SPORTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017
1B
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College World Series
Heimlich won’t join Beavers in Omaha
Embattled pitcher
doesn’t want to be
a distraction
“I want to wish
my teammates the
best. I hope they
understand this
decision as my
family and I continue
to work through
this together.”
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
Oregon State pitcher Luke
Heimlich, who as a teenager pleaded
guilty to molesting a 6-year-old girl,
will not accompany the Beavers to
the College World Series.
The 21-year-old left-hander
made the announcement in a state-
ment released Thursday through
a representative for his family. He
called going to the series something
that he and his teammates have
worked toward all year.
“I’m sad to say I am not joining
them because doing so would only
create further distraction for my
teammates, more turmoil for my
family and given the high profi le of
the national championship, direct
even more unwanted attention to an
innocent young girl,” the statement
said.
Details about the molestation
were revealed last week in a story
published by The Oregonian/
OregonLive. In an editorial accom-
panying the article, the newspaper
said it learned about Heimlich’s
2012 conviction in Washington
state after running a background
check that it routinely does for
in-depth profi les.
“I want to wish my teammates
the best. I hope they understand this
decision as my family and I continue
to work through this together. My
hope is to return to OSU next year
as a student-athlete and continue to
earn the trust of my community,”
— Luke Heimlich,
Oregon State University pitcher
on his decision to skip the Col-
lege World Series after a report
by The Oregonian/OregonLive
revealed that as a teenager
Heimlich pleaded guilty to mo-
lesting a 6-year-old girl.
Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP, File
In this March 4, 2017, fi le photo, Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich throws during an NCAA college
baseball game against UC Davis in Corvallis, Ore. Heimlich, who as a teenager pleaded guilty to mo-
lesting a 6-year-old girl, will not accompany the Beavers to the College World Series. The 21-year-old
left-hander made the announcement in a statement released through a representative for his family.
He called going to the series something that he and his teammates have worked toward all year.
Heimlich’s statement said.
Heimlich was the top pitcher
during the regular season for the
Beavers, who have lost just four
games. He has compiled an 11-1
record with a 0.76 ERA.
He had been projected to be an
early round pick in Major League
Baseball’s draft, which ended
Wednesday without him being
selected.
The Beavers are the top seed in
the NCAA Tournament. Heimlich
pitched in the opening round for the
Beavers, before the story broke. He
asked that he be removed from the
US Open
Fowler leads US Open on day of highs
Longest course in majors
challenging some of
world’s top players
See US OPEN/2B
Williams holds steady
East Oregonian
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Rickie Fowler acknowledges the crowd after his fi rst round
of the U.S. Open golf tournament Thursday, June 15, 2017, at
Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.
See BEAVERS/2B
Rodeo
Blue Mountain
barrel racer still 2nd
overall at CNFR
By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
ERIN, Wis. — Erin Hills made its
debut as a U.S. Open course Thursday
with a most gracious welcome for Rickie
Fowler, who matched the record to par in
the opening round with a 7-under 65 on
the longest course in major championship
history.
Fowler had a one-shot lead over Paul
Casey and Xander Schauffele. And they
plenty of company.
The low scoring suggested the
11-year-old course was a cream puff,
rotation in the super regional round.
The Beavers (54-4) are sched-
uled to play Cal State Fullerton
(39-22) on Saturday in the College
World Series opener for both teams
in Omaha.
Prosecutors in Washington state
initially charged Heimlich with two
counts of molestation for abuse
that began when the girl was 4,
The Oregonian said. He ultimately
pleaded guilty to one count of
molestation between February
2011 and December 2011, a period
during which he was 15. Prosecu-
tors dismissed the other charge as
part of a plea bargain.
He entered a diversion program,
received two years of probation and
was ordered to attend sex offender
treatment for two years, according to
court records. He was sentenced to 40
weeks of detention at Washington’s
Juvenile Rehabilitation authority.
But that sentence was suspended and
he served no time, according to court
records, because he successfully
completed probation.
Heimlich of Puyallup, Wash-
CASPER, Wyo. — Blue
Mountain’s Danyelle Williams
was bumped down to the sixth in
the third round, but remained at
second in the barrel racing aggre-
gate after Wednesday perfor-
mance at the College National
Finals Rodeo was complete.
Williams, who was second
at the CNFR in 2016, will enter
the short-go on Saturday .31
seconds off the time of current
leader Kailee Webb of Wyoming
who has a
three-round
tome of 43.5
seconds.
Williams’
Blue Moun-
tain
team-
mate Jessica
Lewis was
unable
to
Williams
crack the top
10 with her
run on Wednesday night at Casper
Events Center, but did have her
best time of the week with a 14.95
and is 15th in the aggregate with
45.49 in three.
Lauren Leyva was the only
other member of the Blue Moun-
tain team competing in the second
See RODEO/2B
MLB
Gimenez’s two homers lift Twins
Escobar also goes yard,
Berrios shuts down M’s
By DAVE CAMPBELL
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — After going deep
twice in a game for the fi rst time in his big
league career, Chris Gimenez still has more
mop-up relief appearances this season than
home runs.
Wait, maybe the Minnesota Twins have
Seattle Mar-
iners pitcher
Ariel Miranda
looks back
after he gave
up a two-run
home run to
Minnesota
Twins’ Edu-
ardo Escobar,
right, in the
fi rst inning
of a baseball
game Thurs-
day, June
15, 2017, in
Minneapolis.
this whole thing backward with their backup
catcher.
“Hopefully I’m one of the better hitting
pitchers in the league,” Gimenez said with
a wide smile, after his pair of drives on
Thursday spurred the Twins to a 6-2 victory
over the Seattle Mariners.
Eduardo Escobar sparked a fi ve-run fi rst
inning with a two-run shot, and Jose Berrios
(6-1) took over from there by pitching a
career-best eight innings to win his third
straight start. The fi rst-place Twins raised
AP Photo/Jim Mone
See MARINERS/2B
Sports shorts
NCAA suspends Pitino 5 games
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The NCAA
has suspended Louisville basketball coach Rick
Pitino for fi ve Atlantic Coast Conference games
following its sex scandal investigation.
The governing body on Thursday also placed
the basketball program on four
years’ probation, vacated wins in
which ineligible players participated
and handed down a 10-year show-
cause order for former basketball
operations director Andre McGee.
The long-awaited announcement
reiterated the NCAA’s original
Pitino
view that Pitino should have known
about McGee’s activities with former escort
Katina Powell. She alleged in a 2015 book that
McGee had hired her and other escorts to strip
and have sex with Louisville recruits and players.
Powell alleged that McGee paid her $10,000 for
22 shows at the Cardinals’ dormitory from 2010-
14, a period that includes their NCAA title run.
“It gives me a sense of
security. I don’t have any
post-traumatic stress or
anything like that, but it’s
become part of my game
now, and it’s a little bit of a
comfort knowing it’s there.“
— Greg Deichmann
LSU outfi elder on the protective cage
that covers the right side of his face
when he bats. The second-round pick
of the Oakland A’s, Deichmann broke
his cheekbone in three places when
he was hit by a pitch in a preseason
scrimmage and said he plans to con-
tinue wearing the cage in the pros.
First two claims in NFL
concussion settlement released
(AP) — The fi rst two claims in the
NFL’s billion-dollar concussion settle-
ment were announced, a total of
$9 million in benefi ts.
The U.S. District Court of
the Eastern District of Pennsyl-
vania overseeing the process
was notifi ed Thursday that the
claims were approved.
The payouts were for $5 million for
a qualifying diagnosis of ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s Disease), and $4 million for a
qualifying diagnosis of CTE (Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy). The names
of the former players were not disclosed
as part of the fi lings.
Those amounts mean that both
individuals played a minimum of fi ve
NFL seasons and were diagnosed before
their 45th birthdays.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1968 — Lee Trevino
becomes the fi rst golfer to
play all four rounds of the
U.S. Open under par as
he beats Jack Nicklaus by
four strokes.
1993 — Michael Jordan
scores 55 points to lead the
Chicago Bulls to a 111-105
victory and a 3-1 lead over
the Phoenix Suns in the
NBA Finals. Jordan is the
fi fth player to score 50 in the
fi nals and the fi rst since Jerry
West in 1969.
2008 — Tiger Woods
wins the U.S. Open in
a 19-hole playoff over
Rocco Mediate, his 14th
career major.
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