWK EHVW UXQV SHU JDPHGHIHQVHLQ&ODVV$DOORZLQJ RQO\SHUJDPH “Our defense and pitching keeps us in games,” Pierce said. Staff photo by E.J. Hiatt will get the start on the Harris mound for the Rockets. He threw 7KDW \HDU WKH 5RFNHWV ¿QLVKHG Rocket starters. “We wanted to be ¿YH LQQLQJV RI IRXUKLW EDOO LQ runner-up to Gladstone. WKH ¿UVW WR GR LW VLQFH DQG Saturday’s 6-4 district title victory “That’s been our goals since we that’s what we’ve done.” over Dufur. (the seniors) were freshmen,” said Today’s game will be just the See BASEBALL/2B -DFRE 3LHUFH RQH RI ¿YH VHQLRU second state playoff game played by Pendleton’s Jack Peter- son slides into home plate as Hill- sboro’s Gar- rett Lusey waits for the throw in the Bucks’ win over the Spartans on Friday. Prep Softball Pendleton’s Payton Hergert is greeted at home plate by her teammate after hitting a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning of the Bucks’ 9-2 win against the Bulldogs in the fi rst game of a doubleheader Friday in Hermiston. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Howard won’t be suspended for Game 5 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard will not be suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference ¿QDOVDJDLQVWWKH*ROGHQ State Warriors after the NBA decided to uphold his ÀDJUDQWIRXO FACES NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn says in a statement Tuesday night that Howard Howard was trying to free himself from Andrew Bogut when Howard “recklessly hit him in the face with an open hand.” Thorn says the contact was deemed unnec- HVVDU\E\JDPHRI¿FLDOVDQG the league doesn’t “see a reason to modify that call.” Howard received a ÀDJUDQWIRXOHDUO\LQWKH third quarter after throwing an elbow at Bogut’s head after the Warriors center made contact with him. Howard could’ve been suspended for Wednesday night’s game by accumula- WLRQRIÀDJUDQWIRXOSRLQWV if the NBA upgraded it to a ÀDJUDQW “Really he doesn’t need a lot of my help. He’s been picking up things pretty quickly. If he asks, I’ll defi nitely help.” — Zach Mettenberger Tennessee Titans quar- terback on rookie and former Oregon quarter- back Marcus Mariota. Mettenberer, who is in his second year, is in a position battle with Mar- iota during the Titans training camp. THIS DATE IN SPORTS ²$PDWFK race between American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry (repre- senting The South) is held at Union Course on Long Island. American Eclipse wins in two of three heats after jockey William Crafts is replaced by Samuel Purdy before the second heat. The race, before a crowd of LV WKH ¿UVW WR KDYH been timed by an instrument in split seconds. ² ³3DSD %HDU´ George Halas retires as coach of the Chicago Bears. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Bucks, Pioneers looking for repeat Softball playoffs begin today for five local teams rience. The Pendleton and Mac-Hi softball teams will try to join those ranks this year as the state play- RIIVEHJLQWRGD\IRU&ODVV$$$DQGERWK UHWXUQQHDUO\HYHU\SOD\HUIURPWLWOHUXQVLQ By MATT ENTRUP “We have been through just about every East Oregonian possible scenario with these seniors over the past four years so I’ve got to believe that has to be an 7ZHQW\¿YHWLPHVLQ\HDUVWKH26$$VDZ advantage for us right now,” said Pendleton coach at least one repeat softball champion among its Tim Cary, whose Buckaroos have won two of the ranks. ODVWWKUHH$WLWOHVEHDWLQJ3XWQDPODVW\HDU In each of the last three seasons, at least two of “They’ve been there, they’ve done that. They’ve the state’s ultimate survivors had emerged from handled some adversity and they’ve been to the the bracket the previous year. high pressure game and gotten through it with Clearly there’s something to be said for expe- success. So I have to believe that plays a little NBA PLayoffs LeBron, Cavs complete sweep Cleveland advances to Finals with romp of Atlanta By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND — The championship LeBron James craves more than any other, the one he came back home to get, is within reach. The Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals. -DPHVVFRUHGSRLQWV Kyrie Irving provided a boost after missing two games and Cleveland UHVHUYHGDVSRWLQWKH¿QDOV ZLWKDYLFWRU\RYHU the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night to win the Eastern Conference title. By sweeping the top-seeded Hawks, the Cavs earned their second WULS WR WKH ¿QDOV ZKHUH they will face either Golden State or Houston starting June 4. ,W ZLOO EH WKH ¿IWK straight visit to the league’s showcase event for the inimitable James, who returned to Cleveland after four years in Miami to try and end this city’s cham- pionship drought dating to 7KH &DYV DUH IRXU wins from doing it, and if they can, James will have a title that would put him in a class by himself. Other AP Photo/Tony Dejak Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith, left, forward LeBron James, center, and center Timofey Mozgov (20) react on the sidelines late in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday in Cleve- land. The Cavaliers won 118-88. Cleveland 118 Atlanta 88 players have won more championships, but none has ever done it for his ring- starved home region. “We have everything it takes to win,” James said after the Cavs were presented with the confer- ence trophy. However, they’ve got their eyes on another one. “Cleveland,” owner Dan Gibert said, addressing the crowd. “We’re not settling for this.” Jeff Teague scored DQG 3DXO 0LOOVDS for Atlanta, which won D WHDPUHFRUG JDPHV during the regular season and made the conference ¿QDOVIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHVLQFH %XWWKH+DZNVZHUH no match for the Cavaliers and had no answer for James, who nearly averaged a triple-double in the four games. bit of an advantage on our side and we’re going to use that.” 0DF+LZRQLWV¿UVWVWDWHWLWOHRYHU+HQOH\ ODVW VHDVRQ DIWHU ¿QLVKLQJ UXQQHUXS WKH \HDU before. “They’ve been in the playoffs before, some of them have had the chance to be in the ’ship two times, so they know what it takes to get there,” said coach Nicole Christian of her roster loaded with upperclassmen. “So hopefully they’re not overlooking it.” The last time Pendleton entered the playoffs as the defending champion, things didn’t go too well. See SOFTBALL/2B MLB Seager powers Mariners to win over Tampa Bay ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Seager’s grand slam put the Seattle Mariners up by three runs in the eighth inning Tuesday night. It turned out it wasn’t quite enough. So Seager hit another home run LQWKHWKWROLIWWKH0DULQHUVWRDYLFWRU\RYHU the Tampa Bay Rays. 7KHJDPHZLQQHU6HDJHU¶VWKKRPHUXQRIWKH VHDVRQFDPHRII%UDG%R[EHUJHUDIWHUWKH5D\V had rallied for three runs to tie the game in the ninth. “It was a very emotional game, had its momentum turns for sure,” Seattle said Seager, who drove in six runs with three hits and extended KLV KLWWLQJ VWUHDN WR JDPHV “Everybody’s very excited, but it was a long one too so I think people are pretty tired as well.” Tampa Bay Seager’s eighth-inning slam off Jake McGee had given the Mariners a 6-3 lead. Evan Longoria’s bases-loaded double off the top of the wall, his third hit of the game, drove in two of the ninth-inning runs for the Rays. The tying run scored when second baseman Robinson Cano’s threw wildly on what could have been a game-ending double play. ³,¶YHEHHQDURXQGDORQJWLPHEXWWKLVLVWKH¿UVW one for me in a lot of different respects. There were a lot of weird things in that ball game,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “Sometimes it’s winning ugly but it’s a win. That’s all that counts. I guess that sums it up.” 7 6 See MARINERS/2B
