SPORTS
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017
1B
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PILOT ROCK
Rockets, Warriors match strengths
Pitching and defense
key in semifi nals
wins for both teams
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
When the No. 2 Pilot Rock/
Nixyaawii Rockets take the fi eld
for the 2A/1A state championship at
OSU Softball Complex on Friday at
1 p.m., it will be with a considerable
edge in title-game experience on
their opponent.
No. 5 North Douglas (21-4) is
making just its third championship
appearance in school history, and its
fi rst since 2003.
But experience alone isn’t going
to be enough to give the Rockets
(25-5) their third-straight state title,
and when the teams step between
the lines some pretty striking
resemblances appear.
The game will be broadcast
live online via the OSAA Radio
Network. Here’s a look at how the
Rockets and Warriors match up
coming in:
IN THE CIRCLE
Rockets senior Tehya Ostrom
pitched her way to Co-Player of
the Year honors in Special District
5, and will start her third champi-
onship game on the rubber.
She allowed just two runs in
each of her last two title starts,
and showed just how cool she is
in a pinch by pitching out of two
bases-loaded jams against Union in
the semifi nals.
Her counterpart for the Warriors
is freshman Nicki Derrick, who
more than makes up for what she
lacks in experience with talent.
Derrick struck out 13 batters to lead
North Douglas over No. 1 Kennedy
in the semifi nals and allowed just two
runs on fi ve hits to a lineup that was
producing nearly 10 runs a game on
average.
“I’m very excited for all of us,”
Derrick told The News-Review
following the win over Kennedy.
“Not only for me, but for all of
our seniors who have been trying
to get there (to the title game) for
four years. To see them actually
get there and be a part of it, that’s
really cool to me.”
2A/1A Championship
#5 North Douglas
Warriors
(21-4)
#2
Pilot Rock
Rockets
(25-5)
• Friday, 1 p.m.
• at OSU Softball Complex, Corvallis
• Online: OSAA Radio Network
runners caught getting greedy. The
Warriors have shut out six oppo-
nents this season.
“That’s something we’ve been
talking about all year long,” North
Douglas coach Jesse Rice told The
News-Review. “Defense will win
ballgames, and today it really did.”
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pilot Rock’s Tehya Ostrum pitches during Tuesday’s state semifi nal 2A/1A softball game against
Union/Cove.
IN THE FIELD
Both squads ranked among the
very best in 2A/1A when it came to
keeping teams off the scoreboard in
2017.
The Rockets ranked No. 1 on
defense for the third season in a row
with just 74 runs surrendered (2.5
per game), and the Warriors rank
third in scoring defense with 83
runs allowed (3.3 per game).
The Rockets used double plays
to end innings twice in the semi-
fi nals, and made a couple of nice
plays in the outfi eld as well to make
sure Union had to work to earn all
three of its runs. Pilot Rock has won
nine games by shutout.
“Especially as a pitcher, that
shows that your team has your back
and they trust in you,” said Ostrom
after beating Union.
“We work hard on our defense.
We’re proud of our defense,” added
Rockets coach Darin Fitzpatrick.
“We had the best defense in the
state for the third year at our level,
and the defense stepped up again
today. They just played huge all the
way around.”
North Douglas may have saved
its season in the fi eld as well with
diving grabs in the outfi eld and
MILTON-FREEWATER
AT THE PLATE
Prior to nail-biting semifi nals
wins, both teams were lighting up
the scoreboard and the Rockets
have put up 25 in three games while
the Warriors have scored 20.
That production is slightly down
from their season averages, right-
fully so, where both teams’ offenses
averaged just below 10 runs a game.
Both teams are opportunistic as
well, and were able to use some
hard-hit singles to take advantage
of opponents’ mistakes in the semis.
North Douglas got a two-out
rally going in the fi fth inning
against Kennedy with a pair of
walks, followed by back-to-back
singles to take a 3-0 lead.
The Rockets also jumped out
in front 3-0 when errors by Union
helped extend their rally.
Their one common opponent
this season is Bonanza, which lost
to Union in the quarterfi nals 13-3 in
fi ve innings.
Pilot Rock beat Bonanza 8-0 in
their one game during the Spring
Break Bash in La Grande, and
North Douglas swept a league
doubleheader 6-5 and 9-6 on May
10 in Drain.
NBA
Pioneers settle on college decisions Finals pick up
Copeland, Fortune
stay together at
College of Idaho
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
After the Mac-Hi softball
team won its second consec-
utive state championship in
2015, sophomore Mallory
Copeland posted a picture on
her Instagram account that
makes her laugh today.
The photo was of Cope-
land and Mac-Hi’s star
pitcher Collette Robert with
the caption ‘Sad day, the last
game I’ll ever play with you.
But who knows, maybe this
wasn’t the last game?”
And sure enough, Cope-
land’s vision came true.
Staff photo by Eric Singer
Mac-Hi seniors Mallory Copeland, left, Micha Fortune,
center, and Sydney Richwine, right, smile as they offi -
cially signed National Letters of Intent in a ceremony
at the school gymnasium on Wednesday.
Copeland and fellow Pioneer
teammate Micha Fortune
signed to play softball at
College of Idaho at a small
ceremony in the Mac-Hi
gymnasium on Wednesday,
joining Robert to make the
Coyotes the Pioneers-lite.
“It
feels
amazing,”
Copeland said Wednesday.
“I’ve had this dream ever
since I was fi ve and to have
it accomplished and make all
my hard work and wishes and
dreams to play at that next
level come true is special.
“And to be able to play
with Collette and Micha
again makes it even better.”
Copeland, who will be
studying psychology and
visual arts, really burst onto
the prep scene in 2016 when
she was a fi rst team all-state
player and Greater Oregon
League Player of the Year. As
a senior this season, Cope-
land hit a team-high seven
home runs and 36 RBI and
hit for a .519 average while
going 10-2 with a 2.84 ERA
as a pitcher.
See PIONEERS/2B
where they left off
Golden State faces Cleveland for
third time in championship series
By JOSH DUBOW
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — After a summer highlighted
by Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Oklahoma City for
the star-laden Golden State Warriors, a six-month regular
season and three rounds of playoffs, the NBA Finals are
right back where they ended last June.
Not that anyone expected any different.
Take III of the NBA Finals trilogy between Golden
State and the Cleveland Cavaliers gives Stephen Curry
and Draymond Green a chance to avenge last year’s
Warriors collapse and LeBron James the opportunity to
add a fourth title in his chase of Michael Jordan’s six.
Perhaps most noteworthy, it gives Durant the chance
at a fi rst championship and validation for his decision to
leave the Thunder and join the league’s latest super team.
See NBA FINALS/2B
Sports shorts
EOU basketball coach steps down
LA GRANDE — Just one year into his
return to the Eastern Oregon men’s basketball
team, Isaac Williams is saying goodbye to the
Mountaineers once again.
EOU announced on Wednesday that
Williams stepped down as men’s
basketball coach to take the same
position at Cal State Monterey
Bay, a NCAA Divison II program.
Williams is an EOU alumnus,
graduating in 2000, and previously
coached the Mountaineers from
2009-2013 until leaving to take a
Williams
position on the men’s basketball
staff at Boise State University. He returned to
EOU this past season and led the Mountaineers
to a 24-9 season and a trip back to the NAIA
National Tournament.
Williams leaves with the best winning
percentage in program history (.745), and his
120 wins is second most all-time.
“Just shows that racism
will always be a part
of the world, part of
America ... No matter
how much money you
have, how famous you
are, how much people
admire you, being black
in America is tough.“
— LeBron James
The NBA star spoke with report-
ers on the eve of the NBA Finals
after his home in Los Angeles
was tagged with graffi ti on
Wednesday, where an unidenti-
fi ed person spray-painted a ra-
cial slur on the front gate. Police
are investigating the incident.
Seahawks add needed depth
to defensive backfi eld
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle
Seahawks added depth at defensive back
Wednesday by signing safeties Marcus
Cromartie and Jordan Simone.
Seattle also waived wide receiver Speedy
Noil and running back
Troymaine Pope to clear
room on the 90-man roster.
Cromartie has appeared
in 21 career games with one
start, all with San Francisco. He also spent
time in San Diego, Cleveland and Buffalo.
Simone took part in Seattle’s rookie mini-
camp earlier this month as a tryout player.
Simone is a Seattle-area native and was an
honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection as a
sophomore and junior at Arizona State. His
senior season was cut short by injuries.
Noil was signed earlier this month after
playing three seasons at Texas A&M.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1925 — Lou Gehrig bats for
P.W. Wanninger in the eighth
inning and replaces Wally Pipp
at fi rst to start his streak of
2,130 consecutive games.
1946 — Assault, ridden by
Warren Merhtens, wins the
Belmont Stakes to become
the seventh horse to capture
the Triple Crown.
1975 — Nolan Ryan of the
California Angels pitches his
fourth no-hitter to tie Sandy
Koufax’s record.
2012 — Alex Miklos hits
a go-ahead RBI triple in the
21st inning as Kent State
outlasts Kentucky 7-6 in
the second-longest game in
NCAA tournament history.
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sports@eastoregonian.com