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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2016)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON Sports shorts Youth Sports Roundup Lynx drop Sparks to extend streak Rabb’s no-hitter lifts Pendleton PBR Two more wins Classic needed to reach championship to have new twist LOS ANGELES (AP) — Renee Montgomery’s 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left lifted the Minnesota Lynx to a 72-69 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday in a matchup of unbeaten teams. With the game tied, Lindsay Whalen drove to the basket and found Montgomery open in the corner for the game-winner. The Sparks had one last chance, but Kristi Toliver’s shot off an intentionally missed free throw by Candace Parker came just after the buzzer. Seimone Augustus had 13 points to lead the Lynx (13-0). The game was played on the 20th anniversary of the inaugural WNBA game which Los Angeles lost 67-57 to New York in 1997. East Oregonian MILTON-FREEWATER — Pendleton’s 9/10 year-old softball all-stars bounced back from its fi rst loss of the District 3 tournament behind a no-hitter by Stella Rabb on Wednesday. Rabb struck out eight and walked two as Pendleton eliminated Baker from the bracket with a 17-0 win in four innings. Kate Pace batted 3 for 3 to lead an offense that scored all of its runs in the fi rst three innings. Pace scored three times and had two RBI, and Nessa Neveau added three RBI. Lea Wilson and Kendall Murphy also had two RBI each. Rabb chipped in three runs in three at-bats, and Lanie Burke, Abbigail Thorne and Samantha Wilks each scored twice. Baker’s pitchers combined to issue 10 walks and struck out three. Pendleton also stole 13 bases with several players getting two each. Pendleton was coming off a 5-2 loss to La Grande on Tuesday that bumped it into the consolation bracket. Pendleton will have to win two more games in order to reach the championship. It’s next game is today at 11:30 a.m. ——— R H E BAK 000 0 — 0 0 7 PEN 665 X — 17 9 1 W — S. Rabb. L — Brianna F. 2B — S. Wilks (PEN). 3B — K. Pace (PEN) See YOUTH SPORTS/2B Copa America US falters in semifi nals East Oregonian Lecavalier retires from NHL after 17 seasons EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings forward Vincent Lecavalier has retired after 17 NHL seasons. Lecavalier formally confi rmed his FACES previously announced retirement Tuesday. The 36-year-old Lecavalier spent his Lecavalier fi rst 14 NHL seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. He had a disappointing tenure in Philadelphia before joining the Kings in January and declaring that the 2015-16 season would be his last. Lecavalier was revitalized in Los Angeles, scoring 10 goals and seven assists in 42 games. He scored 949 points in 1,212 regular-season games, including 421 goals. “We’d really like a mulligan because we clearly made a big bogey.“ — Mike Davis Executive Director of the USGA speaking on the Golf Channel Tues- day about the scoring controversy surrounding the one-stroke penalty assessed to Dustin Johnson on the fi fth green during the fi nal round of the U.S. Open on Sunday. The rules offi cial on the hole allowed Johnson to proceed after his ball moved before a putt chance, and after video was reviewed, Johnson was informed on the 12th hole that a penalty may assessed, causing much backlash from fans and other golfers. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1994 — The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, win their fi rst NBA title, beating New York 90-84 in Game 7 of the fi nals. Olajuwon gets 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. 2010 — South Africa becomes the fi rst host nation not to advance in 80 years of World Cup play. The host nation does beat France 2-1 in its fi nal game, but they needed a big win to move on from Group A. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com Bullfi ghting showcase to be featured in September AP Photo/Eric Gay Argentina Lionel Messi is lifted in celebration during a Copa America Centenario semifi nal soccer match against the United States, Tuesday, June 21, 2016, in Houston. Argentina advances to Copa America fi nal with win By RONALD BLUM Associated Press HOUSTON — Lionel Messi was too much for the United States to contain. The fi ve-time world player of the year set up Ezequiel Lavezzi’s opening goal in the third minute, then scored on a free kick to break Argentina’s career scoring record and assisted on the fi nal goal in a 4-0 rout of the U.S. on Tuesday night that put the La Albiceleste into the Copa America fi nal. “This was the goal when we got here, to play another fi nal and we made it,” Messi said. “We’ve been spectacular Semifi nals Argentina USA 4 0 from day one and we deserved this.” After Messi doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with his 55th international goal, his tournament-leading fi fth, Gonzalo Higuain quickly ended U.S. comeback hopes when he put the rebound of his initial shot past goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 50th. Higuain scored off a Messi See COPA AMERICA/2B Argentina midfi eld- er Lucas Biglia (6) and Unit- ed States mid- fi elder Christian Pulisic (17) go after the ball during Tuesday’s Copa America semifi nal in Hous- ton. AP Photo/David J. Phillip As the Round-Up and 100th anniversary of Happy Canyon draws closer each day, details are getting set in stone to kick off the week. The Banner Bank PBR Classic has been set for Sept. 12-13 at 8 p.m. at Happy Canyon arena, which will feature some of the world’s toughest cowboys going up against some of the world’s toughest bulls. However, this year’s event features a bit of a twist as three bullfi ghters from Bullfi ghters Only will show off their skills to promote the sport of freestyle bullfi ghting. Each of the bullfi ghters will fi ght a Spanish Fighting Bull, known as the most aggressive bulls in the sport, and will be judged on control, aggression, style, diffi culty, and creativity. Event organizers are excited about this new addi- tion to this year’s Classic. “We anticipate this year’s PBR Classic to be our best yet,” said Happy Canyon President J.J. Spriet in a press release. “With the celebration of Happy Canyon’s 100-year anniversary and the addition of Bullfi ghters Only, visitors are in for a wild ride.” Returning once again to entertain the crowds of the two-night event is Flint Rasmussen, the longtime PRCA rodeo clown and 2011 Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame inductee. “We’re excited Flint is coming back to Pendleton again this year,” said Round-Up president Bill Levy. “He brings a level of entertainment unmatched in all of bull riding.” Tickets for the PBR Classic range from $24 to $44 are already on sale at pendletonroundup.com or by calling 1-800-45-RODEO. MLB Tigers rally in late innings to beat Mariners Early lead not enough as Mariners drop fourth-straight game By NOAH TRISTER Associated Press DETROIT — Mike Aviles tapped a slow roller toward fi rst base and there was nothing the Seattle Mariners could do with it. Aviles drove in the tiebreaking run with an infi eld single in the eighth inning, and the Detroit Tigers went on to beat the Mariners 4-2 on Tuesday night. Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer off Justin Verlander in the sixth to give Seattle a 2-0 lead, but Detroit chipped away in the late innings. “Aviles had an excellent at-bat,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “It doesn’t always have to be pretty, but we say it a lot in this clubhouse, you’ve got to fi nd a way to get it done, and he did.” Verlander and James Paxton matched scoreless innings until the sixth, when Seager connected for his 15th home run of the season. Nick AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Detroit Tigers’ Nick Castellanos scores on a sacrifi ce by James Mc- Cann during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Se- attle Mariners, Tuesday, June 21, 2016 in Detroit. Castellanos answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and the Tigers scratched out another run to tie the game in the seventh. With two outs, Jose Iglesias singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ian Kinsler’s single. The decisive rally in the eighth began with a one-out single by Victor Martinez. He went to third on a double by Castellanos, and after an intentional walk to Justin Upton, the roller by Aviles was enough to bring pinch-runner Andrew Romine home from third. “That’s just baseball. I made the pitch I wanted, and normally that’s a great result, but it turns into a terrible outcome for us,” Paxton said. “We know there is going to Seattle Detroit 2 4 be a point where the breaks go our way, but this is really frustrating.” James McCann added a sacrifi ce fl y to make it 4-2, and Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances. Bruce Rondon (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win. Paxton (1-3) allowed four runs and 11 hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out fi ve. Verlander allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He struck out fi ve and walked one. “It was kind of a shame I battled so hard and then with two outs give up a two-run homer and kind of put us behind the 8-ball,” Verlander said. “Our guys really battled. Obviously their guy was cruising pretty good, and we put some tough at-bats on him late in the game and were able to scratch and claw our way back.” See MARINERS/2B