SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016
1B
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PENDLETON
HERMISTON
&aSitals ¿ rst 1+L
team to clinch
playoff berth
Dawgs
drop
opener
WASHINGTON (AP)
— Alex Ovechkin scored in
overtime
and the
Washington
Capitals
picked
up their
50th win of the season and
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to clinch a playoff spot
as they beat the Carolina
Hurricanes 2-1 Tuesday
night.
Ovechkin scored his
seventh game-winner of the
season 1:38 into overtime
after the Capitals clinched a
playoff spot by picking up a
point.
It’s their eighth playoff
appearance in nine seasons
and one that has been
inevitable for a long time as
they’ve skated away from
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Justin Williams also
scored for Washington,
which got 25 saves from
Braden Holtby.
Seattle signs OL
J’Marcus Webb to
2-year contract
RENTON, Wash. (AP)
— The Seattle Seahawks
continued to address their
offensive line by agreeing
to a $6.25 million, two-year
contract with
FACES J’Marcus
Webb.
Webb
posted pictures
from the
Seahawks
facility on
social media
Webb
Tuesday.
Webb started all 16
games last season for
Oakland as a guard, but
has played tackle in the
past and could be an option
for Seattle at that position
depending on what happens
with free agent Russell
Okung.
His versatility to play
both guard and tackle is
important for Seattle as it
retools its offensive line
with the uncertainty around
Okung’s future and with
guard J.R. Sweezy signing in
Tampa Bay.
“If I could just get
Andre McGee
in a room for
10 minutes, I
would say to him:
‘Why would you
do this? What
purpose did it
serve? We didn’t
need this to get
recruits ... It didn’t
make any sense
what was going
on. “
— Rick Pitino
Louisville men’s bas-
ketball coach speaking
on ESPN’s ‘Mike and
Mike’ on Tuesday about
the schools’ recruiting
scandal involving former
graduate assistant and
assistant coach Andre
McGee and the resulting
postseason ban.
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1938 — Temple defeats
Colorado 60-36 in the
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major postseason basketball
tournament.
2001 — A record number
of low-seeded teams advance
in the men’s NCAA Tourna-
ment. Indiana State, Butler,
Temple,
Charlotte
and
Fresno State join 12th-seeded
Gonzaga in advancing,
meaning 13 of the tourna-
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were won by underdogs.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
Hermiston softball
not concerned with
lopsided score
By SAM BARBEE
East Oregonian
The spread of the score
might be large, but that isn’t
cause for concern for the
Hermiston softball team.
Ellery Jones and Mikayla
Kopacz each hit doubles,
J a i m e
Hinkley had
Softball
two hits and
scored two
runs, but the
Ridgeview
Ridgeview
Ravens
came away
with
a
10-3 win
Tuesday in
Hermiston
a
varsity
softball
game
at
S u n s e t
Elementary School.
“We didn’t get hammered
at all, and that was a really
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Kate Greenough said. “We
got outplayed in innings,
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lost. And some innings we
won. But we didn’t get
hammered, and that was
cool. We hung with them. We
made a couple mistakes that
cost us a little more runs than
they gave up.”
The Ravens (1-0), a
playoff team in last year’s 5A
state bracket, scored six runs
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of which were unearned. Of
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runs, all were unearned.
After Hermiston (0-1)
starting
pitcher
Julissa
Almaguer started the initial
frame with two groundouts,
Brook Herrington and Alex-
See DAWGS/2B
10
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton players crowd around home plate to cheer Alexis Morrison after she hit a home run Tuesday
against Hanford.
Bucks launch into season
Pendleton
hits two home
runs, shuts
out Hanford
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Kiersten Murphy, of Pendleton, pitches during
Tuesday’s game against Hanford at Steve
Cary Field.
Softball
Hanford
Pendleton
0
6
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gave her a pitch she liked.
By MATT ENTRUP
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East Oregonian
season, Morrison launched
the offering high into the air
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mates, Pendleton’s Alexis didn’t even bother giving
Morrison was anxious to chase as the ball easily
take some cuts against live cleared the fence in left-
pitching when the Buckaroos center to give the Bucks all
hosted Hanford for their the cushion they would need
season opener Tuesday at to beat the Falcons.
Tatum Fell also hit a
Steve Cary Field.
/HDGLQJ RII WKH ERWWRP home run and three pitchers
RI WKH ¿UVW LQQLQJ 0RUULVRQ combined for a shutout as
watched two balls and a Pendleton cruised 6-0.
strike cross the plate before
See BUCKS/2B
3
PENDLETON
3enGleton struggles falls to SouthriGge in Gebut
Baseball
Pendleton registers just
four hits, racks up four
errors in season opener
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Buckaroos kicked
off the 2016 baseball season on
Tuesday afternoon, dropping an 8-2
contest with the Southridge (WA)
Suns at Bob White Field.
The end result may not have
been what they wanted, but in the
end the Buckaroos (0-1) were just
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Bob White Field.
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game action,” Pendleton coach T.J.
Haguewood said. “You can’t beat
baseball; the sounds, the smell and
look of the grass, and a bunch of
kids running around having a good
time playing baseball.”
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in loss to Ridgeview
The Hermiston baseball
team’s pitching staff struck out
10 Ridgeview batters, but the
offense couldn’t capitalize and
the Ravens sent the Bulldogs
packing with a 3-1 win Tuesday
in Redmond.
“We looked good,” assistant
coach John Christy said. “It was
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Pendleton
8
2
performance.
“He’s our go-to guy and I
thought he threw it well today,” he
said. “A couple of things didn’t go
his way here and there but he came
right back and got guys out and
that’s what you ask for in a pitcher.
You can’t have every situation be
manageable, you have to handle
adversity and I thought he did a
good job with that.”
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
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Austin Zaugg, of Pendleton, swings and misses in Tuesday’s game UXQ LQ WKH WRS RI WKH ¿UVW LQQLQJ
against Southridge at Bob White Field.
as Bucks’ second baseman Jack
Senior Quinn Cockburn got the KLWV ¿YH UXQV RQH HDUQHG ZLWK Peterson couldn’t handle a hard
opening day nod on the mound for three strikeouts. Haguewood said grounder from Kyle Harvey and
the Buckaroos, and pitched a solid DVLGH IURP VRPH ¿UVWJDPH MLWWHUV ERRWHG LW LQWR ULJKW ¿HOG VFRULQJ
See PENDLETON/2B
4.2 innings while allowing seven he was pleased with Cockburn’s
HERMISTON
By SAM BARBEE
East Oregonian
Southridge
Baseball
Hermiston
Ridgeview
1
3
of the way.”
Senior lefty RJ Robles started
and went two innings, allowing two
runs in the process. Big righty Tyler
Sexton threw the next three innings,
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Between them they allowed
just the three runs while striking
out 10, allowed just two hits, but
walked six. Christy lamented the
walks, saying it forced Ridgeview
(1-0) runners into scoring position.
Offensively, Hermiston (0-1)
rolled over too many ground
balls, eliminating opportunities.
Hayden Edmiston and Slade
Gritz each doubled for the Bull-
dogs.
Hermiston’s home opener is
Friday when the Bulldogs host
Central Catholic. First pitch is set
for 2 p.m.
———
R H E
HHS
000 001
0 — 1 5 0
RHS
110 010
0 — 3 2 1
R. Robles, T. Sexton, C. Root, S. Gritz and K.
Caldwell. T. Wilson and T. Zampelli. W — Wilson.
L — Robles.
2B — H. Edmiston, S. Gritz (HHS), R. Barber (RHS).
Prep Roundup
Buckaroos
cruise to win at
7he 'alles
East Oregonian
7+( '$//(6 ² 7KH 3HQGOHWRQ
Buckaroos girls golf team kicked off its
2016 slate with a big win at The Dalles
Country Club on Tuesday afternoon.
The Buckaroos combined for a
team score of 383 and blew away the
competition as Clackamas drew in
at second place with a team score of
454. Hermiston scored a 488, and
See PREPS/2B