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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Friday, June 2, 2017 Golf Jason Dufner, David Lingmerth share Memorial lead By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press DUBLIN, Ohio — Jason Dufner putted for birdie on every hole until the last one at the Memorial, a game so under control it looked as simple as breathing. Even with a bogey on the final hole, Dufner had a 7-under 65 for his best score Thursday at Muirfield Village, giving him a tie for the lead with David Lingmerth. They were one shot ahead of Jordan Spieth, whose short game is starting to return with the U.S. Open around the corner. Lingmerth, whose first PGA Tour victory came at the Memorial two years ago, also bogeyed his last hole on an ideal day for scoring. Starting quickly at the Memorial is nothing new for Dufner lately. He opened with a 66-67 two years ago before fading on the weekend. Last year, he opened with a 68. “I can put a couple of rounds together here,” Dufner said. “But Lingmerth I’m looking for more than that this Dufner week. Hopefully, we can keep it on the sixth hole and made double going for four.” Dustin Johnson and Jason Day bogey. And he didn’t make a single want to make sure they get to play birdie in his round of 78. It was the first time in nearly four rounds. four years — since the Bridgestone Johnson three-putted after Invitational in 2013 — that Johnson putting his tee shot into the water failed to make a birdie. on the par-3 16th and made triple Day, who has yet to crack the bogey. He three-putted from 4 feet top 25 at the club where he holds a membership, made bogeys on both par 5s on the back nine and was headed for a big score until he birdied his last two holes for a 75. Dufner nearly hitting every green in regulation is not surprising with his efficient swing. He recalls hitting 17 in a row in a round at Muirfield Village a few years ago until the 18th hole, and it got him again Thursday. He even went for a slightly longer club, a 7-iron instead of an 8-iron, but the contact wasn’t pure and he came up short in a bunker. Daniel Summerhays joined Jordan Spieth at 66, while Justin Thomas and Lucas Glover shot 67. Phil Mickelson, playing the NBA FINALS: LeBron grabs double-double Continued from 1B the gate of his Los Angeles home, leaving James to address racism rather than his seventh straight Finals appearance or stopping KD. James said he would do his best to be ready for the series opener when his mind was elsewhere, concerned for his wife and children back in Ohio. Durant punished Cleve- land for leaving him free, taking the ball to the hoop for emphatic dunks as a man on a mission to deliver exactly what he came for: a championship. He had six slams in the first half alone for the Warriors, who at 13-0 are already the first team to go this far in a postseason unblemished. “I think the start of the game, we were a little too anxious and we missed some layups, we gave up some open shots,” Durant said. “I think we just locked in from the second quarter on.” Game 2 in the series is Sunday night back at Oracle Arena with its deafening sellout crowd. Kyrie Irving, who hit AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) grabs a rebound against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first half of Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. the deciding 3-pointer with Curry’s hand in his face last June as Cleveland rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win the city’s first major team title in 52 years, scored 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Kevin Love grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 15 points, while Tristan Thompson was held scoreless and to four boards. Durant’s only other Finals ended at the hands of LeBron and Miami in 2012. He shot 14 for 26 in his fifth 30-point performance this postseason, receiving a rousing ovation when he sat down for good with 2:16 remaining. Curry sported a fresh haircut for the occasion and the two-time reigning MVP initially wore a black sleeve on his shooting arm to protect a tender elbow that still had some swelling, but he quickly removed it and found his stroke. He shot 11 for 22, 6 of 11 on 3s. This marks the first time in NBA history the same two teams played in three straight Finals and just the fourth time it has happened in the four major sports leagues. The shooting was far from pretty, and Cleveland’s defense was a step behind most of the night, unable to stop the star-studded roster of All-Stars and key role players on the other side. Golden State finally warmed up after nine days off, while the Cavs had a six-day break since beating Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. Warriors starting center Zaza Pachulia returned after missing the final two games at San Antonio with a bruised right heel and contributed eight points and six rebounds while plugging the paint. Golden State’s four turnovers tied an NBA Finals low. TIP-INS Cavaliers: James became the first player with 6,000 career points in the post- season. His 3-pointer in the third quarter moved him past Reggie Miller (320) for second place on the NBA postseason 3-point list, which is led by Ray Allen with 385. HAWKINS: DUCKS: Scoreless till seventh Continued from 1B Continued from 1B provided,” Usher said in a statement. “Lance has been a great mentor to kids in our district as he made their time in the baseball program not only rewarding, but very enjoyable as well.” Hawkins, who also coached about 15 years of football, will continue to teach at Sandstone Middle School while taking in as many Bulldogs games as possible, but said he’s got some shifting priorities in his personal life that also made him realize it was time to stop coaching. “I told Larry it’s a retire- ment,” he said. “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. “It takes a lot of time and effort, and you’ve got to realizes those things before people start pushing you out. “I’m going to go out and watch every game. I’ll come up and support them and watch them this summer, it’s just time to watch form the stands.” Hermiston went 34-40 in Hawkins’ three seasons as head coach, posting a 14-22 mark in league play and 0-2 in postseason play. Their best season under Hawkins was in 2016 when they went 13-12 and finished second in the CRC with a 6-6 mark. one run in the third to open the scoring. Oregon (52-7) put two runners on with one out in the fifth, but didn’t score. After Thomas’ homer put Washington up 3-0, Oregon’s Lauren Lindvall doubled to start the bottom of the seventh. Jenna Lilley was hit by a pitch to put two on with no outs. Pinch- hitter Madi Bishop drove in a run, but that’s all the Ducks got. “So, yeah, there’s runners on and runners in scoring position, but all that matters in that moment is that pitch that I’m about to throw,” Alvelo said. “So I know if I can execute the next one, then those runners aren’t going to pose a threat to our team if we can just execute in the moment.” Lilley, who was hit twice, was upset and threw her bat after she was hit the second time. “I was just trying to throw, like, around the zone and do what I needed to do,” Alvelo said. “A few got away from me, and that happens. But no hard feelings. I feel like it’s part of the game. You’ve got to move on from it.” The Ducks had five hits and left eight runners on base. “I just felt like we Wash- ington’s Taran Alvelo pitches during an NCAA Women’s College World Series softball game against Oregon in Oklaho- ma City, Thursday, June 1, 2017. Bryan TerryThe Oklahoman via AP weren’t aggressive at the right times,” Oregon’s Nikki Udria said. “I think we waited a little bit too long to get going and put that pressure on them. I’d like to see us come out on Saturday just ready to go. I felt like it took us a long time to get going today.” Oregon’s Megan Kleist (20-4) pitched a complete game in the loss. The sophomore struck out two and walked four. “Obviously it’s a game that comes down to inches or opportunities, especially,” Oregon coach Mike White said. “They made the most of their opportunities and we squandered some of ours.” Corvallis Regional The back-to-back College World Series champions in 2006 and 2007 have made the postseason 17 times with a 51-33 overall record. It is the sixth time they will host a regional, and they’re 26-6 in postseason play at Goss Stadium. Holy Cross is headed to the tournament for the first time since 1978. The Crusaders (23-27) won their first-ever Patriot League title since the school joined the conference in 1986. Holy Cross won the NCAA title in 1952. “I don’t think these guys need much motivation, to be frank,” Crusaders coach Friday, June 2 At Goss Stadium #1 Oregon State vs. #4 Holy Cross, 8 p.m. (ESPNU) ——— #3 Yale vs. #2 Nebraska, 1 p.m. (ESPN3) Greg DiCenzo said. “They’re excited to partake in the tournament, they’ve worked extremely hard. They know how hard we’ve worked as a coaching staff to develop the program and put our finger- prints on this program and build that culture. And whether we’re playing the No. 1 team in the country, or the 63rd-ranked team in the country, I don’t think it matters to us, it’s about getting between the white lines and competing.” Yale is 32-16 and went 16-4 in the Ivy League Conference. The team is making its first appearance in the tournament since 1993. The Bulldogs won their sixth overall Ivy League title this year. “Everything’s very, very competitive for us. You can tell when we’re just in the locker room whether we’re playing Call of Duty on the TV, or Guitar Hero. Every- thing we do we’re trying to win,” said Yale sophomore right-hander Scott Politz. Nebraska (35-20-1) fell twice to the Beavers earlier this Athlete of the Week Twenty questions with Stanfield’s Hunter Barnes East Oregonian STANFIELD — The Stanfield baseball team breezed through the first two rounds of the 3A play- offs last week, scoring a combined 46 runs in its two victories. Senior designated hitter Hunter Barnes certainly did his part to help, with six RBI and a team-high seven hits in nine at-bats, including a pair of doubles and the first home run of his high school career in the win over Taft. For his efforts, Barnes has been selected as the Athlete of the Week for May 22-27. ———— What was the first sport you played and how old were you? I remember playing teeball when I was three or four. How many sports have you played? Up until high school I played football, basketball and baseball, but then I realized basketball in high school wasn’t for me so I stuck with football and baseball. What is your favorite sport to play? Baseball by far. We get nicer weather to play in. Do you have a favorite professional sports team? Denver Broncos Do you have hobbies outside of sports? Hunting and fishing. What is your favorite fish to catch? Trout What is your favorite fishing spot? Up in Joseph. What is your favorite thing about growing up in Stanfield? Playing sports with the same people year after year and becoming great friends with all of them. What is your favorite class in school? Science Do you have a favorite teacher? Travis Reeser, our conditioning teacher/ coach. Where are you going to college? Eastern Texas Baptist University (Marshall, Texas). They contacted me, it gives me four years to really explore and I’m looking forward to it. Do you have a dream job? I’d love to be a Life Flight nurse. I stay pretty calm under pressure situations and I’d like to go into the medical field. What is the first job you had? The Joseph Fly Shoppe, which I still work in the summer. What type of vehicle do you drive? Chevrolet Tahoe. Where is your favorite place in the Northwest? Wallowa County. If you were stranded on an island with all of your necessities, what are three items you make sure to have? Probably a fishing pole, a knife and toilet paper. What is your favorite movie? Red Dawn (1984) What is your favorite food? Pizza. Do you have any pets? One dog, a yellow lab. You were a part of some unbelievable seasons with Stanfield football and baseball the past two years. What was it like for you? It was awesome, even though we didn’t finish it off for titles this year, it was great to make school history and break the losing tradition that had been going here. It was real exciting to represent this side of the state too. ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP A fan catches a Washington home run ball as Oregon’s Shannon Rhodes leaps at the fence on Thursday. BEAVERS: Teams traveled to Oregon on same plane Continued from 1B second of four straight weeks through the U.S. Open, had a relatively calm day in his round of 70. Rickie Fowler had anything but a calm day. He was 3 over through four holes, answered with four birdies over his next five holes, then traded birdies and bogeys on the back nine until finishing with one last birdie for a round of 70 that featured just six pars. Spieth missed the cut at The Players Championship and at his hometown event in the AT&T Byron Nelson, and he was on the verge of going home early at Colonial until turning it around. He wound up finishing one back of Kevin Kisner, and Spieth brought his form to Ohio. season in Surprise, Arizona. The Huskers won the Big Ten regular-season title, going 16-7-1 in conference play. Yale coach John Stuper and Nebraska coach Darin Erstad won World Series rings as pros, Stuper in 1982 with the Cardinals and Erstad with the Angels in 2002. And one detail about the road to Corvallis? Yale and Holy Cross took the same plane to Oregon, picking up Nebraska along the way. “If it would have been up to me we would’ve left them,” Stuper joked. Oregon State was also the top seed in 2014, but got upset in the Corvallis Regional by UC Irvine. Hunter Barnes Senior Stanfi eld Baseball As Stanfi eld cruised through the fi rst two rounds of the Class 3A baseball tournament, Barnes had six RBI and a team-high seven hits in nine at-bats, including a pair of doubles as well as the fi rst home run of his high school career in the win over Taft. 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