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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 28, 2016)
SPORTS WEEKEND, MAY 28-29, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton’s Aspen Garton makes a leap- ing catch on Friday in Pendleton. 5A Softball Quarterinals Silver ton Pendle ton 0 11 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton’s Lauren Richards ist bumps coach Tim Cary while rounding third base after hitting a solo home run in the Bucks’ 11-0 win against Silverton on Friday in Pendleton. ANOTHER KNOCKOUT Pendleton ousts Silverton in ive innings to move to the state semiinals By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton’s Lauren Richards throws from the pitching circle on Friday in Pendleton. PENDLETON — The Pend- leton Buckaroos continued to tear through the 5A softball state bracket with another ive-inning win at Steve Cary Field on Friday. Their latest victim was the Silverton Foxes, and the Bucks dispatched them 11-0 to reach the semiinal round for the third straight season. It was the second shutout in a row for Pendleton, which is the only team to have won both of its playoff games via the mercy rule and has outscored its entire half of the bracket 28-27. “We’re playing well right now, we’re on a roll,” said Pendleton coach Tim Cary. “It’s all about getting hot at the right time in the playoffs, and thank goodness we’re hot right now.” The key to Pendleton’s success is no secret, and once again the Bucks were led on the day by a lock-down performance from sophomore pitcher Lauren Richards and a pair of home runs to highlight a 10-hit game for the offense. Richards, who threw a perfect game in Pendleton’s irst-round win, saw her bid for a repeat broken up on her second pitch when Silverton’s Maggie Buck- holz blooped a single into shallow right ield. However, she never advanced past irst, and Richards didn’t allow another base runner until the ifth inning. She inished with two hits allowed, seven strikeouts and one walk. “I thought I threw good, not as good as last game obviously, but my defense was there to back me up and I love that I can always count on them to be there for me,” Richards said. Richards also hit the eventual game-winning home run in the bottom of the irst inning. After Alexis Morrison gave the ball a ride to the warning track to open the at-bat with a long out, Rich- ards came up and crushed the irst pitch she saw from Silver- ton’s Alex Molloy over the fence in center ield for a 1-0 lead. “I just walked up ready, knowing what I want,” she said. “It’s like any other at-bat — it just has to be the right time, everything has to be good, and it was at that time.” Kalan McGlothan followed Richards with a single to jump start her 3-for-3 day at the plate, and then scored from second when Silverton’s outield let a hard-hit ball by Ellie Richards sneak through and roll to the fence. Richards, a senior, was taking her irst swings of the postseason after sitting out the team’s irst- round game with a knee injury. She went 2 for 3 with three RBIs as the designated player. “I was excited. I really wanted to play and do whatever I can for my team,” Richards said. “It’s fun to see Ellie back in the lineup, see her smiling again,” Cary said. “That’s just exciting we can get her in there, get her a few at-bats.” Another Silverton error on a hard grounder by Kiersten Murphy scored courtesy runner Aspen Garton to give Pendleton a 3-0 after one inning, and Rich- ards struck out the side in the second to get them right back to the plate. Tatum Fell led them off with a single, and another error gave Pendleton two one with two outs when McGlothan came up for her second at-bat and slipped a See BUCKS/2B Pioneers keep eyes on the prize Rockets shut Mac-Hi makes early lead stick, downs Douglas in quarterinals out Loggers Pilot Rock makes second-straight semis East Oregonian East Oregonian MILTON-FREEWATER — The Mac-Hi Pioneers scored six runs in the irst inning and continued to add to the lead from there for an 11-2 win over Douglas on Friday in the 4A softball state quarterinals. Mac-Hi pitcher Mallory Copeland retired the Trojans in order to open the game, then hit a two-RBI double in the irst to give the Pioneers a lead they would never relinquish. Rachael Lyon and Shannon Carter both slap- bunted their way on to open Mac-Hi’s irst at-bat, then after a ground-out Copeland batted them in with a hard-hit grounder to left ield. Sydney Richwine added a run-scoring single, and the Pioneers made it 4-0 on a bases-loaded ground-out by Kaitlyn Slusarenko. Jenny Field followed with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0. Every Pioneer to make a plate appearance found their way into the statline either by getting a hit, an RBI or scoring a run. Lyon, Carter and Field led them with Staff photo by Kathy Aney Micha Fortune, of Mac-Hi, keeps her eye on the ball all the way to the pitcher’s mitt during Friday’s state playoff game against Douglas in Milton-Freewater. On the next pitch, Fortune got a walk. 4A Softball Quarterinals Staff photo by Kathy Aney Sydney Richwine, of Mac-Hi, bunts the softball during Friday’s state playoff game against Douglas in Milton-Freewater. two hits apiece and Fortune drove in a team-high three runs. Abi Biggs and Lyon scored twice to lead that category. Copeland only allowed four hits from the pitcher’s circle, and inished with ive strikeouts and one walk. Mac-Hi led 8-0 before Douglas scored its irst run on a solo home run by Douglas Mac-Hi 2 11 Taylor Holcomb in the top of the fourth inning. Next up for the No. 1 Pioneers, who are making their fourth-straight semi- inals appearance, is No. 4 Gladstone. The teams will meet on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Yantis Park. Gladstone beat No. 5 Henley 1-0 in 10 innings in its quarterinals game. ——— R H E DHS 000 110 0 — 2 4 1 M-H 602 021 X — 11 12 0 W — M. Copeland. L — C. Dupper. 2B — M. Holcomb, R. Holcomb (DHS); M. Fortune, M. Copeland (M-H). HR — T. Holcomb. to score twice. The Rockets inished with just ive hits PILOT ROCK — Even a in the game, but had already day when their offense strug- done enough on offense gled, Pilot Rock found a way to win with Tehya Ostrom controlling the Loggers from to get it done and the pitcher’s circle. punched their ticket 2A Softball Ostrom gave up back to the 2A/1A Quarterinals just three hits, struck state semiinals out seven, walked with a 7-0 win over none, and didn’t Vernonia on Friday. allow a runner to Coming off a Vernonia advance past irst 16-hit outpouring in base all game. its irst-round game, The defending Pilot Rock found state champion, No. the hits tougher to 1 Pilot Rock will come by against the have to go through Loggers’ Kassidy Pilot Rock No.5 Kennedy to Fetch, who retired make its second state the Rockets in order inal in a row. in their irst two The teams will at-bats. Kayla Deist remedied that play on Tuesday at 5 p.m. by leading off the bottom in Pilot Rock. Kennedy beat of the third with a single, No. 4 North Douglas 9-1 in and Bekah Roe also added the quarterinals. ——— a single during the three-run R H E at-bat. VHS 000 000 0 — 0 3 0 PR 003 022 X — 7 5 0 No Rocket recorded K. Fetch and P. Cook. T. Ostrom and R. more than one hit, and Jacey Oates. W — Ostrom. L — Fetch. 2B — M. Dave (PR). HR — S. Fitzpatrick Wilson was the only player (PR). 0 7 More inside 3A Baseball: Stanield 17, Catlin Gabel 1 2A Baseball: Irrigon 12, Kennedy 3 2A Baseball: Monroe 21, Weston-McEwen 4 2A Softball: Pleasant Hill 5, Weston-McEwen 4 See Page 2B