SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 , 2017
1B
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HERMISTON
Meyers fi nishes off high school in memorable way
Hermiston senior
signs with BMCC
basketball
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Hayden Meyers’ fi nal week as
a Hermiston High student will be
one to remember.
Not just because graduation is
on Saturday and her graduation
party is on Friday, but also because
of what happened on Monday
afternoon is what pushed it over
the top. Surrounded by dozens of
friends, family and fellow Bull-
dogs, Meyers signed her National
Letter of Intent to play basketball
at Blue Mountain Community
College in a ceremony in the
Hermiston High commons.
“This was the perfect way to
start it and end it,” Meyers said of
her fi nal week at Hermiston, with a
wide smile on her face.
Meyers was known more for her
defensive abilities than her offense
in the Bulldogs uniform, which
is what helped her get noticed
by BMCC coach Adam Driver.
After watching a game in person,
BMCC’s fourth-year coach caught
Hermiston’s game against Pend-
leton on Feb. 9 on television and
liked what he saw from Meyers.
“He told me I did a good job
guarding (Pendleton’s) Haley
Greb,” Meyers recalled. “I was like
‘Thank you’ and said any time you
need me to come practice I will. I
then got a text asking me to come
to open gyms, right after my senior
season ended.
“I’ve always wanted to be a
basketball coach which is why
I’ve been pushing myself to be in
college athletics.”
Blue Mountain is coming off
a forgettable 2016-17 season in
which the Timberwolves fi nished
in the basement of the NWAC
East Region with a 3-20 overall
record and a 1-15 regional record.
But the Timberwolves have only
a few returning players from last
season’s squad, and after allowing
an average of 78.7 points per
game — highest in the NWAC
— Meyers hopes she can use her
defensive abilities right away.
“I’m hoping to fi ll a big role, a
defensive role at least is where I’d
like to see myself,” Meyers said.
“But I’d also like to see myself do
See MEYERS/2B
Staff photo by Eric Singer
Hermiston senior Hayden Meyers, center, smiles as she signs her
National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Blue Mountain Com-
munity College. Surrounding her are her parents, left, Hermiston
basketball coach Juan Rodriguez, and sister Regan, far right.
MLB
College Softball
Mariners slug way to win
Seattle
Mariners’
Robinson
Cano and
Minneso-
ta Twins
catcher
Chris
Gimenez
watch
the path
of Cano’s
three-run
home
run in
the fi rst
inning
of a
baseball
game
Tuesday,
June 6,
2017, in
Seattle.
AP Photo/
Elaine Thomp-
son
Oklahoma
goes back-
to-back
Sooners beat Gators to
claim national title
By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shay
Knighten hit a three-run double in
the second inning and Oklahoma
defended its NCAA softball title
with a 5-4 win over Florida on
Tuesday night.
Knighten, who
hit a three-run
homer in the 17th
Florida
inning to help win
Game 1 on Monday,
was selected the
World Series’ Most
Oklahoma Outstanding Player.
The Sooners (61-9)
took both games
from Florida in the
best-of-three series to earn their
third NCAA title in fi ve years.
Oklahoma freshman Mariah
Lopez (18-1) got the win in relief
of Paige Parker. Paige Lowary
stepped in and threw two innings
of perfect relief for her nation-
leading 11th save. With a one-run
See OKLAHOMA/2B
4
5
Seattle now winners of eight of its last nine and four straight
Seattle’s
Guillermo
Heredia,
left, scores
as Minne-
sota Twins
catcher
Chris
Gimenez
looks
away
during
Tuesday’s
game in
Seattle.
By JIM HOEHN
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Robinson Cano
and Kyle Seager hit three-run
homers and James Paxton was
effective enough for fi ve innings
to pace Seattle to a 12-3 victory
over the Minnesota Twins on
Tuesday night.
Cano staked the Mariners to a
3-0 lead in the fi rst and Seager’s
shot capped a seven-run fourth
inning that extended the lead to
12-2 as Seattle won for the eighth
time in nine games.
Paxton (5-0), who missed
most of May with a left forearm
strain, allowed three runs and
fi ve hits with three walks in his
second start since coming off the
disabled list.
Hector Santiago (4-6) lasted
just 2 2/3 innings, allowing fi ve
runs and three hits with four
walks, all of which came around
to score. Catcher Chris Gimenez,
who was behind the plate the fi rst
seven innings, pitched the eighth,
AP Photo/Elaine
Thompson
retiring all three batters he faced.
Guillermo Heredia and Danny
Valencia opened the fi rst with
consecutive walks and Cano
followed with his 11th homer,
sending a 1-2 pitch over the wall
in right-center
Santiago walked Cano and
Nelson Cruz with one out in the
third and Seager followed with
an RBI double to right. Cruz,
who has been nursing a tight
hamstring, held at third, but came
home on Taylor Motter’s sacrifi ce
fl y to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Twins, who managed
just one walk through the fi rst
three innings, cut it to 5-2 in the
fourth. Brian Dozier opened with
his ninth homer. Miguel Sano
doubled with one out, moved to
third on a wild pitch and came
Minnesota
Seattle
3
12
home on Max Kepler’s fi elder’s
choice grounder.
Seattle answered with seven
runs in the bottom half before the
Twins got an out. Mike Zunino
and Heredia singled around
Jarrod Dyson being hit by a
pitch to load the bases. Valencia
narrowly missed a grand slam
when his drive sailed just outside
the left-fi eld foul pole, but he
cleared the bases with a double to
center to make it 8-2.
Valencia came around on
consecutive singles by Cano and
Cruz and Seager followed with
his sixth homer.
The Twins got to Paxton in
the fi fth on a single by Bryon
Buxton, a walk to Dozier and Joe
Mauer’s RBI single.
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Oklahoma’s Kelsey Arnold, left,
celebrates with teammates
Melanie Olmos (18) and Mac-
ey Hatfi eld (6) after scoring in
the second inning of the cham-
pionship series in the College
World Series against Florida in
Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
Sports shorts
Cincinnati’s Gennett ties MLB
record with 4 HR in one game
CINCINNATI (AP) — Scooter Gennett hit
four home runs, matching the major league
record, and fi nished with 10 RBIs as the
Cincinnati Reds routed the slumping St. Louis
Cardinals 13-1 on Tuesday night.
Gennett became the 17th
player to homer four times in one
game — and perhaps the least
likely. A scrappy second baseman
who was claimed off waivers
from Milwaukee in late March,
Gennett
he began the night with 38 career
home runs, including three this season.
Josh Hamilton was the previous player to hit
four home runs in one game, for Texas against
Baltimore in May 2012.
Gennett singled his fi rst time up and then
homered in four straight at-bats, including a
grand slam. His 10 RBIs tied Cincinnati’s club
record.
“Being from Oakland,
you want to play at home
or have the opportunity
.. but knowing that they
were leaving, a lot of the
kids here probably won’t
have the opportunity to
see most of their idols
growing up, won’t be in
their hometown no more.“
— Marshawn Lynch
Oakland Raiders running back
spoke to the media following
Tuesday’s OTA practice about his
decision to unretire. Lynch said the
Raiders decision to move the team to
Las Vegas made him want to unretire
and play for the hometown Raiders.
Massachusetts bill would ban
Native American school mascots
BOSTON (AP) — A bill that would ban the
use of Native American mascots in Massachu-
setts public schools is generating strong opinions
on both sides.
The push comes after the
town of Tewksbury rebuffed
efforts to change the name of
its high school mascot, the
Tewksbury HS
Redmen. Residents including
(MA) logo which
Linda Thomas appealed to
sparked debate
state lawmakers, arguing the
mascots perpetuate stereotypes and harm Native
Americans.
Democratic state Rep. James Miceli, who
represents Tewksbury, says the town overwhelm-
ingly supports keeping the name and urged the
panel to reject the bill.
In Oregon, school districts must do away with
tribal mascots by July 1, though exceptions can
be made when schools get the approval of a tribe.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1998 — Utah breaks the
record for fewest points in an
NBA game since the inception
of the shot clock, losing 96-54
to Chicago in Game 3 of the
NBA Finals. It’s the highest
margin of victory in NBA
Finals history.
2006 — New Jersey
becomes the fi rst to institute
a statewide steroid-testing
policy for high school athletes.
2009 — Roger Federer
completes a career Grand
Slam, winning his fi rst French
Open title. Federer wins his
14th major title to tie Pete
Sampras’ record by sweeping
surprise fi nalist Robin Soder-
ling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4.
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