SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017
1B
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MLB
Remodeled Mariners believe they
can be contender in AL West
Mixed expectations
for Seattle’s second
season in Dipoto era
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
In this Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, photo, Seattle Mariners cen-
ter fi elder Jarrod Dyson throws the ball during the fi rst
inning of a spring training baseball game against the
Kansas City Royals in Peoria, Ariz.
SEATTLE — Jerry Dipoto was
thrilled by the results from his fi rst
year in charge of the Seattle Mariners,
when they won 86 games and were in
contention for a playoff berth until the
fi nal weekend of the season.
And yet there were fl aws. The
Mariners didn’t play the way Dipoto
you it was going to be as broad as it’s
been,” Dipoto said.
Seattle will go into the season facing
mixed expectations. Some believe they
are contenders in the AL West and have
a real shot at ending the longest playoff
drought in baseball as a possible wild
card team with an outside shot at the
division title. Others feel Cano, Cruz
and Hernandez are about to regress
and that the other moves made by the
Mariners won’t be able to make up for
a drop in production by Seattle’s stars.
Whatever the answer, Seattle will be
an intriguing team because there is so
See MARINERS/2B
PENDLETON
Prep Roundup
Buckaroos
split Day 2
expected or wanted. He wanted more
speed. More athleticism. More reli-
ance on defense and less on hitting the
home run.
So instead of just tinkering with
a roster that was on the cusp of the
playoffs, Dipoto embarked on the
second phase of Seattle’s makeover
this offseason, based around trying to
take advantage of the current window
with stars like Nelson Cruz, Robinson
Cano and Felix Hernandez not getting
any younger.
“We maintained what we think are
the good parts of our team and this
was kind of an inevitable reality, more
change, although I couldn’t have told
Roseburg outlasts Pendleton
In a chaotic
play, Rose-
burg’s Trev-
en Jacks
slides into
home plate
to the
frustration
of Pendle-
ton pitcher
Daniel
Naughton
Tuesday at
Bob White
Field.
Pendleton softball beats
Gresham, falls to Clackamas
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The Buckaroos
matched their season-high win streak
with a 4-0 win over Gresham on Tuesday
morning at the Spring Break Challenge,
then saw it come to an end with a 7-6
loss to Clackamas at Hood View Park in
Happy Valley.
Lauren Richards started the fi rst game,
and was the pitcher of record in both after
coming in as a reliever in Game 2. She
was too much for Gresham, allowing just
two hits while striking out 11 and walking
four in her third shutout of the season.
“Again, another nice pitching perfor-
mance by Lauren,” said Pendleton coach
Tim Cary. “She had command of the
game the entire time and did a nice job.”
Aspen Garton (2 for 3) hit a solo home
run for Pendleton (8-2) in the second
inning, and Kalan McGlothan added
double to take down Gresham (5-3).
See PREPS/2B
Staff photo by
Kathy Aney
NBA
Trail Blazers
beat Nuggets
Portland takes one game
lead for fi nal playoff spot
Lani, Large solid in first starts on the mound for Bucks
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Jusuf Nurkic had a
career-high 33 points with 16 rebounds
against his former team, CJ McCollum
had 39 points and the Portland Trail
Blazers beat the Denver
Nuggets 122-113 on
Tuesday night to take
hold of the eighth seed in
Denver
the Western Conference.
Portland leads Denver
by a game for the fi nal
playoff spot in the
Western Conference. The
Blazers also clinched the
Portland
season-series tiebreaker
with the Nuggets, giving
them an upper hand with
eight games to play.
Jameer Nelson led Denver with 23
points.
113
122
See BLAZERS/2B
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton’s Chris Large winds up
for a pitch during Tuesday’s game
against Roseburg in Pendleton.
A lack of consistency
continued as the overriding
trend for Pendleton baseball’s
fi rst two weeks of the season
as big innings and bullpen
depth bit the Buckaroos again
in a non-league doubleheader
to Roseburg on Tuesday.
Like it has been most
times it takes the diamond this
season, Pendleton was giving
the Indians a close contest
midway though each game at
Bob White Field, but ended up
with ugly looking losses of 9-4
and 9-3 by the time it was said
and done.
The afternoon wasn’t
without its highlights for the
home team, but Roseburg (6-3)
was more steady with its play
Baseball
Roseburg
Pendleton
9-9
4-3
in the fi eld and sophomore
Zack Mandera hit home runs
in each game to lead an 18-hit
afternoon for the Indians.
Pendleton (1-7) coach T.J.
Haguewood said the Bucks’
inability to put together a full
game is starting to become
worrisome after the team let
nail-biters against Walla Walla
get out of hand late.
“Every game’s been close
midway through,” he said.
“Walla Walla, we’re up 3-1 in
the fi fth inning and lose 10-3.
Over there we’re up 1-0 in
the fourth and lose 11-1 in the
fi fth. Today we’re up 1-0 in
the fi fth — so it’s gonna tell,
we haven’t been able to put
together a complete game.”
Another issue for Pendleton
has been a lack of stamina
on the mound. Haguewood
was happy with the debuts of
starting pitchers Nick Lani and
Chris Large, but a couple good
innings was all their arms were
able to provide at this point in
the season.
“I thought our starting
pitchers did a great job today
giving what they could give
us,” Haguewood said. “We
didn’t make some plays
behind (Lani), gave him some
runs, but I thought he threw
the ball well. … Our top three
pitchers, Daniel (Naughton)
has a sore arm, then Lani just
See PENDLETON/2B
Sports shorts
EOU men’s soccer coach resigns
LA GRANDE — After two seasons as head
men’s soccer coach at Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, Stan Rodrigues has resigned.
Rodrigues was the program’s fi rst-ever head
coach as he was tasked with starting the EOU
program from scratch when he was
hired. In his two seasons as coach,
the Mountaineeers compiled a
18-15-1 record.
“We want to thank Stan for his
commitment to EOU athletics,”
EOU athletic director Anji
Weissenfl uh told EOUSports.
Rodrigues
com. “Starting a new program is a
diffi cult task, and Stan did a good job building
our men’s soccer program. He cares deeply for
his student-athletes and always has their best
interest at heart.”
Prior to EOU, Rodrigues spent 12 years as a
coach and Director of Coaching for the Westside
Timbers youth soccer club team in Beaverton.
“Our focus is 100 percent
on making sure this is
a one-time deal, not
an eight-, nine-, 10-
time deal. You do that
by making sure you
maintain the culture that
has allowed that streak to
continue ... once you let it
slip, it’s hard to get back.“
— Jeff Blashill
Detroit Red Wings head coach
after the team was offi cially elim-
inated from NHL playoff conten-
tion, ending its 25-year playoff
streak which was the longest ac-
tive streak in professional sports.
Trump declines Nationals offer
for 1st pitch on Opening Day
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington
Nationals say President Donald Trump
has declined an invitation to throw out the
ceremonial fi rst pitch before
their game on opening day.
A spokeswoman for the
baseball team said Tuesday that
the White House said Trump
would not be at next week’s game at
Nationals Park against the Miami Marlins
because of a scheduling confl ict.
Washington hosts Miami next Monday
afternoon to begin the 2017 season.
President Barack Obama threw the
ceremonial fi rst pitch at the Nationals’
opener in 2010, marking the 100th anni-
versary of a presidential pitch to start the
season. William Howard Taft fi rst did it on
April 14, 1910.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1984 — The NFL Colts
leave the city of Baltimore in
the early hours of the morning,
headed for Indianapolis.
1999 — New York
Rangers center Wayne
Gretzky surpasses Gordie
Howe as the leading goal
scorer in pro hockey history
in a 3-1 victory over the
Islanders. Gretzky’s goal was
the 1,072nd of his career 20
NHL seasons.
2014 — The Philadelphia
76ers snap their NBA record-
tying, 26-game losing streak,
routing the Detroit Pistons
123-98 to avoid establishing
a new longest skid in U.S.
major pro sports history.
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