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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