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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2017)
SPORTS WEEKEND, MAY 13-14, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON Bucks make Dawgs pay Pendleton takes advantage of errors to beat Hermiston By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian In a game with major playoff implications for both teams, the Pendleton Buckaroos proved they were ready for the postseason as they seized on early errors by the Hermiston Bulldogs to lead wire to wire and win the season series between the cross-county rivals. The Bulldogs needed Baseball Hermiston Pendleton 3 13 a win Friday to keep their season going, but had three errors in the fi rst and third innings that led to four runs by the Buckaroos. The Bulldogs would eventually get three of those back, but Pendleton added nine more to win 13-3 in six innings and secure second place in the Columbia River Conference. Wyatt Morris gave the Bucks another solid start on the mound, and also hit a solo home run to lead off a six-run sixth that brought on the run rule. “We did what was neces- sary to keep their backs against the wall and we just kept putting pressure on them,” said Pendleton coach T.J. Haguewood. “It was good to see the guys got hits when we needed to and we made them pay.” Hermiston’s troubles didn’t start right away, but after two uneventful outs to begin the bottom of the fi rst inning things started to go See BASEBALL/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton’s Daniel Naughton connects for a two-run RBI double in the Bucks’ 13-3 win against the Hermiston Bulldogs on Friday in Pendleton. STANFIELD PENDLETON Adding to the arsenal Klay Jenson makes Tigers even more dangerous “It’s a great feeling just being able to help the team out when they need it and trying to be the guy and step up when needed.” — Klay Jenson, Stanfi eld/Echo baseball senior Pendleton belts six home runs to clinch CRC title By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian hile the Stanfi eld/ Echo baseball team put together its run to the Class 3A state championship in 2016, the team managed to do so without an important piece. That missing piece was Klay Jenson, who was forced to watch his team’s incredible season from the dugout as he recovered from a devastating knee injury suffered during football season. Described as the team’s ‘hype guy’ by several teammates, Jenson still played an important role by trying to keep positive energy fl owing in the dugout during games and practices. It wasn’t the role he had envisioned for his junior season, after carving out time as a regular for the Tigers as a sophomore, but it was a role he accepted. “It was hard, defi nitely, to just sit and watch,” Jenson recalled. “But just going out there and still being able to support them was something that was a big key for me.” Now in his senior season, Jenson is no longer a casual bystander at Stanfi eld baseball games. The 5-foot-7, 155-pound athlete is fully healthy again and playing a much larger role for Stanfi eld, and is also a big reason why the Tigers are perhaps an even better team in 2017. Jenson has started all 20 games for the Tigers this season, where he has either manned a spot in the outfi eld or toed the pitching rubber. At the plate, Jenson has hit for a .285 average with 24 RBI and a team-high two home runs. He’s scored 22 runs and has a .432 on-base percentage from his No. 7 spot in the lineup. “He gives us a lot more Buckaroos clobber Bulldogs The stage was set for the Pendleton softball team on Friday afternoon. A win over Hermiston would keep the Columbia River Conference crown in Pendleton for yet another year, while a loss would mean a shared title with Hood River Valley. But being that the game was against the Buckaroos’ rivals, they didn’t want Softball to just win the game, they wanted to make a state- ment in doing so. Hermiston And boy, did the Buck- aroos do just that. Pendleton belted six home runs and collected 16 hits as they clobbered the Bulldogs 18-0 in the Pendleton regular season fi nale at Steve Cary Field. Senior Payton Hergert was all smiles after the game, and she had good reason to be. Hergert went 2 for 4 with a home run as she and fellow seniors Maddy Parker and Tatum Fell W 0 18 See SOFTBALL/2B Staff photo by Kathy Aney Stanfi eld’s Klay Jenson has demonstrated his talent this season on the mound, in the out- fi eld and in the batter’s box. depth into our batting lineup,” teammate Brody Woods said. “Last year I think we topped off a little, the bottom guys would hit but have some games where they’re not super consistent. And this year we’re just solid overall and it helps out a whole lot because they make contact and we’re scoring throughout the whole lineup.” But where Jenson has made his biggest contributions of late is as a pitcher. Aside from his one-inning, two-run and four- walk outing against Tri-Cities Prep (WA) in the season opener, Jenson has been lights out. Spanning seven appearances and 23 innings, the left-hander has allowed a mere one earned run and six hits to go with 31 strikeouts. “It’s a great feeling just being able to help the team out when they need it and trying to be the guy and step up when needed,” Jenson said. “I’m just there in the outfi eld and I got their back, and then if pitching I’m going to try and throw strikes and know my defense has my back.” Thyler Monkus, Stanfi eld’s primary catcher, said that Jenson’s success on the mound comes down to a simple approach to each hitter. “He’s been really focused on fi rst pitch strikes and once he gets that down, he’s pretty See JENSON/2B Staff photo by Kathy Aney Pendleton’s Lauren Richards pitches during the fi rst inning of Friday’s game against Hermiston at Steve Cary Field. Sports shorts WNBA fi nding new ways to try and grow off the court Brady picked for Madden 18 cover (AP) — To the joy of 9-year-old Jack Brady, the fi ve-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady will be the cover athlete for Madden 18 , following his Patriots teammate and buddy Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski’s absence for half of the 2016 season could have given his quarterback pause about accepting the cover role. After all, there’s talk of a Madden Curse. While pointing out that he works extra hard to keep fi t — how many NFL players are in as Brady good or better shape at age 39 as they were a decade ago? — Brady acknowledges that he’s heard about the curse. “I am not sure it’s supposedly that there is a curse, I think there is a curse,” he said. “I’ve been able to overcome a lot of things in my life, and now we’ve really got to step up our game.” “The opportunity is narrowing. We’d just like him to have success somewhere. We’re not going to be there.“ — Phil Jackson New York Knicks team president reiterating his belief that 32-year- old star Carmelo Anthony should waive his no-trade clause and accept a deal to a team in posi- tion to contend for an NBA title. NEW YORK (AP) — Coming off one of the most successful seasons in WNBA history on and off the court, the league has found ways to try to bring in new fans. Whether streaming games on Twitter, partnering with FanDuel to offer daily fantasy sports or just having more games on television, the WNBA is growing. “I think the WNBA is doing a great job using multiple platforms to broaden their audience,” ESPN broadcaster Rebecca Lobo said. “I see fi rsthand how my own kids consume sports, and streaming is the primary option for them.” This year’s changes come after the WNBA had its highest attendance in fi ve seasons, record marks for WNBA digital, social media and retail and double-digit growth in television viewership on ESPN. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1958 — Stan Musial gets his 3,000th hit with a pinch- double off Chicago’s Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field. 2005 — Tiger Woods misses the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship to end his record of 142 consecutive cuts made over seven years. 2007 — Rafael Nadal becomes the fi rst player to win the Rome Masters three consecutive times by beating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-2. The victory extends his winning streak on clay to 77 matches, breaking John McEnroe’s record for most consecutive wins on one surface. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
