SPORTS
T8ESDAY, APR,L 12, 2016
Sports shorts
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NEW YORK (AP) —
The long ball is back.
Teams averaged 1.14
home runs
per game
through the
¿ rst Zeek oI
the season,
according
to STATS LLC. That is up
nearl\ percent Irom last
year’s average through the
¿ rst eight days and the most
since 1.20 in 2006.
Teams averaged 4.43 runs
per game. That marked a 6
percent increase through the
same period last season and
the highest openingZeek
average since 2011.
Scoring remains doZn
signi¿ cantly Irom the height
oI the Steroids Era. The
average during the ¿ rst Iull
Zeek peaked in 2000 at .34
runs per team each game.
Still, it’s Iar above the
recent loZ oI 4.0 tZo
years ago.
1B
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PENDLETON
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Taiwanese
exchange
student
Sam Kung
tees off
on the
16th hole
while
playing
for the
Pendle-
ton High
School
boy’s golf
team last
week at
Wildhorse
Resort &
Casino in
Mission.
Staff photo by
E.J. Harris
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PORTLAND, Ore.
(AP) — The Portland
Timbers Zere aZaiting
test results on Darlington
Nagbe’s leIt ankle IolloZing
a scary injury Sunday night
against the
FACES Los Angeles
Galaxy.
Nagbe,
Zho also has
been playing
Ior the 8.S.
national team,
had to be taken
Nagbe
Irom the ¿ eld
by stretcher aIter he Zas
tackled roughly by Galaxy
mid¿ elder Nigel de -ong.
ReIeree Allen Chapman
gave de -ong a yelloZ card
Ior the challenge, but Major
League Soccer’s disciplinary
committee could issue a
suspension.
Nagbe, 2, leIt the match
in a Zheelchair.
Timbers coach Caleb
Porter expressed concern
aIter the game that de -ong
Zas not shoZn a red card.
,I de -ong is suspended,
it Zould mark the third
straight Zeek that Portland
has seen an opposing player
suspended aIter the Iact.
The game ended in a 1-1
draZ.
“I can’t think of
anybody else who
may have had a
tougher ceremony
to experience.“
— Jordan Spieth
Former Masters cham-
pion on having to
present 2016 cham-
pion Danny Willlett
with the green jacket
adorned by the current
champion. Spieth led
by fi ve strokes during
Sunday’s fi nal round
but crumbled down the
stretch, which included
a quadruple bogey
on hole 12, to lose by
three strokes. The win
was the fi rst major title
for Willett.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1987 — Larry Mize hits
a 4Ioot chip shot to deIeat
Greg Norman on the second
hole oI sudden death at the
Masters.
2005 — SmithtoZn
(N.Y.) High School’s coed
badminton team deIeats
Miller Place (N.Y.) High
School 10 to end Miller
Place’s 04match Zin
streak, the longest sports
Zinning streak in 8.S.
history. For Miller Place, it is
the ¿ rst loss in the program’s
history, Zhich began in 13.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
Exchange student Sam Kung helping keep Pendleton scores loZ
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
espite returning Iour
golIers Irom a team that
¿ nished seventh at the
state championships in 201, the
Pendleton %uckaroos Zere aIraid
their ZindoZ Zas closing.
The team needed to collectively
hack about 0 strokes oII their
36-hole score and losing senior
Dillon George, Zho had ¿ nished
third on the team at state, seemed
like a big step in the Zrong
direction.
They couldn’t have knoZn at
D
“I think we were a little worried about
our scores going down, but Sam’s just
slotted in perfectly.”
— Reilly Hegarty,
Pendleton golf senior
the time, but the Ioreign student
exchange program Zas about
to provide a prop to keep their
ZindoZ open a little longer.
GroZing up in the TaiZan
capitol oI Taipei, a love Ior golI
grabbed Sam Kung at an early age.
Thanks to the subtropical climate
along the island nation’s northern
shores, it Zasn’t long beIore Kung
Zas teeing oII at every opportunity
and Iorming big dreams about three
little letters.
³, play every day,´ he said
during a recent Pendleton practice.
³, Zish , can come to America to
have college here and then play the
PGA Tour. , Zas planning to.´
Kung, like all players his age,
has a long Zay to go beIore the
PGA comes calling. But in the
present he’s provided a nice boost
to a Buckaroo team that hopes to be
challenging Ior a state champion-
ship by season’s end.
He shot back-to-back 83’s last
Zeek to ¿ nish third on the team
See KUNG/2B
PENDLETON
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Coach Perkins encouraged
about Zhat Iuture holds
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Plenty oI excitement ¿ lled the air around Grecian
Heights Park on a Zarm and sunny Saturday aIternoon.
The East Oregon Wendigos took the ¿ eld against
the 9alley Panthers ready to make history in the ¿ rst
Zomen’s rugby match to take place in Pendleton. The
Wendigos are in their ¿ rst year oI competition, IolloZing
the trail oI the male counterpart SasTuatch team, Zhich
is in its eighth year oI competition.
Once the game started, hoZever, the inexperience
shoZed throughout as 9alley controlled every aspect and
earned the 4- Zin over the Wendigos.
Despite the loss, head coach Craig Perkins is excited
about Zhat the Iuture holds Ior the team.
³There’s a lot to build Irom here,´ he said. ³,t Zas
pretty historic as Iar as rugby in Pendleton goes, and it’s
great Ze have the numbers that Ze do and the Iact that
these girls are really committed and Zant to come out
here and do this is great.´
Perkins spent the previous ¿ ve years as an assistant
coach Zith the SasTuatch team and stepped up to coach
See RUGBY/2B
Staff photo by Eric Singer
East Oregon’s Lexi Bray chases down a Valley ball carrier during the Wendigos
match on Saturday in Pendleton.
Prep Roundup
Bulldogs Iall in extra innings to Canby in league tune-up
Hermiston soItball,
Pendleton baseball
drop drop ¿ nal non-
league games
East Oregonian
CANBY — Kamryn Mobley hit
a double in the bottom oI the eighth
inning that scored teammate Parker
Allhands and liIted Canby to an 8-
Zin over Hermiston in non-league
play on Monday.
The teams traded the lead in
consecutive at-bats beIore Canby
scored once in the sixth to tie it up
at -all.
Hermiston (8-)
scored.
Softball
extended its lead to
A pair oI singles
-2 in the top oI the
to lead oII the sixth
¿ Ith inning Zhen
and a sacri¿ ce À y
Canby
-amie Hinkley led Hermiston
gave Canby the
oII Zith a home run,
tying run in the sixth.
Mobley Zas 4
then -ulissa Alma-
Ior Ior Canby and
guer scored Irom
third on an in¿ eld single by Mikayla Allhands Zas 3 Ior 4.
-amie Hinkley led Hermiston
Kopacz.
But Canby (4-) rallied Ior Iour going 3 Ior Zith three runs and
runs in the bottom oI the Irame one RB,, and Kopacz Zas 2 Ior 4
to take its ¿ rst lead since the ¿ rst Zith tZo RB,.
Hermiston opens league play on
inning.
Saturday
by hosting The Dalles Ior
Canby scattered three singles,
a double and a triple during the a doubleheader starting at noon at
spurt, but Hermiston came back Rocky Heights Elementary.
———
undaunted Zith tZo runs in the
R H E
HHS
111
022
00
— 7 10 4
top oI the sixth to regain the lead
CHS
200 041 01 — 8 14 2
J. Almaguer, T. Betz (5). Canby pitchers unavailable.
-6 Zhen -amie and Kiley Hinkley
7
8
2B — J. Hinkley, M. Kopacz (HHS); K. Mobley 2
(CHS). 3B — C. Possey (CHS). HR — J. Hinkley
(HHS).
Baseball
WALLA WALLA 6, PEND-
LETON 1 — At Walla Walla,
Wash., the Buckaroos lost to the
Blue Devils Ior the second time in
seven days but Zere able to cut their
opponent’s run production in halI in
Monday’s non-league game.
4uinn Cockburn, -ack Peterson
and Kai Quinn combined on the
mound as coach T.-. HagueZood
looked to get his staII some last-
minute Zork beIore the start oI
league play.
“We mainly used it as bullpen
Zork to have them re¿ ned Ior Satur-
See PREPS/3B