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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2016)
SPORTS TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016 MILTON-FREEWATER Sports shorts Broncos honored at White House WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama honored the Denver Broncos at the White House Monday for winning Super Bowl 50 with one of the best defenses of all time and one of the best quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning. The Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24-10. Obama said the victories over the course of the season weren’t always pretty. The Broncos, won a record 11 games by a touchdown or less. “You don’t do that without one of the greatest defenses of all time,” Obama said. Obama mentioned several stars of the offensive unit before jokingly stating, “And we can’t forget to mention the heart and soul of this team’s offensive fi repower — kicker Brandon McManus,” which drew plenty of laughs. Curry withdraws from Olympic consideration (AP) — Stephen Curry has withdrawn from consideration from the Olympics, leaving the U.S. basketball team without the NBA’s MVP. Curry said Monday in a statement that FACES he has decided to pull out for “several factors — including recent ankle and knee injuries.” He is the Curry highest-profi le absence for the two-time defending gold medalists, who will already be without NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. Curry has won a pair of world titles with the Americans and was a starter when they won the 2014 Basketball World Cup. Curry said he had spoken with his family and recently informed USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo that he would not go to Brazil. The Americans have a list of 31 players in their roster pool for this summer and plan to name their 12-man roster later this month. 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Pioneers fall short of three-peat Mc- Lough- lin assis- tant coach Megan White con- soles Micha Fortune after the Pio- neers’ 5-2 loss to Banks in the state 4A champi- onship softball game Satur- day in Corval- lis. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Mac-Hi’s rally comes too late against Banks in 4A state title By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian CORVALLIS — The Mac-Hi Pioneers were unable to overcome a dominant championship debut by Banks freshman Michaela Shaw, and the Braves came out swinging for a 5-2 win in the OSAA 4A Softball State Championship on Saturday at OSU Softball Complex. Shaw held the Pioneers scoreless until the seventh inning to guide her team to its third state championship and knock Mac-Hi from the top of the hill after a two-year title reign. “I’m proud of them, no one thought we going to be here,” said Mac-Hi coach Nichole Christian. “Obviously we wanted gold but we’ll take the silver, and try to keep the girls positive because no one expected us here without (2015 4A Championship Banks Mac-Hi 5 2 Player of the Year) Colette (Robert) and that’s all a team effort. … This was a tough loss but I’m really proud of them.” Pioneers senior Abi Biggs had been trying to spark the Mac-Hi offense all game. With each at bat she confi dently stepped to the plate, and each time she delivered, going 3 for 3 in her fi nal game. It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh that her teammates caught the fever, and Biggs led off the at-bat with a hard grounder through the left side for a See PIONEERS/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris McLoughlin’s Shannon Carter looks up in disbelief after being called out at home plate as Banks’ catcher Shakayla Snyder holds up the ball in the Pioneers’ 5-2 loss to the Braves in the state 4A championship softball game Saturday in Corvallis. OUR VIEWS All-EOL Softball TigerScots sweep top honors “No, I’m done. I’m done. I enjoyed my time playing, now it’s time to watch my cousins do they thing.“ — Marshawn Lynch Former Seattle Seahawks running back addressing some rumors of Lynch contemplating a comeback in an inter- view with 60 Minutes Sports. Lynch has not formally fi led his retirement papers with the NFL, which fueled speculation that the All-Pro RB was in fact not yet ready to call it a career. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1998 — Utah breaks the record for fewest points in an NBA game since the incep- tion of the shot clock, losing 96-54 to Chicago in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It’s the highest margin of victory in NBA Finals history. 2009 — Roger Federer completes a career Grand Slam, winning his fi rst French Open title. Federer wins his 14th major title to tie Pete Sampras’ record by sweeping surprise fi nalist Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com Staff photo by Matt Entrup In this May 21, 2016 fi le photo, Weston-McEwen’s Jessica Lambert smiles as she heads into the dugout after retiring the Vale Vikings in the fi fth in- ning of their district championship softball game in Athena. Lambert named EOL player and pitcher of the year East Oregonian After coming one step short of a state championship at the 2A/1A level in 2015, the Weston-McEwen TigerScots embarked on a new journey in 2016 as they moved up to Class 3A. But the move up did not have much negative effect on the TigerScots, as they earned the Eastern Oregon League regular season and district titles and advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state tournament before falling in extra innings to Pleasant Hill. They accomplished these feats with a solid combination of top-line talent and steady coaching, and both efforts were recognized by the rest of the league with eight players and the head coach earning all-league honors. Senior pitcher Jessica Lambert was chosen as the league’s Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, and head coach Jeff Griggs was chosen as Coach of the Year for leading the team to a 19-5 overall record. Lambert, who will pitch collegiately at Wenatchee Valley Community College beginning in the fall, was a force in the pitching circle and at the plate in 2016, leading the team in every pitching category as well as home runs and RBIs. In the circle, she fi nished 15-4 with an ERA of 1.37 in 105 innings, while striking out 167 batters and walking just 18. And on offense, Lambert hit .449 with 6 home runs, 43 RBI, 11 doubles, and 17 runs scored in 89 at-bats. Weston-McEwen also placed four players on the fi rst team: catcher Sydney Peal (.406 avg., 1 HR, 20 RBI), shortstop Isabelle Dillow (.580 avg., 2 HR, 24 RBI, 46 runs), third baseman Jordyn Lambert (.514 avg., 6 HR, 28 See SOFTBALL/2B Stanfi eld’s title game a masterpiece K EIZER — What a that game. weekend. “It means a lot because Now that the now (our brothers) can’t dust has settled in Corvallis rub it in our faces,” Monkus and Keizer from another said. amazing fi nish to the high It had heart. The game school sports year, and two was the fi nal one in the state championships making third base box for Tigers their way back to trophy coach Bryan Johnson, cases in Umatilla who announced at County, it’s good the beginning of opportunity to take the season that he another look at what would be taking a may have been the job outside of the best 3A baseball district at the end game of the season. of the school year. The Stanfi eld His contributions to Tigers’ 5-4 win over Stanfi eld baseball, Matt Santiam Christian in Entrup athletics in general, the 3A championship and the community Comment will ensure he’s long had everything a remembered and spectator could ask sorely missed. for in a game (as a writer It had action. Oh boy, did there’s always more you it have action. Double plays, could ask for). hits in the gap, a game- It had a back story. The saving play at the plate, a two teams had met about a failed suicide squeeze, great month prior with the Eagles earning a come-from-behind clutch pitching and three extra innings; the only thing 2-1 win with a walk-off home run by star pitcher Dru this game was missing was the long ball. Draper in the bottom of the It was also painfully long seventh inning. for those of us in the press It had historical signifi - box nervously watching cance. The Tigers had four players on the team who had deadlines as the shadows crept across the infi eld at watched their older brothers Volcanoes Stadium. win titles on that same fi eld “For a sport that you just in 2011, and assistant coach stand there, I don’t know if Trevor Morris was also I’ve ever been that tired,” on that team. Two of them Grogan said. (Dylan Grogan and Thyler Monkus) were bat boys in See ENTRUP/2B