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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2017)
SPORTS THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS MLB Track & Field State Championships M’s blank Locals poised for medal haul Athletics Hermis- ton’s Alexis Mercado takes the baton from teammate Tyler Rohr- man during the Colum- bia River Conference track-and- fi eld cham- pionships at Herm- iston High School on May 11. The team placedfi rst with a time of 44.88 seconds to qualify for the 5A state cham- pionships. Bergman allows two hits, pitches into eighth inning By DAIMON EKLUND Associated Press SEATTLE — Christian Bergman pitched into the eighth inning for the best start of his career, Jean Segura extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a two-run single and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday night. Bergman (1-1) allowed two hits after holding Oakland Oakland hitless until the fi fth inning. He had a career-high nine strikeouts and tied James Paxton for the most in a game by a Mariners pitcher this year. Seattle His 7 1/3 innings were also a personal best. Nelson Cruz drove in two runs for the Mariners, who took two of three in the series against Oakland. Jesse Hahn (1-3) gave up four runs — three earned — and fi ve hits in fi ve innings. Oakland has lost fi ve of its last six games. Bergman, who was making his 17th start See MARINERS/2B 0 Staff photo by Kathy Aney 4 Hermiston, Pilot Rock, Weston-McEwen enter with top-seeded athletes By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Chris- tian Bergman throws against the Oak- land Athletics during the second inning of Wednesday’s game in Seattle. HERMISTON — Numerous local athletes will bring medals away from the OSAA Track and Field State Championships held today though Saturday for all classifi cations at Oregon University’s Hayward Field, and it is a near certainty that at least a few of those are going to be “gold.” The OSAA doesn’t actually award gold medals to its event champions, but several locals are poised to secure the equiv- alent after a long season of hard work. The Hermiston Bulldogs have half a dozen athletes that will enter their preliminary heats with top-fi ve rankings, and the girls’ 4x100-meter relay team is ranked No. 1. Coming off a district meet in which they dominated in team points, the Lady Dawgs are feeling bullish headed into the state meet. “We’re not overly confi dent, we’re just ready to compete,” said senior relay runner, sprinter and hurdler Audrey Lincoln. “At this point in time I think it’s theirs to lose,” said Herm- iston head coach Emilee Strot prior to the team’s fi nal practice in Hermiston on Wednesday. Strot said she tried to keep things loose and fun in practice this week. “I want them to go in and not feel pressure,” she said. “I think we’ve prepared them this season enough to be mentally tough, physically tough. They’ve put the training in all year to do great things and I think that will happen.” Many of the Bulldogs headed to Eugene will be familiar with the setting, but senior Ebony Wilson said her second time competing at state as a junior felt the same as the fi rst. “Every time I go at Hayward it’s just like I’ve been there for the fi rst time all over again. It’s just so, butterfl ies in the stomach. It’s so nerve-racking but fun at the same time,” she said. “It’s really fun to look out into the stands and just hundreds and thousands of people looking at you. It’s just awesome.” Wilson also runs on the 4x100 team and is one of the Bulldogs taking high seeds into her individual events. She is seeded third in the 100-meter dash, triple jump and long jump. Sophomores Scout Reagan and Madison Wilson are seeded second in the 100 dash and 100 hurdles, respectively, senior Stephanie Miears is third in the shot put, senior Makayla Akers is fourth in the javelin and Reagan is also fourth in the 200. For Hermiston’s boys, Tyler Rohrman is seeded third in the 110 hurdles, and Jackson Mechado enters fourth in the high jump. Team points are awarded to the top eight fi nishers, and several more Bulldogs are well within that range going in. One of those is senior thrower Ismael Arenas, who will be competing in shot put and discus, where he enters as the No. 7 seed. It’ll be the fi rst state meet for the Columbia River Conference’s Male Field Athlete of the Year. “Ever since my freshman year my coach (David) Faee- teete told me, ‘You know when you’re a senior I want you to go to state and make me famous for training a short Mexican to See TRACK /2B HERMISTON Lincoln fi nds perfect fi t with Pacifi c Hermiston senior signs with Boxers track and fi eld By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian With top-10 Class 5A rank- ings in all four of her events, Hermiston senior track and fi eld standout Audrey Lincoln had no trouble getting college programs interested in offering her an athletic scholarship. But when it came time to realize her childhood dream of competing in a college sport, Lincoln chose Pacifi c University because it would provide her the best fi t academically. “I want to be a mathematics major,” she said Wednesday after signing a National Letter of Intent to join the Boxers track and fi eld program in the fall. “I’ve always liked math, and it wasn’t until the last year that I saw it as a possible career. … Academically Pacifi c really pulled me in.” Hermiston track and fi eld coach Emilee Strot said Lincoln had plenty of options. “There’s been a lot of schools contacting me about Audrey, and anytime she does some research or talks to the coach, she’ll always come back and I can tell in her voice that Pacifi c was still her No. 1,” she said. “So I knew, and I knew she knew, and we needed to make it work.” Since it is an NCAA Divi- sion III university, Pacifi c by rule does not offer athletic scholarships, but Hermiston’s Class of 2017 valedictorian, Lincoln will have no trouble getting fi nancial assistance. “Because of my grades they were able to give me a pretty big scholarship,” she said. “Since they aren’t there on (athletic) scholarships, everyone that competes is there because they love the sport.” Lincoln said becoming a collegiate athlete was some- thing she identifi ed as a goal early on, and she’ll compete in her fi nal high school meet this week at the state cham- pionships in Eugene where she’ll be representing Herm- iston in the 400-meter dash, 300 hurdles and both relays. She believes Pacifi c will be a great fi t for her as an athlete as well, and was impressed with head coach Matt Lydum when she went for a campus visit. “He was just nice, just friendly, like it kind of felt like I was already family the second I met him,” she said. “I went there and visited it, and you just knew that was where you wanted to be.” “I can tell why they clicked,” Strot said of Lydum. “What a great guy, and I know she’ll be really successful over there. … Academically I think it’s a perfect place for her, and then it worked out that they have a growing track program. They’re looking for some sprinters, so she’s just going to fi t in really well.” Contributed photo courtesy of Hermsiton Athletics Hermiston senior Audrey Lincoln, left, signs a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and fi eld at Pacifi c University as Hermiston track and fi eld coach Emilee Strot watches on Wednesday during a ceremony at Hermiston High School. Sports shorts Pirates RHP Taillon battling cancer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tests on tissue removed from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon last week confi rmed he is dealing with testicular cancer. Pirates trainer Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Taillon will be re-evaluated next week before deciding the next course of treatment. The 25-year-old Taillon complained of groin discomfort earlier this month and later Taillon discovered an abnormality after going on the disabled list May 6. He had tissue surgically removed on May 8. Taillon, who is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in six starts for the Pirates, has been cleared to play catch and do light cardio but remains out indefi nitely pending the outcome of further test results. “All we are asking from the court is that this type of behavior, that can and does cause serious injury to our team and those that love it, not be allowed in San Antonio.“ — Alfonso Kennard Jr. Lead attorney in a lawsuit nam- ing Zaza Pachulia and the Gold- en State Warriors as defendants, and brought by lifelong Spurs fans alleging the center’s actions against Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 “devastated the quality of the Spurs’ chances of being competi- tive” and diminished the value of the tickets purchased. Baylor hit with another lawsuit against football program AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A new federal lawsuit against Baylor University alleges football players routinely recorded gang rapes and staged dogfi ghts in a program that fostered sexual violence. A former Baylor volleyball player identifi ed only as Jane Doe fi led the lawsuit Tuesday. It alleges she was gang raped by four or more players in 2012. She says the players later harassed her and her family until she left school the next year. The lawsuit doesn’t identify any players. The woman says she confi ded in her coach, who contacted Baylor’s football coach and athletic director at the time, but nothing happened. More than a dozen women have now sued Baylor, alleging offi cials for years mishandled or ignored sex assault allegations. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1920 — Man o’ War, ridden by Clarence Kummer, wins the Preakness Stakes by 1 lengths over Upset. 1990 — Edmonton’s Jari Kurri becomes the leading goal scorer in Stanley Cup history when he scores his 90th postseason goal in the fi rst period of Game 2 of the fi nals against Boston. Kurri adds two more goals as the Oilers beat the Bruins 7-2. 2004 — Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 27 hitters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
