SPORTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
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1B
Bulldogs’ Hawkins resigns
In the May 12,
2017, fi le pho-
to, Hermiston
coach Lance
Hawkins
talks with his
players during
a visit to the
mound in a
game at Pend-
leton. After
three seasons
as varsity
head coach
and 18 with
the program,
Hawkins has
resigned to
spend more
time with his
family.
HERMISTON
Longtime coach ready
to watch from stands
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
Lance Hawkins has resigned
after three seasons at the helm
of Bulldogs baseball, Hermiston
Athletic Director Larry Usher
announced on Thursday.
The Bulldogs made two 5A
play-in round appearances under
Hawkins, but missed the post-
season in 2017 after going 10-15
and fi nishing last in the Columbia
River Conference. But with just
four seniors graduating, optimism
is high going into the summer
American Legion season that the
team can begin to build what could
be one of its best seasons in ages for
2018.
That’s why Hawkins, 51,
decided now would be the time
to step away after 18 years in the
program.
“I think the program is probably
in the best shape it has been in some
time and I just wanted to leave on a
pretty good note. Next year’s team
is going to be pretty talented, and I
just want to leave it in good shape
for whoever steps in,” Hawkins said.
“Lance has given 18 years of
baseball to the Hermiston School
District and we are very thankful
for all the time and energy he has
See HAWKINS/2B
“I’ve been
coaching here for
18 years and it
was just time. Life
is just happening,
I’m going to be a
grandpa in July.”
Staff photo by
E.J. Harris
— Lance Hawkins,
Longtime Hermiston baseball
coach on retiring from the side-
lines after years with the program
and three as varsity head coach.
College Softball
College Baseball
Ducks fall in World Series opener
Oregon must win
to stay alive
By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press
Top-seeded
Oregon State
riding 16-game
winning streak
OKLAHOMA CITY —
Washington appears to have
Oregon’s number.
Kirstyn Thomas’ two-run
homer in the top of the seventh
inning helped the Huskies defeat
the Ducks 3-1 on Thursday in the
Women’s College World Series.
The Huskies have taken
three of four
from
their
Pac-12 rival
this
season,
and this time, Washington
they snapped
Oregon’s
15-game win
streak. Taran
Alvelo (33-7)
Oregon
pitched
a
complete game
for
Wash-
ington, which
advanced to winners’ bracket
play on Friday.
It was Washington’s fi rst
World Series win since 2013.
“It’s tough to win that fi rst
game, tough to play in this
environment for a bunch of kids
that haven’t done it before but
have only dreamed about it their
whole lives,” Washington coach
Heather Tarr said. “But now
it’s not a dream. It’s reality, and
we’re ready for the next game.”
Washington (49-12) scored
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
3
1
See DUCKS/2B
Bryan TerryThe Oklahoman via AP
Washington’s Kirstyn Thomas (25) slides home to score past Oregon’s Gwen Svekis (21) during the third
inning of an NCAA Women’s College World Series softball game Thursday in Oklahoma City.
NBA Finals
Durant leads Warriors to win
Curry adds six
3-pointers
By JANIE MCCAULEY
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. —
Kevin Durant drove through
the lane untouched for
dazzling dunks time and
again, fi nishing with 38
points, eight rebounds and
eight assists in his fi rst NBA
Finals for Golden State
Beavers
ready
for a run
Game 1
Cleveland
Golden State
91
113
and leading the Warriors
past LeBron James and the
defending champion Cleve-
land Cavaliers, 113-91 on
Thursday night in Game 1.
Stephen Curry scored 28
points with six 3-pointers and
10 assists as this sure-to-be
thrilling trilogy began at last,
a long-expected, spectacular
grand fi nale envisioned ever
since that July day Durant
left Oklahoma City to join
the loaded Warriors.
James wound up with
28 points, 15 rebounds
and eight assists a day
after dealing with bigotry
far away from basketball.
Someone painted a racial
slur — the N-word — on
See NBA FINALS/2B
Golden State
Warriors
guard Ste-
phen Curry
(30) and for-
ward Kevin
Durant react
after scoring
against the
Cleveland
Cavaliers
during the
fi rst half of
Game 1 of
basketball’s
NBA Finals
Thursday
in Oakland,
Calif.
AP Photo/Ben
Margot
CORVALLIS — None of
the other teams in the Corvallis
Regional have any illusions
about the challenge they face:
the Oregon State Beavers are the
top-ranked team in the nation,
the No. 1 national seed in the
NCAA Tournament, and they
only lost four times during the
season.
“Everyone knows they’ve
had a good
year,”
Holy
Cross
fi rst
baseman
Anthony
Critelli said.
“They’re solid
and all. But
we’re more focused on us and
what we need to do.”
Oregon State will host
fourth-seeded Holy Cross on
Friday night following a game
between No. 2 Nebraska and
No. 3 Yale in the double-elimi-
nation bracket.
It’s been a record-setting
season for the Beavers, who
at 49-4 have the fewest losses
going into the postseason since
Texas was 53-4 at the end of the
regular season in 1982.
Oregon State went 27-3
in Pac-12 play for the league
title, surpassing Arizona State’s
record of 26 league wins set in
1981. Along the way, coach Pat
Casey surpassed the 1,000-win
milestone.
The Beavers are riding a
16-game winning streak into the
postseason.
“Our guys kept staying with
it, the ball bounced our way, we
got a lot of breaks. We stayed
injury-free till the end,” Casey
said. “We played consistent. I
never thought we got too high
or too low. We stayed pretty
consistent.”
See BEAVERS/2B
Sports shorts
Mr. Met fi red for obscene gesture
NEW YORK (AP) — The ever-smiling Mr.
Met mascot is back at Citi Field, a day after the
person inside the big-headed costume was caught
on video making an obscene gesture to a fan.
The Mets said a different person was doing
Mr. Met duty for Thursday’s game
against Milwaukee. The mascot was
at his spot before the game, posing
for pictures, signing autographs and
high-fi ving fans young and old.
The Mets apologized after
Wednesday night’s incident during
a 7-1 loss to the Brewers, saying
Mr. Met
the offending employee won’t
work in the costume again.
Video of the mascot fl ipping his fi nger went
viral. The team didn’t identify the employee
who made the gesture.
Mr. Mets has been around for more than fi ve
decades, long popular with Mets fans for his
oversized head with baseball seams.
“I think what you saw
the second half of the
year before, I think he
has the ability to be the
best quarterback out
there, doing his thing ...
He has put together an
extraordinary offseason.
He is working in all
areas of his game.“
— Pete Carroll
Seattle Seahawks head coach on
Russell Wilson as the quarterback
looks to rebound from an average
2016 season and regain his form
from 2015 when he looked like
one of the top QBs in the NFL.
BMCC baseball, softball players
earn NWAC academic awards
PENDLETON — The Northwest Athletic
Conference handed out its Academic Excel-
lence Award winners for spring sports on
Thursday and a total of seven
BMCC athletes were featured.
Five baseball players,
including Casey Higginbotham,
Chase Labbe, Matthew Palmer,
Jared Rogers and Rodney
Scarver were selected. They led
the 12-man sophomore class that put up a
cumulative 3.0 GPA during the season.
And on the softball diamond, Sarah
Bonner and Allison Wedgworth were the two
Timberwolves selected.
To be eligible for the Academic Excel-
lence award, athletes must be sophomores
in their athletic eligibility and have earned
a minimum of 36 credits with a minimum
3.25 GPA.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1935 — Baseball legend
Babe Ruth, 40, announces his
retirement as a player.
2010 — Armando Galar-
raga of the Detroit Tigers
loses his bid for a perfect
game with two outs in the
ninth inning on a call that
fi rst base umpire Jim Joyce
later admits he blew. First
baseman Miguel Cabrera
cleanly fi elds Jason Donald’s
grounder to his right and
makes an accurate throw to
Galarraga covering the bag.
The ball is there in time, and
all of Comerica Park is ready
to celebrate the 3-0 win
over Cleveland, until Joyce
emphatically signals safe.
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