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SPORTS TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS HERMISTON College Baseball Bulldogs moving north In this Nov. 30, 2016 fi le photo, Hermiston’s Regan Mey- ers attempts to get a shot as Hannah Gilmore, of Walla Walla, provides interference during a non-league game at the Dawghouse. Beginning in 2018-19, Hermiston and Walla Walla will be league rivals in the Mid-Colum- bia Confer- ence after Hermiston’s petition to join the WIAA was approved on Sunday. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Hermiston to join WIAA for athletics, activities in 2018-19 By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian Adios, OSAA. Hermiston High School’s petition to leave the OSAA and join the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association was approved by the WIAA’s executive board at its meeting on Sunday, making Hermiston the fi rst out-of-state full member to join when it does so for the 2018-19 school year. The Bulldogs will be in the WIAA’s 3A classifi cation, the second largest, and will compete in the Mid-Columbia Conference with the Tri-Cities schools such as Richland, Southridge, Chiawana, Kamiakin, Hanford, Pasco and Kennewick, as well as Walla Walla High. “This move to the WIAA is the right thing for our students,” said Hermiston High School Athletic Director Larry Usher in a press release. “Our situation will be much improved in regards to travel distance, lost instructional time, and budgets.” Travel distance and lost instruc- tional time were the prime reasons for Hermiston exploring member- ship with the WIAA. The school fi rst petitioned membership to the WIAA in January as the OSAA’s proposed reclassifi cation for 2018-22 time block set the Bulldogs up in a league with Portland and Bend-area schools and an average round-trip travel distance of more than 400 miles for league games, which meant plenty of missed class time for athletes. Now, Hermiston’s average travel to play conference games in the Mid-Columbia will be just 80 miles and almost no missed class time. “The most impressive thing about this,” Usher said, “is the OSAA executive board and the WIAA executive board, between the two you have 26 adults that work in the world of education that made a decision that wasn’t easy and is probably very controversial, but they made a decision to improve the See HERMISTON/2B Beavers advance to super regional Oregon State lives up to No. 1 seed By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press CORVALLIS — Michael Gretler hit a three-run home run in the third inning and No. 1 national seed Oregon State went onto to win the Corvallis Regional with an 8-1 victory over Yale on Sunday night. It was the 19th straight win for the Beavers (52-4), who will face the winner of the Clemson Regional. “One of our goals was to win the conference. One of our goals was to win our regional,” Oregon State coach Pat Casey said. “The next goal for us is to get better the next couple of days so we have a better team next weekend.” Alex Stiegler hit an RBI double in the fi rst inning to give Yale (34-18) the early lead. Earlier in the day Stiegler went 3-for-3 and drove in fi ve runs to lead the Bulldogs to a 9-5 victory over Holy Cross and stay alive in the double-elimina- tion regional. Steven Kwan scored on Trevor Larnach’s fi elder’s choice grounder in the bottom of the fi rst to even the score. Two Yale errors allowed a pair of Oregon State runs in the bottom of the third inning before Gret- ler’s home run. The Beavers added two more runs in the See BEAVERS/2B College Softball NHL Stanley Cup Final Ducks ousted by Sooners Predators even series with Penguins Oregon’s record season ends one step short of fi nal By CLIFF BRUNT Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — The Women’s College World Series dream matchup is set. Shay Knighten singled in two runs in the fi fth inning to help defending champion Oklahoma beat Oregon 4-2 on Sunday in the semifi nals. The Sooners (59-9) will play top-seeded Florida on Monday night to start the best- of-three championship series. The teams have combined to win the past four national titles, but are meeting for the fi rst time in the championship series. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso has great respect for Florida’s program. “They’re good, well- coached, very complete team,” she said. “Again, we’re going Semifi nals Oklahoma Oregon 4 2 By TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press to have to play really, really well, give all we’ve got, and we’re looking forward to it.” Paige Parker (26-5) earned the win and Paige Lowary got the save against Oregon. The Ducks would have needed to beat Oklahoma twice on Sunday, and for a while, it looked like they might at least force a second game. Danica Mercado’s two-run homer in the top of the fi fth put the Ducks (54-8) up 2-0. Oregon’s Megan Kleist (21-4), who earned a win and a save in elimination games Saturday, took a shutout into the fi fth against Oklahoma before unraveling. Oklahoma got its rally started when Lea Wodach reached on an error. She bunted, and though the ball See DUCKS/2B Rinne stops 23 of 24 shots to boost Nashville NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Frederick Gaudreau sure is doing his best to earn his own locker with the Nashville Predators with a Game 4 Stanley Cup Final debut for the ages. An undrafted free agent playing Pittsburgh just his sixth postseason game, Gaudreau scored the go-ahead goal 3:45 into the second period and Nashville Pekka Rinne made 23 often-spectac- ular saves as the Predators beat the Penguins 4-1 on Monday night to even the series at 2-2. It’s now a best-of-three sprint to the Stanley Cup, and Nashville is riding a wave of momentum after outscoring the defending champions 9-2 in the Games 3 and 4 of their 1 4 AP Photo/Mark Humphrey Nashville Predators right wing Craig Smith, center, celebrates a goal by teammate Calle Jarnkrok, not shown, as Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray, bottom, falls on the ice during the fi rst period in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday, June 5, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. Final debut. Gaudreau, a 24-year-old rookie, only has a chair in the Predators’ locker room, but he now is the second player in NHL history to score his fi rst three career goals in a Stanley Cup Final, joining Johnny Harms with See STANLEY CUP/2B Sports shorts Seahawks add veteran to QB depth RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seahawks’ search for some depth at quarterback has led them to journeyman Austin Davis. Seattle released Jake Heaps to make room on the roster for Davis, who was signed Monday after spending time with the Rams, Browns and Broncos. The 28-year-old Davis will be added to the backup competition with Trevone Boykin, last year’s No. 2 behind starter Russell Wilson. Davis is in his sixth NFL Davis season after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in 2012. Davis has appeared in 13 regular-season games with the Rams and Browns, including 10 starts. He has gone 236-for-378 for 2,548 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He spent part of last season with Denver. “Not at all, man. I’m happy ... I just retired. I don’t want to be bothering anybody. I’m like that. One of these days I’ll show up. I just want to give the guys their space.“ — David Ortiz Former Boston Red Sox slugger spoke to reporters on Monday night about if he’s had any regrets about retiring and his decision to not visit Fenway Park yet this season. Oklahoma outlasts Florida in College World Series OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shay Knight- en’s three-run homer off Kelly Barnhill in the top of the 17th inning gave Oklahoma a 7-5 victory over Florida in Game 1 of the championship series on Monday. The matchup between programs that have split the past four national titles was the longest championship series game in NCAA history. It lasted 5 1/2 hours, and all four pitchers threw more than 100 pitches. Oklahoma (60-9) can clinch a repeat Tuesday in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. Paige Lowary (16-3) got the start, was replaced, then re-entered to claim the win. Barnhill (26-4), USA Softball’s National Collegiate Player of the Year, took the loss for Florida (58-9). She pitched nine innings and struck out 13. Delanie Gourley struck out 13 in eight innings of relief. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1999 — Andre Agassi rallies to win the French Open and become the fi fth man to complete a career Grand Slam. After losing the fi rst two sets, Agassi surges back to beat Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. 2015 — American Pharoah leads all the way to win the Belmont Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths, becoming the fi rst horse in 37 years to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. The bay colt, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Victor Espinoza, is the 12th horse and fi rst since in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
