Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
FLORES:
Continued from 1B
making him the player he is
today.
The first was his older
brother C.J., a 2014 HHS
graduate.
“The biggest thing was
my brother would always
push me and at first it wasn’t
me trying to be great. It was
me trying to be better than
my older brother,” he said.
“We played basketball and
then he was always better
than me and he’d always
push me, and then sooner
or later it grew into ‘Wow I
really like this.’ And now it’s
something I really want to
push for.”
The second was his
eighth grade coach Brian
Moss.
“He really changed
basketball for me, he just
completely
turned
me
around,” he said. “I was
an OK player and he really
formed me into who I was
coming into high school.
He really helped me a lot.
Always was there after a
rough game to give me a
talk up.”
The Timberwolves listed
13 freshmen on their roster
in 2016-17, but Flores said
Burt told him there will be
plenty of opportunity for
him to get on the court early.
“I’m hoping so, I was
talking to Coach a little bit
and he said there’s not a
lot of returners left so that
just definitely opens up a
window, I’ve just got to keep
working hard,” Flores said.
He plans to work toward
his associates degree in
business with the intention
of entering an electrician’s
apprenticeship
upon
completion, but had to
defer to Stefani again when
considering his future.
“I’d like to (play at a four-
year school). I’ll play my
two years there (at BMCC),
or one year, and we’ll see
where it goes,” he said.
BULLDOGS:
Continued from 1B
stepped in with one out and
sent a fly ball into left field
that was deep enough to
bring home Ramirez on a
sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead.
And then in the fourth,
Hermiston again loaded the
bases with back-to-back
singles by Ramirez and
Noland followed by a hit-by-
pitch for Tolan to bring Gritz
to the plate with one out. And
again, Gritz came through
with a first-pitch double that
rolled to the fence in left
field to drive in three runs
for a 4-0 Hermiston lead and
further solidifying his spot as
Hermiston’s ‘Mr. Clutch.’
“I’d want any of my guys
up there but it seems like
Slade is the one that gets
there and always gets the big
knock,” Hawkins said of the
senior. “He’s just a confident
kid and I’ll take that every
minute of every game, a guy
that comes up and takes a
deep breath and just does it.”
After Schwirse departed
the game, Ramirez came
on worked himself out of
trouble. The first Eagle batter
he faced reached on an error
and then a two-out walk set
up a first-and-third situation
with two outs, with the run
on first representing the tying
run. But Ramirez escaped
with an easy fly out to center-
field to keep Hermiston on
top.
Ramirez finished off the
game in the seventh with two
easy groundouts and an easy
fly ball to left field for the
final out. Hawkins said that
this win could be a launching
point for his Bulldogs.
“We know we can
compete with teams like
Hood River,” Hawkins said.
“They’ve been very, very
successful and it’s good to
get this one and the kids will
build on it. Now we’ll worry
about getting the first one
with The Dalles.”
UP NEXT
Hermiston will head on
the road again for a double-
header at The Dalles on
Saturday at Noon.
———
R H E
HRV
000 200
0 — 2 6 2
HHS
103 000 X — 4 5 2
(HRV) A. Cameron, I. Enriquez (4). (HHS)
C. Schwirse, J. Ramirez (6) and S. Gritz. WP
— C. Schwirse, LP — A. Cameron.
2B — I. Enriquez, C. Coerper (HRV); S.
Gritz (HHS).
———
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0839. Follow him
on Twitter @ByEricSinger.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
MLB
Miami pitchers near no-hitter in shutout of Seattle
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — For the second
time in three days, the Miami
Marlins’ bullpen let a no-hitter fall a
few outs short of completion.
Wei-Yin Chen and two relievers
came within two outs of Miami’s
first combined no-hitter and the
Marlins one-hit the Seattle Mariners
in a 5-0 victory Tuesday night.
Chen had perhaps the best
start of his career, working seven
innings before being lifted with his
pitch count at 100. Brad Ziegler
got through the eighth inning with
the no-hitter intact despite a pair of
tricky grounders that nearly became
hits.
The Marlins were on the verge
of the sixth no-hitter in franchise
history when Mitch Haniger lined
a one-out double into right-center
field off Kyle Barraclough in the
ninth.
“I don’t know if I’m pitching
with a one-run lead if he’s getting
a 2-1 fastball there,” Barraclough
said. “But tip my cap. I didn’t think
it was that bad of a pitch and he did
a good job. He stayed on it and went
the other way with it.”
Barraclough recovered to strike
out Robinson Cano and get Nelson
Cruz to line out to right.
It was the second time in three
days the Marlins’ pitching staff took
a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
Dan Straily and two relievers
combined to no-hit the New York
Mets through seven innings Sunday
before Neil Walker broke it up in the
eighth with a single off Ziegler with
two outs.
The Marlins also let a no-hit
bid off the hook with an out in the
ninth last April, when Adam Conley
and Jose Urena combined to hold
Milwaukee hitless until Jonathan
Lucroy’s single.
Chen (2-0) did the heavy lifting
Tuesday, silencing the Mariners by
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Miami Marlins’ Wei-Yin Chen pitches to Seattle Mariners’ Robinson
Cano during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 18,
2017, in Seattle.
staying around the edge of the strike
zone. He was pulled by manager
Don Mattingly after reaching the
century mark in pitches, and there
was little argument about the deci-
sion.
“If given the choice any pitcher
would like to go out there and keep
pitching, but Don talked to me and
gave me his reasoning and wanted
to keep me healthy for the whole
season, so under that situation I try
not to think about it too much. It’s
his decision to make,” Chen said
through a translator.
Chen entered with a 7.00 ERA
and 14 hits allowed over his first two
starts of the season, both coming
against the New York Mets. But he
lived on the corners Tuesday, and
Seattle was willing to chase, making
weak contact as 19 of the first 21
outs were recorded by the defense.
The best contact Seattle made came
in the fifth inning when Kyle Seager
hit a one-hopper back up the middle
that shortstop JT Riddle gloved and
threw to first. Taylor Motter, the
next batter, flew out to the warning
track in center.
Chen got 12 fly ball outs and just
seven on the ground. He allowed
three total baserunners, two coming
in the seventh inning, on a walk to
Haniger and when Nelson Cruz was
hit by a pitch with one out. But Chen
finished off the inning, striking out
Seager and getting a pop up from
Motter.
“It’s a big deal we aren’t on the
news tonight. We would be all over
the place,” Cano said.
EARLY RUNS
Miami got the offense it needed
early with an RBI infield single by
Christian Yelich in the first inning
and a two-run homer by Justin Bour
in the third inning.
Seattle starter Yovani Gallardo
(0-2) allowed four runs and nine hits.
While the Marlins had a number of
broken-bat singles or slow rollers
that found holes in the infield,
Gallardo did leave a slider hanging
that Bour hit for an opposite-field
home run. The damage would have
been worse if not for Guillermo
Heredia robbing Marcell Ozuna of
Miami
Seattle
5
0
a three-run homer in the first inning
with a leaping catch at the wall.
CONNECTIONS
It turned out to be an old team-
mate that got the better of Barra-
clough.
Haniger and Barraclough played
on the same summer travel baseball
team during their high school
days in the Bay Area. The double
extended Haniger’s hitting streak to
12 games.
“It’s still not a good feeling,
getting shut out, but at least we
didn’t get no-hit,” Haniger said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: IF Adeiny Hechavarria
(oblique) will likely join the Marlins
in San Diego for their weekend series
against the Padres. Mattingly said
the hope is Hechavarria, currently
on a rehab assignment, will be able
to play early in the San Diego series.
... 3B Martin Prado was out of the
lineup after leaving Monday’s game
with a calf cramp. It’s not considered
serious but Mattingly wasn’t sure if
Prado would play in the series finale
on Wednesday.
Mariners: Shortstop Jean Segura
(hamstring) is likely to go on a brief
rehab assignment before rejoining
the Mariners in Oakland this
weekend. Manager Scott Servais
said Segura will probably play one
or two games possibly with Class
A Modesto before rejoining the
Mariners.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Edinson Volquez (0-1)
makes his fourth start of the season
still looking for his first victory.
Mariners: Felix Hernandez (1-1)
has 15 strikeouts and no walks in his
first three starts.
PREPS: Hermiston boys, girls tennis teams sweep Pendleton
Continued from 1B
WESTON-MCEWEN
14,
ECHO 1 (6 innings) — At
Echo, Bailey Hillmick pitched
a one-hitter, Whitney Roggerio
drove in three runs and Jordyn
Lambert hit a home run to lead
Weston-McEwen to a six-inning
run-rule win on Tuesday in Special
District 1 softball.
Echo (5-8, 1-2 SD1) starter
Alyssa Ray baffled Weston-
McEwen (5-3, 2-0) its first time
through the line-up, but the Tiger-
Scots finally started to figure her out
in the third inning and scored their
first two runs on an error followed
by a Courtney Cain single.
Lambert’s home run was a solo
shot to start the sixth inning and
made the score 10-1. She finished
2 for 4 with two RBI. Also with
multiple hits for the TigerScots
were Hillmick (2 for 3), Roggerio
(2 for 3, two runs), Amie Coffman
(3 for 4, two runs) and Brittany
McGill (2 for 4, three runs).
Codi Hewlett had Echo’s only
hit to score Sammy McQuown in
the bottom of the fifth, and Hill-
mick finished with seven strikeouts
and two walks.
UP NEXT
Weston-McEwen plays at Pilot
Rock on Thursday in the continu-
ation of a game that was rained out
on March 31. That game starts at 4
p.m. and will pick up in the bottom
of the second inning with the Tiger-
Scots at bat trailing 18-2.
Echo hosts Umatilla on Friday
for a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
———
(6 innings)
R H E
W-M
002 435 — 14 13 3
EHS
000 010 —
1 1 5
W — B. Hillmick. L — A. Ray.
2B — S. Peal, J. Lambert, B. Hillmick (W-M). HR —
J. Lambert (W-M).
IRRIGON 24, UMATILLA 4
(5 innings) — At Umatilla, May
Chapman and Emma Combes each
drove in three runs and Irrigon took
advantage of 20 walks by Umatilla
pitchers to win their Special District
1 softball game in five innings on
Tuesday.
Irrigon (11-5, 3-1 SD1) scored
in each of the first four innings and
plated 13 runs in the top of the third
to go up 22-0.
Jada Burns (3 for 3, five runs)
and Chapman (3 for 3, four runs)
led Irrigon on offense, and Bailey
Botefuhr (2 for 4, three runs, two
RBI) and Kayla Gilman (2 for 4,
two runs, two RBI) also swung
dangerous bats.
Chapman got the start in the
circle and the win. She allowed one
hit over two full with one strikeout.
Vikings starter Charlene Alvarez
was 2 for 2 with a triple to lead
Umatilla (1-10, 0-4) on offense.
UP NEXT
Umatilla plays at Echo in a
doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m.
Irrigon plays at Echo for a single
game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
———
(5 innings)
IHS
45(13) 20
R
—
H E
24 14
4
UHS
000 31 —
4 3 1
W — M. Chapman. L — C. Alvarez.
2B — M. Chapman, B. Botefuhr, N. Phillips (IHS). 3B
— J. Burns (IHS); C. Alvarez (UHS).
BASEBALL
THE DALLES 17, PEND-
LETON 7 (6 innings) — At The
Dalles, the Buckaroos needed three
pitchers to get through six innings
against the Riverhawks on Tuesday
in Columbia River Conference
play, but not because Pendleton’s
hurlers weren’t throwing strikes.
The Dalles (7-9, 1-2 CRC)
simply hit the cover off the ball
as the Riverhawks found gap after
gap in the Pendleton defense for 14
hits. Six errors by Pendleton (6-10,
2-1) helped exacerbate matters on
the mound.
“Pitcher threw the ball well
today, The Dalles was just on at
the plate,” said Pendleton coach
T.J. Haguewood. “They didn’t miss
many fastballs.”
The Dalles starting pitcher Jose
Gonzalez hit a double and triple
to help his own cause and went 3
for 3 with four runs and three RBI.
He pitched 3 1/3 to get the win and
finished with two strikeouts and
five walks with three runs allowed
on four hits.
Henry Lee hit a two-run home
run to initiate the 10-run rule in the
bottom of the sixth inning.
Wyatt Morris made his first start
on the mound for Pendleton and
went just 1 1/3 but threw 67 percent
strikes while giving up six runs on
seven hits.
UP NEXT
Pendleton hosts Hood River
on Saturday for a doubleheader
starting at noon.
———
(6 innings)
R H E
PHS
200 104 —
7 7 6
TD
060 416 — 17 14 1
W. Morris, N. Lani (2), H. Villers (5). J. Gonzalez, J.
Wetmore (4), H. Lee (6). W — Gonzalez. L — Morris.
2B — W. Morris, D. Naughton, A. Zaugg (PHS); D.
Hoffman, J. Gonzalez, T. Westin (TD). 3B — J. Gonza-
lez (TD). HR — H. Lee (TD).
DUFUR 14-12, WESTON-
MCEWEN 0-6 — At Athena,
Kolbe Bales pitched a no-hitter in
the first half of Tuesday’s Special
District 6 doubleheader and Dufur
took advantage of Weston-McEwen
errors in both games to get the
sweep on Tuesday.
Bales struck out 15 and walked
two in a five-inning complete game
to beat Weston-McEwen 14-0 in
the opener. He also hit two doubles
in the game as Dufur (13-0, 8-0
SD6) scattered 12 hits.
The Rangers added 11 hits in
support of Bailey Keever in Game
2, and Weston-McEwen (5-8, 3-5)
had six errors in each game.
The TigerScots were eventually
able to get the bats going in the
second game, though, and were
led by Parker Munck (2 for 3) and
Brendan Dearing (2 for 4, two runs,
three RBI).
UP NEXT
Weston-McEwen has a week
off and plays at Union in a double-
header on Tuesday, April 25, at 2
p.m.
———
Game 1 (5 innings)
R H E
DHS
531 50 — 14 12 1
W-M
000 00 —
0 0 6
W — Bales. L — B. Speed.
2B — B. Keever, C. Uhalde, T. McLaughlin, K. Bales
2 (DHS).
Game 2
R H E
W-M
000 030
3 — 6 6 6
DHS
510 222 X — 12 11 3
W — B. Keever. L — T. Hendley.
2B — B. Dearing, G. Smith (W-M); B. Keever, C.
Uhalde, T. McLaughlin (DHS).
CULVER 5-7, HEPPNER
1-5 — At Culver, the Mustangs fell
behind early and never caught the
Bulldogs in a pair of Special District
6 baseball losses on Tuesday.
Culver (7-2-1, 4-0 SD6) was
up 6-1 after three in Game 1, then
led 2-0 after two in Game 2, which
was called after five innings for an
unknown reason.
Heppner (1-13, 0-8) had a
few players with solid games,
but weren’t consistent enough
throughout the line-up to hang with
Culver. Beau Wolters (2 for 3) and
Lane Wilhelm (2 for 2) led them
in Game 1 while Tim Jaca added a
pair of RBI. Then Coby Dougherty
(2 for 3) and Tyler Carter’s RBI
provided the highlights in Game 2.
UP NEXT
Heppner hosts Pilot Rock
on Saturday for a doubleheader
starting at 11 a.m.
———
Game 1
R H
HHS
010 301
0 — 5
CHS
213 100 X — 7
W — C. Gunes. L — W. Steagall.
2B — W. Basil, B. Aleyre (CHS).
Game 2 (5 innings)
CHS
020 03 —
5
HHS
000 10 —
1
W — C. Little. L — K. Smith.
2B — J. Bender (CHS).
R
8
4
E
8
9
5
1
H
0
2
E
COLLEGE
PLACE
13,
MAC-HI 3 (6 innings) — At
College Place, Wash., Keaton
Smith and Dareagan Stephens had
Mac-Hi’s only hits in a non-league
loss to College Place on Tuesday.
Despite the lack of offense, the
Pioneers (3-8) led 3-1 in the top
of the third inning after Stephens
scored from third on a ground-out
and Smith drove in a run with a
double.
College Place struck back in the
bottom of the frame to go up 5-3,
though, and took the lead for good
with four consecutive hits with two
outs, two of them doubles.
UP NEXT
Mac-Hi plays a doubleheader at
Baker on Thursday at 3 p.m.
———
R H E
M-H
012 000 —
3 2 1
CP
014 062 — 13 14 0
W — Ko. Morris. L — D. Cothey.
2B — K. Smith (M-H); K. Filan, B. Harrison 2, Ko.
Morris, Ky. Morris, T. Mink (CP).
TENNIS
(BOYS) HERMISTON 4,
PENDLETON 1 — At Hermiston,
the Bulldogs went for the jugular
against the Buckaroos and won
three of five matches in straight
sets, and gave up just one set in
another on Tuesday in Columbia
River Conference play.
Lincoln Johnson was Pendle-
ton’s only winner at No. 1 singles
with a 6-2, 5-7, 10-3 defeat of
Hermiston’s
Jose
Mendoza.
Bulldogs coach Shann West said
Johnson was a frustrating opponent
due to his consistent returns.
“Jose was going against a brick
wall,” West said. “Everything he
hit was coming back.”
That wasn’t really the case in
any of the other matches, though,
and West said he was happy to see
his players keep their edge despite
lopsided wins.
“It’s easy to kind of let up,”
he said. “Just having a lot of zero
scores there is people competing
and giving it their all.”
UP NEXT
Hermiston will host The Dalles
on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Pendleton plays at La Grande on
Friday at 4 p.m.
—————
Singles
Lincoln Johnson (P) def. Jose Mendoza 6-2, 5-7, 10-3
Caleb Jorgensen (H) def. Silas Johnston 6-0, 6-1
Hayden Cissna (H) def. Easton Phelan 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
Thomas McCullough/Patrick Wicks (H) def. Jeremy
Sellers/Joey Savage 6-0, 6-0
Koby Grigg/Jason Morris (H) def. Santo Schmitz/
Elton Harrison 6-0, 6-0
(GIRLS) HERMISTON 5,
PENDLETON 3 — At Pendleton,
the Hermiston Bulldogs defeated
the Pendleton Buckaroos 5-3 on
Tuesday afternoon thanks to a
strong day from its doubles teams.
Hermiston and Pendleton split
the singles matches 2-2, but Herm-
iston won the No. 2 through No.
4 doubles matches to take advan-
tage. No. 1 doubles team Jaycee
Ternes and Katelyn Millard was
the team’s only loss in three sets
to Pendleton’s Jenna Senter and
Abby Williams. Pendleton coach
Rocky Dillenburg said he moved
Senter and Williams, normally the
Bucks’ top two singles players, to
a doubles team to try and match up
better against Hermiston’s strength
in doubles.
In the singles matches with
Hermiston’s Mackenzie Hill and
Adriann Stewart taking the No. 1
and No. 2 singles matches before
Pendleton freshmen Bethany
Flanagan and Becca Walker rallied
for two three-set victories at No.
3 and No. 4. Flanagan outlasted
Hermiston’s Breckyn Mecham
through two tiebreakers in the
first and second set with Flanagan
winning the first 7-6 and Mecham
the second 7-6 before Flanagan
won 10-6 in the match tiebreak.
UP NEXT
Hermiston heads to The Dalles
on Thursday at 4 p.m. and Pend-
leton goes to La Grande on Friday.
————
Singles
Mackenzie Hill (H) def. Brandy Brown 6-0, 2-6
Adriann Stewart (H) def. Danae Smith 6-0, 7-5
Bethany Flanagan (P) def. Breckyn Mecham 7-6,
6-7, 10-6
Becca Walker (P) def. Katie Bradshaw 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
Doubles
Jenna Senter/Abby Williams (P) def. Jaycee Ternes/
Katelyn Millard 2-6, 6-2, 10-7
Reed Middleton/Breena Wadekamper (H) def. Mau-
reen Davies/N/A 6-1, 6-3
Paola Sanchez/Emery Snyder (H) def. Kayla Walker/
Brooke Lapp 6-3, 3-6, 10-6
Alyssa Perkins/Olivia Thomas (H) def. Florence/
Scanlon 6-3, 6-2