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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Friday, May 6, 2016 Cano lifts Mariners over Astros with double in 9th By KRISTIE RIEKEN Associated Press HOUSTON — Robinson Cano had three hits and his tiebreaking three-run double in the ninth inning lifted the Seattle Mariners to their fourth straight win, 6-3, over the Houston Astros on Thursday night. The bases were loaded with one out in the ninth when Cano cleared them with his double off Luke Gregerson (0-1) that sailed just out of reach of center ielder Carlos Gomez. Cano, who has at least two hits in ive straight games, also drove in a run in the third inning to give him four RBIs and an American League- MLB Seattle Houston 6 3 leading 30 this season. Nick Vincent (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win and Steve Cishek allowed one hit in the ninth for his ninth save. Jose Altuve homered and tied a career-high with four hits and had two RBIs for the Astros. Tyler White snapped a 0 for 16 skid with a double to start Houston’s seventh and Jason Castro walked with one out. Altuve hit a double, which landed on Tal’s Hill in center ield, scoring White to tie it at 3-3, but Castro was tagged out at home. Norichika Aoki greeted Tony Sipp with a single to load the bases in the seventh before Seth Smith’s groundball single rolled just out of reach of a diving Altuve and into right ield to score two and make it 3-2. Altuve, who leads the Astros with nine homers, gave them an early lead when he sent Wade Miley’s third pitch onto the train tracks atop left ield for his second straight leadoff homer and major league- leading sixth this season. His six leadoff homers are the most by an Astro since Craig Biggio also had six in 2006. CARTER: First practice on Aug. 1 LYNCH: Finishes with 9,112 yards Continued from 1B “It feels pretty good and it’s deinitely a big oppor- tunity,” Carter said. “This whole team will be a part of history no matter what, and it’s cool to be a part of it.” Aside from Blue Moun- tain, Carter was actively recruited by numerous schools from the Paciic Northwest including Columbia Basin, Linield College, and Walla Walla Community College. Carter said that she irst developed interest in Blue Mountain when she found out the school was starting a women’s soccer team, and then she became settled on the school once she took her visit. “I always knew I wanted to be close to home,” she said. “(Blue Mountain) was so welcoming, the campus was nice, and it just felt like a family.” Carter says she will enroll in Business Management courses at Blue Mountain as she aims to complete a business degree. Hermiston’s varsity soccer coach Danielle Turner said she was happy to see Carter continuing on with the sport. “It’s always nice to see as a coach, because a lot of kids don’t get that opportunity,” Contributed photo courtesy of Blaine Ganvoa Hermiston senior Tyra Carter, right, poses along with Blue Mountain soccer coach Art Mota, left, after Car- ter became the irst recruit in Blue Mountain history to sign with the women’s soccer program on Friday in Hermiston. Turner said. “But (Tyra) was always a hard worker and she was willing to do whatever it took for the team.” The Timberwolves program oficially kicks off the season on Aug. 1 with the team’s irst practice under head coach Art Mota. Carter — who will slot in as a forward on the Timber- wolves roster — said Mota is the type of coach she thinks she can excel under. “He just seems like a really nice coach, but also determined to make us better,” she said. “He lets us know that he wouldn’t give up on us or the team. I was really sold after meeting with him.” ——— Contact Eric Singer at esinger@eastoregonian. com or (541) 966-0839. Follow him on Twitter @ ByEricSinger. Continued from 1B conirmed a day later that Lynch intended to retire. Seattle made a series of moves this offseason that indi- cated the running back who led the Seahawks to their irst Super Bowl title was ready to step away, including picking three running backs in the NFL draft last week. Lynch would have been an $11.5 million cap hit if he remained on Seattle’s roster for the 2016 season. The Seahawks will save $6.5 million with Lynch’s retirement. Lynch has spent the offseason promoting his clothing line, traveling to Egypt to participant in a foot- ball camp and ride camels, and doing relief work in Haiti. Basically doing every- thing but get ready for the upcoming NFL season. When Lynch was brought to Seattle early in the 2010 season, he was acquired because the Seahawks desper- ately needed a running back. What he ended up providing was an attitude and style that became the foundation for bringing that irst Super Bowl title to the franchise. And for that, Lynch will forever hold a special place with the Seahawks. He may have been more of a headache off the ield than anyone let LILLARD: Scored 51 against Warriors in February win Continued from 1B loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night, including 17 points in the third quarter. But the Warriors held him scoreless (0-for-3 from the ield) in the crucial inal period when they came from behind to win, outscoring Portland 34-12. Portland only scored six points over the last 5:21. With a day off on Wednesday, Lillard let the loss digest. “After the game I was pretty frustrated by not being able to inish that game. Yesterday I didn’t even want to see a basketball,” he said. “I wasn’t even gonna watch the playoff game until I heard Cleveland was hitting a bunch of 3s. So I wanted to see for myself, but I didn’t even want to have nothing to do with basketball after that game.” In the series opener, Lillard started cold but even- tually scored 30 points in a 118-106 loss. The Oakland native admitted later to battling a cold afterward. On Thursday, he said he was healthy. Lillard made a playoff splash in 2014 when his buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Rockets sent the Blazers into the second round for the irst time in 14 years. But he was the lone starter left with the Blazers this season after the departures of LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews. Some expected the Blazers to only win about two dozen games. Lillard tends to rise when he’s the underdog, however. Led by Lillard and backcourt teammate CJ McCollum, a irst-year starter, the Blazers overcame a 2-10 stretch in November to wind up the ifth seed in the West. A two-time All-Star, Lillard was snubbed this year. How did he respond? By dropping 51 points, including nine 3-pointers, in a 137-105 victory over — wait for it — the Golden State Warriors. Lillard shot over Curry at will in that Feb. 19 victory, one of just nine losses for the Warriors in a record-setting 73-win season. Knowing the Blazers are capable will be key Saturday night. “We’ll have bounce. We came back after 0-2 against the Clippers (in the opening round) and came with a lot of energy in Game 3. We know how important Game 3 is,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “Having energy, having bounce, at the Moda Center, with our crowd? That’s the least of our concerns.” Lillard also struggled in the opening two games against the Clippers in the irst round. Portland came back to win the next four to win the series, but the Clip- pers were hurt when their top two scorers, Chris Paul and Blake Grifin, were knocked out with injuries. The Warriors also get credit for Lillard’s struggles after making defensive adjustments on both Lillard and McCollum, particularly the play of Festus Ezeli. “They are so explosive and they run really good stuff, I mean, it’s hard to guard. You have to cover a lot of loor against Portland, and I thought between Festus and Draymond (Green), those guys did a great job of protecting the feed and moving and handling the pick-and-roll on top,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Lillard said the Blazers would learn from it. “It hurts to go back in the locker room after you play so well for so long and you come back in there with the L. But it is a part of growth,” he said. “The entire season has been growth for us.” SCOREBOARD Local Slate Basketball PREP BASEBALL Today Stanield at Nyssa (DH), 1/3 p.m. Umatilla at Riverside (DH), 1/3 p.m. Grant Union at Weston-McEwen (DH), 1/3 p.m. Hood River at Pendleton, 4:30 p.m. Hermiston at The Dalles, 4 p.m. Saturday Union at Pilot Rock (DH), 11 a.m./1 p.m. Heppner at Sherman (DH), 11 a.m./1 p.m. NBA PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (best-of-7) EASTERN CONFERENCE Cleveland 2, Atlanta 0 Monday: Cleveland 104, Atlanta 93 Wednesday: Cleveland 123, Atlanta 98 Today: Cleveland at Atlanta, 4 p.m. (ESPN) Miami 1, Toronto 1 Tuesday: Miami 102, Toronto 96, OT Thursday: Toronto 96, Miami 92, OT Saturday: Toronto at Miami, 2 p.m. (ESPN) WESTERN CONFERENCE San Antonio 1, Oklahoma City 1 Saturday, April 30: San Antonio 124, Oklahoma City 92 Monday: Oklahoma City 98, San Antonio 97 Today: San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN) Golden State 2, Portland 0 Sunday, May 1: Golden State 118, Portland 106 Tuesday: Golden State 110, Portland 99 Saturday: Golden State at Portland, 5:30 p.m. (ABC) PREP SOFTBALL Today Umatilla at Riverside (DH), 1/3 p.m. Elgin at Weston-McEwen (DH), 1/3 p.m. Hood River at Pendleton, 4:30 p.m. Hermiston at The Dalles, 4 p.m. Saturday Pilot Rock at Union (DH), 11 a.m./1 p.m. Irrigon at Heppner (DH), 11 a.m./1 p.m. Echo at Nyssa, 2 p.m. PREP TRACK & FIELD Today Mac-Hi, Umatilla, Pilot Rock, Weston-McEwen, Heppner, Helix, Echo, Stanield at Baker City, 1 p.m. Pendleton, Hermiston at Hood River, 4 p.m. Saturday Irrigon at Gilchrist, 11 a.m. PREP GOLF Today Pendleton, Hermiston (boys) at Districts (Eagle Crest Resort), 11 a.m. Saturday Pendleton, Hermiston (boys) at Districts (at Eagle Crest Resort), 10 a.m. PREP TENNIS Today Pendleton (boys) at Hermiston, 4 p.m. Hermiston (girls) at Pendleton, 4 p.m. Saturday Weston-McEwen, Helix, Ione at Districts (at Kennewick, Wash.), 9 a.m. PREP LACROSSE Saturday Central Valley (WA) at Hermiston, 2 p.m. PREP RUGBY Saturday West Linn at East Oregon, Noon Canby at East Oregon, 1:30 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Saturday Spokane at Blue Mountain (DH), 1/4 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Today Eastern Oregon vs. Corban (at Ashland), 9 a.m. Big Bend at Blue Mountain (DH), 2/4 p.m. Saturday Columbia Basin at Blue Mountain (DH), Noon/2 p.m. Hockey NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND (best-of-7) EASTERN CONFERENCE Tampa Bay 2, N.Y. Islanders 1 April 27: N.Y. Islanders 5, Tampa Bay 3 April 30: Tampa Bay 4, NY Islanders 1 Tuesday: Tampa Bay 5, NY Islanders 4, OT Today: Tampa Bay at NY Islanders, 4 p.m. (NBCSN) Pittsburgh 3, Washington 1 April 28: Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3, OT April 30: Pittsburgh 2, Washington 1 Monday: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2 Wednesday: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2, OT Saturday, May 7: Pittsburgh at Washing- ton, 4:15 p.m. (NBC) WESTERN CONFERENCE Dallas 2, St. Louis 2 April 29: Dallas 2, St. Louis 1 May 1: St. Louis 4, Dallas 3, OT Tuesday3: St. Louis 6, Dallas 1 Thursday: Dallas 3, St. Louis 2, OT Saturday: St. Louis at Dallas, 10 a.m. (NBC) San Jose 2, Nashville 1 April 29: San Jose 5, Nashville 2 May 1: San Jose 3, Nashville 2 Tuesday: Nashville 4, San Jose 1 Thursday: San Jose at Nashville, late Saturday: Nashville at San Jose, 7 p.m. (NBCSN) Baseball MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division W Boston 17 Baltimore 16 Toronto 15 Tampa Bay 12 L 11 11 15 14 Pct .607 .593 .500 .462 GB — ½ 3 4 New York 9 17 .346 7 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 19 10 .679 — Cleveland 13 12 .520 4 Kansas City 14 13 .519 4 Detroit 14 13 .519 4 Minnesota 8 20 .286 10½ West Division W L Pct GB Seattle 17 11 .607 — Texas 15 14 .517 2½ Los Angeles 13 15 .464 4 Oakland 13 16 .448 4½ Houston 10 19 .345 7½ ——— Thursday’s Games Cleveland 9, Detroit 4 Baltimore 1, N.Y. Yankees 0, 10 innings Toronto 12, Texas 2 Boston 7, Chicago White Sox 3 Seattle 6, Houston 3 Today’s Games Boston (Porcello 5-0) at N.Y. Yankees (Pineda 1-3), 4:05 p.m. Oakland (Hill 3-3) at Baltimore (Wright 1-2), 4:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Maeda 3-1) at Toronto (Stroman 4-0), 4:07 p.m. Kansas City (Ventura 2-1) at Cleveland (Salazar 2-2), 4:10 p.m. Texas (Hamels 3-0) at Detroit (Zimmer- mann 5-0), 4:10 p.m. Minnesota (Nolasco 1-0) at Chicago White Sox (Latos 4-0), 5:10 p.m. Seattle (Walker 2-1) at Houston (Fister 2-3), 5:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Archer 1-4) at L.A. Angels (Rasmus 0-1), 7:05 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division W Washington 19 New York 17 Miami 15 Philadelphia 16 Atlanta 7 Central Division W Chicago 21 Pittsburgh 15 L 9 9 12 13 20 L 6 13 Pct .679 .654 .556 .552 .259 Pct .778 .536 GB — 1 3½ 3½ 11½ GB — 6½ St. Louis Cincinnati Milwaukee West Division 15 12 11 14 17 17 .517 .414 .393 7 10 10½ W L Pct GB San Francisco 15 14 .517 — Los Angeles 14 14 .500 ½ Colorado 13 14 .481 1 Arizona 12 18 .400 3½ San Diego 11 17 .393 3½ ——— Thursday’s Games St. Louis 4, Philadelphia 0 Cincinnati 9, Milwaukee 5 Miami 4, Arizona 0 Chicago Cubs 5, Washington 2 N.Y. Mets at San Diego, late Colorado at San Francisco, late Today’s Games Washington (Scherzer 3-1) at Chicago Cubs (Lackey 3-1), 11:20 a.m. L.A. Dodgers (Maeda 3-1) at Toronto (Stroman 4-0), 4:07 p.m. Milwaukee (Cravy 0-0) at Cincinnati (Adleman 0-0), 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Velasquez 4-1) at Miami (Chen 2-1), 4:10 p.m. Arizona (Greinke 2-2) at Atlanta (Blair 0-1), 4:35 p.m. Pittsburgh (Liriano 2-1) at St. Louis (Marti- nez 4-1), 5:15 p.m. Colorado (Bettis 3-1) at San Francisco (Bumgarner 3-2), 7:15 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Syndergaard 2-1) at San Diego (Pomeranz 2-3), 7:40 p.m. Soccer MLS Today’s Game New York at Orlando City, 4 p.m. Saturday’s Games Portland at Vancouver, 2 p.m. Montreal at Columbus, 4:30 p.m. FC Dallas at Toronto FC, 4:30 p.m. Sporting Kansas City at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake at Colorado, 6 p.m. San Jose at Seattle, 7 p.m. Fully Digital Enya 3 Series Hearing Aid Spring $ Special 995 • Enhances Speech • Reduces Noise Call 541-276-3155 Ruud’s Hearing Aid Service Sale price valid on the Resound Enya 3 series. Limit two at the promotional price. No other offers or discounts apply. Discount does not apply to prior sales. on during his time in Seattle, but he’ll ultimately be lauded as the running back that got the Seahawks to a place they had never been. Lynch will step aside after nine seasons in the league. Six of those came in Seattle, where he played in the post- season ive times. He’s second all-time in Seattle history for rushing touchdowns and fourth in yards rushing. He tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns in 2013 and 2014 and is No. 8 all-time in total yards rushing during the postseason. He was an All-Pro, a Pro Bowl selection, and perhaps the most revered Seahawks player in the opinion of their fans. Lynch concluded his career with 9,112 yards rushing and 74 touchdowns in the regular season, and another nine touchdowns in the postseason. He caused seismic activity with his tack- le-shedding run against New Orleans in the 2010 playoffs and was rarely brought down by just one defender. “Since I’ve been here he’s been the heart and soul, the engine of our offense. A vocal leader. A great inluence and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said last month of Lynch. “I can’t say enough about him.” Along with what Lynch provided on the ield came his peculiarities when he wasn’t carrying the ball. His contract disputes. His avoidance of the media. His memorable performances during two Super Bowl weeks that became as much a topic as the game itself: “I’m just here so I won’t get ined.” And during his injury-illed inal season, ruling himself out of Seattle’s NFC wild-card game at Minnesota just minutes before the team left for the airport. There was almost certainly going to be a separation between Lynch and the Seahawks after the 2015 season for inancial and evolutionary reasons. Seattle was always going to become Russell Wilson’s team moving forward — the nature of a quarterback with a long-term contract agreement — and Wilson’s performance last season showed the evolu- tion was in process. But Lynch’s will always be responsible for setting the foundation for what coach Pete Carroll wanted to create with the Seahawks. “He’s a dog. His whole demeanor,” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said before Super Bowl 49. “He’s a man (among) boys out there.” Athlete of the Week Twenty questions with Hermiston’s Chase Root East Oregonian HERMISTON — Senior Chase Root struck out eight batters and allowed just two hits and one run over seven innings ina 9-1 win over Hood River on April 26 that kept Hermiston’s league title hopes alive. For his efforts, Root has been selected as the Athlete of the Week. ——— East Oregonian: Favorite pro sports team? Chase Root: Boston Red Sox Favorite college sports team? North Carolina Tar Heels Favorite athlete to watch? Dustin Pedroia Favorite sports memory at Hermiston? Being a part of R.J. Robles’ perfect game this season. Favorite movie? Billy Madison Favorite TV show? Family Guy Celebrity Crush? Jennifer Aniston XBOX or Playstation? Xbox Favorite video game? Call of Duty: Black Ops Favorite music genre? Country Favorite musical artist? Willy Nelson Favorite restaurant? Hooters Favorite snack food? Jerky Favorite beverage? Dr. Pepper Favorite Gatorade lavor? Strawberry Favorite family recipe? Homemade pizza Favorite subject in school? History Dream job? Hunting guide Favorite animals to hunt? Deer and Elk in archery season If you could have any super power what would it be? X-Ray vision ATHLETE OF THE WEEK CHASE ROOT Senior Hermiston Baseball Chase pitched seven innings and struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits and one run to help the Bulldogs upset the Hood River Valley Eagles 9-1 on April 26. 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