SPORTS THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS HERMISTON Pack of Bulldogs sign with T-Wolves BMCC soccer adds more local talent for fi rst team By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian When the Hermiston boys soccer team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Woodburn in the state quarterfi nals in November, many of the team’s 11 seniors thought that it was their fi nal time playing the game they love together. However, on Wednesday six of those seniors decided that the playoff game wasn’t their last time together. Anthony MLB Six Hermiston seniors smile with BMCC soc- cer coach Art Moda, center, after all signed to play soccer for the school on Wednesday. Pictured from left are Isma- el Arenas, Eli Lopez, Anthony Carillo, Isaac Munoz, Gio Madrigal, and Hiram Maciel. Carillo, Eli Lopez, Gio Madrigal, Hiram Maciel, Isaac Munoz, and Ismael Arenas all signed National Letters of Intent with Blue Mountain Community College and be a part of the school’s fi rst-ever men’s soccer team in the fall. The six made it offi cial at a signing party in the Hermiston High commons, and were all happy to know they will continue playing as teammates. “It’s a great feeling because I’ve grown up with these guys and we all know how to play with eachother,” Lopez said. “I’m excited about what’s going to happen this year and I’m looking forward to it.” It was also an emotional day for the athletes, as all six were also fulfi lling See BULLDOGS/2B Staff photo by Eric Singer NBA Playoffs Haniger guides M’s to victory Durant-less Warriors fl y by Blazers Golden State War- riors’ Stephen Curry (30) scores against the Port- land Trail Blazers during the fi rst half in Game 2 of a fi rst- round NBA bas- ketball playoff series Wednes- day, April 19, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Rookie outfi elder extends hit streak to 13 games By TIM BOOTH Associated Press SEATTLE — Rookie Mitch Haniger extended his hitting streak to 13 games with three hits and four RBIs, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Miami Marlins 10-5 on Wednesday for their fi fth win in six games. Seattle has stabilized after a shaky fi rst 10 day, receiving a punch of offense on a day Felix Hernandez (2-1) did not have his best stuff. Haniger led the charge. A night Miami after breaking up a potential no-hitter with a ninth-inning double, Haniger scored in the fi rst inning, had Seattle a two-run single in the second and clanged a two-run double off the wall in deep center fi eld in the fourth. Kyle Seager also drove in four runs and was on base four times as the Mariners went 6-3 on their only homestand of April. Miami starter Edinson Volquez (0-2) barely made it through three innings, giving up four runs and fi ve hits. He walked four for the second straight start. Haniger was considered the extra piece of Seattle’s biggest offseason AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez 5 10 See MARINERS/2B Portland falls into 2-0 hole against defending Western Conference champs By JANIE MCCAULEY Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 19 points on an off night, JaVale McGee sparked Golden State off the bench with 15 points, and the short-handed Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-81 in Game 2 of their fi rst-round playoff series Wednesday night without injured leading scorer Kevin Durant. McGee shined on a night none of the usual stars found their consistent shooting strokes. The backup big man had six assists and Game 2 made all seven six rebounds. Klay of his fi eld-goal Thompson was 6 of attempts and deliv- 17 with 16 points ered several more Portland Golden State and CJ McCollum of his signature and Damian alley-oop dunks Lillard were hardly as Durant watched were the dynamic with a strained left calf he hurt in scoring duo for Portland they’d the playoff opener Sunday. been combining for 75 points only Draymond Green had another three days earlier. fantastic all-around game, getting Again, Golden State did it on 12 rebounds, 10 assists, six points defense — holding the Blazers to and three more blocked shots after 12 points in the third. And now swatting fi ve in Sunday’s win. the Warriors own a 2-0 lead in Curry went 6 for 18 and also the best-of-seven series as it shifts 81 110 to Portland for Saturday’s Game 3, just as Steve Kerr’s group did going ahead on the Blazers in last year’s Western Conference semifi nal won in fi ve games. Maurice Harkless scored all of his 15 points in the fi rst half and the Blazers gave up seven straight points to start the third as the Warriors were off and running. Portland played again without center Jusuf Nurkic, and missed him. The 7-footer still isn’t 100 percent from a nondisplaced fracture in his right leg that side- See BLAZERS/2B Prep Roundup Thieme’s gem guides Rockets to sixth straight win Pilot Rock sits alone in second place in Special District 6 East Oregonian AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle’s Mitch Haniger singles in a pair of runs against the Mi- ami Marlins in the second inning of Wednesday’s game in Seattle. PILOT ROCK — The Pilot Rock baseball team was able to get in half of its doubleheader against Sherman nine and walked Baseball before Wednesday’s four, but didn’t fl ash storm hit, and allow a runner past came away with a second after the fi rst Pilot Rock inning to keep the 3-1 win after a gem Sherman on the mound by Rockets undefeated Levi Thieme. in Special District 6. Thieme over- Sherman (8-3, came some early issues to settle 5-2 SD6) took a 1-0 lead in the in and retired 10 straight Sherman top of the fi rst inning when Mav batters in the middle innings. He Winslow walked on four straight gave up just three hits, struck out balls and later scored on a line 1 3 drive to right fi eld by Bradley Moe. Thieme, who was coming off a 10-strikeout one-hitter in a 9-0 win over Grant Union in his last start, walked the next batter but got the third out on a looking strikeout. Pilot Rock (7-4, 5-0) got the run back in the bottom of the fi rst when Joe St. Pierre doubled, advanced to third on a ground-out See PREPS/2B Sports shorts Harden outduels Westbrook as Rockets take 2-0 series lead HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden scored 35 points and the Houston Rockets overcame 51 points from Russell Westbrook in a triple- double, clawing back from a double-digit defi cit for a 115-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the fi rst-round Western Conference playoff series. Westbrook set a franchise playoff scoring record and added Harden 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the most points ever scored in a postseason triple-double. It was the sixth career playoff triple-double for Westbrook, who had an NBA-record 42 in the regular season. Game 3 is Friday night in Oklahoma City. The game was tied before Houston scored 10 straight to make it 114-104 with 1:22 remaining. “At the end of the day, does this fi ght make a ton of sense for me? It really doesn’t. But Conor wants this thing really bad and I’ve said this many times: The kid’s stepped up and saved some big fi ghts for me. I’m in. I’ll fi gure it out.“ — Dana White UFC president revealed his feelings for the proposed boxing match between Floyd Mayweath- er and Conor McGregor on Wednesday, and said there is still a lot of work to be done with negotiations to make it a reality. Buccaneers next NFL team to take on HBO’s Hard Knocks TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Coming off their fi rst winning season in nearly a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” sports reality series during training camp — an opportunity coaches and players are embracing but hardly sought. The team was selected from among eight clubs meeting NFL criteria for consideration for the popular fi ve-episode series that takes viewers behind the scenes of a club’s preparation for the regular season. Tampa Bay joins the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets as clubs that have partici- pated in the series. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1912 — Fenway Park opens in Boston with the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings. 2006 — Julio Franco becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run, helping his New York Mets rally for a 7-2 win over San Diego. Franco, 47, replaces Athletics pitcher Jack Quinn in the record book who was 46 years, 357 days old when he homered in June of 1930. 2008 — Danica Patrick becomes the fi rst female winner in IndyCar history, capturing the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th career start. 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