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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2016)
SPORTS THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Sports shorts Softball Sharks make fi rst Stanley Cup fi nal SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — After 25 years, the San Jose Sharks will fi nally play for the Stanley Cup. Captain Joe Pavelski scored an early goal, Joel Ward added two of his own and the Sharks advanced to their fi rst Stanley Cup fi nal in franchise history by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Wednesday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference fi nal. Joonas Donskoi also scored, Logan Couture had an empty-netter and Martin Jones made 24 saves as a Sharks team notorious for postseason letdowns will now play for the championship that has eluded stars such as Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for so many years. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup fi nal will be Monday night. The Sharks will either host Tampa Bay or visit Pittsburgh, depending on which team wins Game 7 of the Eastern Conference fi nal Thursday night. Lind leads hit parade as M’s win home series SEATTLE (AP) — Adam Lind hit home runs in his fi rst two at-bats and had a season-best six RBIs while the Seattle Mariners scored a season-high runs in a FACES in 13-3 rout of the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night. The AL West-leading Lind Mariners won their 11th series of the season, this time behind Lind’s hitting. After struggling to start the season, Lind fl ashed the power that made him an offseason target for Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto. Lind hit a solo homer with two outs in the second inning to get Seattle on the board, then capped the Mariners’ six-run third inning with a three-run shot off Oakland starter Zach Neal (0-1), making the fi rst start of his career. Pendleton 17 Crater 0 Next up: Silverton at Pendleton, Friday, TBA Pendleton’s Kirah McGlo- than slides head fi rst into third base as Crater’s Simone TuriTuri waits for the ball in the Bucks’ 17-0 shutout against the Comets on Wednesday in Pendleton. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Bucks crush Comets Richards perfect across fi ve, PHS backs her with 12 hits to advance in state playoffs “I tried not to let it feel any different (than last year).” — Lauren Richards, Pendleton sophomore on pitching fi rst home playoff game By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian PENDLETON — Lauren Richards threw a perfect game in her postseason pitching debut, and perennial contender Pendleton saw big games out of several players making their fi rst playoff starts to send Crater packing on Wednesday. Madison Parker, Kalan McGlo- than and Tatum Fell all hit home runs and the Buckaroos advanced to their third-straight state quarterfi - nals with a 17-0 rout in fi ve innings at Steve Cary Field. “We’re really hoping to hit on all cylinders and today I think we certainly did that,” said Pendleton coach Tim Cary. “Obviously the pitching was outstanding, the defense was great and the hitting was there. When you get all three of those things on the same day, usually good things happen and we Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton’s Lauren Richards throws from the pitching circle in the Bucks’ 17-0 shutout of Crater on Wednesday in Pend- leton. just want to make sure we do that again (in the quarterfi nals).” Richards, a sophomore who started at fi rst base during last season’s playoff run, fi nished with six strikeouts. “I tried not to let it feel any different (than last year),” she said. “I just had to come out here, and the whole team had to keep doing what we had been doing, because with what we’ve been doing we’ll get far in the playoffs.” Nobody will argue her on that point. The Buckaroos found production up and down the lineup to fi nish with 12 hits and a double-digit score for the fourth-straight game. Parker, McGlothan and Fell combined for six RBI and six runs in their fi rst playoff starts. They were all entrenched at their positions coming into the game, but freshman Kirah McGlothan was a late add to the starting lineup when senior shortstop Ellie Richards injured her knee in Pendleton’s last game of the regular season. “(The coaches) just told me, ‘It’s a different lineup, just do your best and have fun,’” she said. McGlothan snagged a hard line drive at second base for the game’s fi rst out, and said that settled her THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1985 — Danny Sullivan misses almost certain disaster and holds off Mario Andretti and the rest of the fastest fi eld in auto racing to win the Indianapolis 500. On the 119th lap, Sullivan spins his racer 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding both the wall and Andretti. 1987 — Boston’s Larry Bird steals an inbounds pass from Detroit’s Isiah Thomas and feeds over his shoulder to a cutting Dennis Johnson for the winning basket as the Celtics pulls out an improbable 108-107 win over Detroit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com See BUCKS/2B Rockets sprint past Greyhounds at home Pilot Rock opens title defense with fi ve-inning win “Nobody has said anything about Steph being 70 percent to me. Our training staff, relatives, friends, sources with knowledge of our team’s thinking, nobody has told me he’s 70 percent.” — Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors coach on rumors of Stephen Curry’s lingering injury nerves. She then went 2 for 3 at the plate with a three-RBI double during Pendleton’s seven-run fi rst inning. In total, Pendleton’s playoff newcomers combined to go 8 for 11 at the plate and drive in 10 runs. “I think that’s probably the most impressive thing for today is that we did throw in quite a few young players and said, ‘Well, time to play ball. You have no choice, let’s go do it,’” Cary said. “And every one of them responded and played well. “All the young ones that we brought up, they’re ready to play.” Sophomore designated player Alexi Brehaut (2 for 2) and freshman shortstop Aspen Garton also started their fi rst playoff games for the Bucks. After Richards struck out two to retire the Comets in the fi rst, Pendleton senior Alexis Morrison wore a pitch from Tristin Fisher to lead off the Bucks. Richards (2 for East Oregonian Staff photo by Kathy Aney Pilot Rebekah Roe gets ready to connect with the ball for a base hit during Wednesday’s game against Gaston. PILOT ROCK — Rebekka Holman didn’t allow a runner to reach second base until the fi fth inning and the Pilot Rock softball team opened its title defense with a 14-0 drubbing of Gaston in fi ve innings on Wednesday. Holman pitched the entire game and was perfect through three innings. She fi nished with three hits allowed, nine strikeouts and no walks. “I was real happy with the intensity that we came Softball Pilot Rock Gaston 14 0 out with,” said Rockets coach Darin Fitzpatrick, who coached the team to the OSAA 2A/1A state title last season. “Being the fi rst round of state I expected the girls to be nervous and come out with a slow start, but they put one across in the fi rst and took control in the second and that was great to see.” The No. 1 Rockets (24-3) scored seven runs in the second inning, and added See ROCKETS/2B Rice strikes out nine, Knights roll in playoff debut Irrigon beats Lost River to advance in 2A/1A bracket East Oregonian IRRIGON — Austin Rice carried a no-hitter through four innings and Fredy Vera scored four runs to lead Irrigon baseball to a 17-1 win over Lost River in the fi rst state playoff game in program history on Wednesday. Rice struck out nine before turning the game over to the bullpen, and Vera scored on a Baseball Irrigon Lost River 17 1 passed ball in the fi rst inning to get the offense rolling in the OSAA 2A/1A fi rst round. Vera reached on an error by the shortstop and went to second base on a wild pitch by Lost River (13-14) starter Waylon Moore. He advanced to third on a ground-out by Rice, then scored on a passed ball during Zack Henrichs’ at-bat. Henrichs would walk, then was batted over by Cougar Kroske with a single, and both players scored on error on a ball put in play by Adrian Roa. Hayden White added a two-run home run later in the inning and the Knights (17-5) led 5-0 after one. Rice added three RBI to his dominant outing on the mound, and allowed no runs, no hits, three walks and two hit batters. Henrichs, Kroske and See KNIGHTS/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Irrigon pitcher Austin Rice follows through on a pitch during the Knights’ 17-1 win against Lost River on Wednesday in Irrigon.