Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, July 14, 2017
Tour de France
Aru takes over yellow jersey, Bardet wins stage
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN &
JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press
PEYRAGUDES, France
— For his three previous
victories at the Tour de
France, Chris Froome took
advantage of the first big
mountain stage to deliver the
decisive blow.
On Thursday, that tried
and trusted strategy never got
going, and he surrendered
the overall race lead to Fabio
Aru.
With its mountain top
finish, the hugely demanding
first stage in the Pyrenees
looked like the perfect setting
for his Sky Team to stamp its
authority on the race, and to
help Froome increase his lead
in the general classification.
Until the final 350 meters
of the 214.5-kilometer (133
miles) marathon through
six grueling ascents in the
Pyrenees, the well-oiled
Sky machine had everything
under control.
Froome’s teammates had
set a fast tempo that prevented
others from attacking - a tactic
that prepared the ground for
Froome’s expected assault in
the steep final section leading
to the finish in the ski station
of Peyragudes.
Froome’s move never
came.
Not only was he unable to
attack, the British rider also
cracked during the climb.
Frenchman Romain Bardet
won Stage 12 ahead of Rigo-
berto Uran and Aru, who
seized the lead from Froome
by six seconds.
AP Photo/Peter Dejong
Italy’s Fabio Aru speeds down col des Ares pass during the twelfth stage of the Tour
de France cycling race over 214.5 kilometers (133.3 miles) with start in Pau and fin-
ish in Peyragudes, France,Thursday, July 13, 2017.
Bardet is third overall, 25
seconds off the pace. Uran
was handed a 20-second
penalty for accepting a water
bottle in the last five kilome-
ters, which is not allowed,
and lies in fourth place
overall, 55 seconds back.
“My teammates did such
an amazing job,” Froome
said. “I didn’t have the legs at
the end to finish it off. Simple
as that. No excuses.”
When Aru launched
his attack in the final few
hundred meters, Froome was
only able to follow the Astana
team leader for a few bike
lengths before he cracked.
He ended up crossing the line
in seventh place, 22 seconds
LITTLE LEAGUE:
Continued from 1B
pthe second out, Faith Broadfoot made it 3-0 with
a single to center that scored Samp and Samford.
All of Pendleton runs in the second inning
came with two outs, and it was Jones-Hoisington
that pushed the first one across when an error at
shortstop gave Brielle Youncs enough room to
reach home from third.
Samp singled again to keep the inning going
and load the bases, and Samford hit a single
through the left side to get two more runs across
for a 6-0 lead.
An error put the lead off runner on in the
bottom of the second, and SE Portland broke up
the shutout when the next batter singled to make
it 6-1.
Portland wouldn’t score again until the bottom
of the sixth, though, and Sauren Garton earned
her third win of the tournament in the circle by
pitching a complete game with two hits and no
earned runs allowed, six strikeouts and two walks.
Pendleton added two runs in the fifth inning
on a triple by Broadfoot and a single by Kylee
Sellers.
Broadfoot and Samford were both 2 for 4 with
three RBI, Samp was 3 for 4, and Sellers was 1
for 1 with one RBI.
Pendleton will continue its summer repre-
senting Oregon at the Little League Softball
West Regional Tournament in San Bernardino,
California on July 21-28.
behind Bardet.
Bidding to become the
first Frenchman to win the
Tour since Bernard Hinault
in 1985, Bardet was the
strongest in the brutal incline
and described his third stage
win on the Tour as “an
immense joy.”
He said he had visited the
ski station with his parents to
scout out the final climb.
“I knew it could suit me,”
he said. “I was patient. I made
the difference on the final
hill. There was not much to
do before that with the wind
and the Sky train.”
Aru had trailed Froome
by 18 seconds at the start of
the stage.
“It’s one of the most beau-
tiful things that can happen to
you in life, wearing the yellow
jersey,” said Aru. “Clearly,
it won’t be easy to defend
it. There are still nine more
stages, we’ll do our best.”
The final of the six
ascents on the menu of the
214.5 kilometers (133 miles)
stage between Pau and the
ski station was too difficult
for Froome, who had worn
the yellow jersey over the
previous seven stages.
He was grimacing with
the effort, his arms glistening
with sweat, as he wrestled his
bike up the super-steep climb
that was used a location for
the 1997 James Bond movie
Golf
Howell, Schniederjans shoot
63 to share John Deere lead
Associated Press
SILVIS, Ill. — Charles Howell
III and Ollie Schniederjans each
shot 8-under 63 on Thursday to
share the first-round lead in the
John Deere Classic.
Playing alongside local favorite
Zach Johnson, Howell birdied
seven his first nine holes and
added a birdie on No. 7 in his
morning round at rain-softened
TPC Deere Run. The two-time
PGA Tour winner lost a playoff to
Kyle Stanley two weeks ago in the
Quicken Loans National.
“This morning without traffic,
they were rolling like carpet,” Howell
said. “This morning was absolutely
the best scoring we’ll see all week,
which would also lead me to believe
that tomorrow morning you’re going
to see some low scores as well. Here,
it’s about minimizing bogeys as
much as you can and take advantage
of the holes that you need to.”
Schniederjans birdied five of his
last eight holes in his lowest round
of the PGA Tour. The 24-year-old
former Georgia Tech star earned a
PGA Tour card last year through
the Web.com Tour.
“I haven’t had a great start
really all year on the first round,”
Schniederjans said. “I have had
some decent first rounds and good
Fridays, but this is the first really
goof round I’ve had on Thursday.
It’s nice to get off to a good start
and hopefully keep it going.”
Johnson was two strokes back
at 65 along with Rory Sabbatini,
Patrick Rodgers and Chad Camp-
bell. Johnson, from Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, won the 2012 tournament.
“With this Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday rain we had, it’s one
of those you feel like you got to
keep the pedal down,” Johnson
said. “The course is still nice. I was
surprised we didn’t play it up today.
I technically only had 1 1/2 mud
balls probably, so that was pretty
good considering.”
LUTON: Transfered twice before landing in Corvallis
Continued from 1B
spring game. Junior Marcus
McMaryion was 9 for 14 for
126 yards and a TD; senior
Darell Garretson hit on 8 of
11 passes for 66 yards and a
score.
The week after spring
practice ended, Luton began
to get better. He reintroduced
all the usual foods to his
system, “and everything felt
fine,” he says. “Pretty soon, I
was back to normal.”
Luton, who transferred to
OSU after throwing for 3,551
yards and 40 touchdown with
15 interceptions in 11 games
for Ventura (California)
College last season, is in a
competition McMaryion and
Garretson for the starting
QB job. The trio has led
teammates through informal
summer workouts since
spring term ended.
“It’s going really good,”
“Tomorrow Never Dies.”
Froome zig-zagged his
bike across the tarmac as he
tried to cope with a gradient
so steep that it seemed to glue
his wheels to the road.
The only yellow item he
wore after the finish was the
small ring in his nose to help
him breathe.
“I did my utmost at the
end. But I didn’t have the
legs to follow,” he said.
Froome has only a few
hours to bounce back before
Friday’s short but hard stage
to Foix, which features three
Category 1 climbs — the
second-hardest
difficulty
rating. Now that Froome has
shown signs of weakness, the
attacks could come right from
the start as his rivals look to
build on the momentum.
“Aru attacked a bit too
early to win the stage, but he
got the jersey and saw that
Froome can be beaten. He’ll
definitely try some more,”
Astana manager Alexandre
Vinokourov said. “Sky is very
strong, but today Froome took
a hit and his team could be
demoralized. Let’s hope our
guys find more motivation.”
Rain was falling as the
peloton started the stage in
Pau, before a breakaway of
12 riders gained a lead of
more than six minutes on
some fairly flat sections of
the course.
Froome’s teammates rode
at the front with Aru’s squad
just behind, but showed no
interest in reducing the gap
with the breakaways.
Sky stepped up the tempo in
the first really difficult ascent,
says Luton, who is taking
two summer-session classes.
“We’re working hard, trying
to get ready for the season.
I’ve been throwing a lot
with the receivers, watching
(video) and doing what I can
to prepare.”
Luton says he has devel-
oped a good comprehension
of the OSU playbook.
“I’m a hands-on learner,”
he says. “Coming in early and
going through spring ball was
beneficial. They threw me out
there, and I learned on the run. I
made mistakes, but I learned it
very quickly. Doing it that way
— where I could go out and
just do it, and then afterward
come back and really hit the
film hard — it’s been good. I
feel really comfortable with it.”
Luton spent his first two
years of college at Idaho,
serving as a backup QB with
the Vandals as a redshirt
freshman in 2015. He trans-
ferred to Ventura last year
for more playing time. He
thinks he has found a home in
Corvallis.
“I absolutely love it here,”
says Luton, who earned a
3.0 grade-point average for
spring term and is majoring in
sociology and education. “It’s
been a long journey for me.
This is a perfect fit so far. It’s
how I thought I’d feel about
the place coming in here.”
In February, Luton told the
Portland Tribune his personal
goal next season is to be the
Beavers’ starter at quarterback.
“Still is,” he says. “I think
I’m on track. I’ve been working
hard. I’m trying to get everybody
to rally behind me. As a new guy
coming in, step one is gaining
the trust of your teammates. I
think I’ve done a good job of
working with the guys.”
Luton’s team goals are
large.
“We know how good we
are and what we can do,” he
says. “Everyone outside the
program is saying ‘six wins.’
That’s not my goal. My goal
is bigger than that.
“We want to win the
Pac-12. If we fall short, then
we’re at seven wins, eight
wins, nine wins — wherever
we’re at. I don’t want to shoot
for six wins. I want to go to
a bowl game. I want to win a
bowl game. If we can strive
for those things, six wins are
going to happen, no problem.”
To get to even six wins, the
Beavers probably will have to
win their opener at Colorado
State on Aug. 26, the day
the Rams christen their new
stadium.
“We’re going to come out
juiced, but we’re going to be
disciplined, too,” Luton says.
“That’s something Coach
(Gary) Andersen has already
talked to us about. We’re
going to be ready.”
the Col de Mente, where
Spanish great Luis Ocana
crashed out in a downhill
section in 1971 while wearing
the yellow jersey. The twisting
and punishing Port de Bales, a
narrow, 11.7-kilometer climb
at an average gradient of 7.7
percent - rated as ‘beyond a
category’ because of its diffi-
culty - took a heavy toll on the
lead riders. The breakaway
group split up as Stephen
Cummings launched a solo
offensive.
Aru’s teammate Jakob
Fuglsang, who broke two
bones in a crash during
Wednesday’s stage, struggled
at the back and dropped out
of contention after starting
the day in fifth place overall.
Cummings
had
a
two-minute lead at the top
of Port de Bales and went all
out in the descent as the fog
broke and the weather picked
up. Froome, Aru and Mikel
Nieve misjudged a turn in the
downhill but the race leader
and his rival pushed hard on
the brakes to avoid a crash.
Nieve went straight onto the
grass between lorries and
camping caravans.
It was nothing more than
a scare for Froome, who had
three teammates by his side
to tackle the two final climbs,
the Peyresourde and the
Peyragudes ascent.
Nairo Quintana was
dropped in the Peyresourde
and, with no teammate to
bring him back, saw his
hopes of winning the Tour
vanish. Cummings was then
caught with 8 kilometers left,
lining up a dramatic finale.
WIMBLEDON:
Continued from 1B
here.’ And I was like, ‘I wish she could do this for me,’”
Williams said with a laugh. “And I was like, ‘No, this
time you have to do it for yourself.’ So here we are.”
On Saturday, the 10th-seeded American will partici-
pate in her second Grand Slam final of the season, and
16th of her career, this time against 14th-seeded Garbine
Muguruza of Spain.
“She knows how to play, especially Wimbledon
finals,” Muguruza, the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up and
2016 French Open champion, said about Williams. “It’s
going to be, like, a historic final again.”
Muguruza overwhelmed 87th-ranked Magdalena Ryba-
rikova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1 in the earlier semifinal.
Williams arrived in England a few weeks after being
involved in a two-car accident in Florida; not long afterward,
a passenger in the other vehicle died. At her initial news
conference at Wimbledon, a tearful Williams briefly left the
room to compose herself after being asked about the crash.
She has tried, coach David Witt said, to “just focus on
the tennis.”
In the semifinals, it was Konta who had the first chance
to nose ahead, a point from serving from the opening set
when it was 4-all and Williams was serving down 15-40.
Williams erased the first break point with a backhand
winner down the line, and the second with a 106 mph
(171 kph) second serve that went right at Konta’s body. It
was a risky strategy, going for so much pace on a second
serve, but it worked. That opened a run in which Williams
won 12 of 13 points.
“She looks to dictate from the very first ball,” Konta
said. “When she puts herself in a position to do that, she
plays with a lot of depth, a lot of speed, and you don’t get
much of a chance to get your, I guess, grip into the points.”
Williams wouldn’t face another break point and, later,
produced another impressive second serve — in the
second set, at 103 mph (166 kph), it went right at Konta,
who jumped out of the way.
Konta played quite well, especially early, and finished
with more winners, 20 to 19, each greeted by roars from
the Centre Court spectators.
“They could have really been even more boisterous. I
thought the crowd was so fair. And I know that they love
Jo, and she gave it her all today,” Williams said. “It’s a lot
of pressure. It’s a lot of pressure. I thought she handled it
well. I think my experience just helped a lot.”
This was her 10th semifinal in 20 Wimbledon appear-
ances; Konta had never been past the second round at the
grass-court tournament before this year.
In the other semifinal, Muguruza won 15 of the
first 20 points en route to a 5-0 lead. Even though
Rybarikova entered having won 18 of her past 19 grass-
court matches, mostly at lower-level tournaments, she
suddenly looked a lot more like someone whose career
record at Wimbledon before last week was 2-9.
“Not my best day,” Rybarikova said. “But she didn’t
give me much chance to do something.”
Muguruza won the point on 19 of 25 trips to the net
and had a 22-8 edge in winners.
That earned the 23-year-old Muguruza a berth in her
third career Grand Slam final, second at the All England
Club. She lost to Serena Williams with the title on the
line at Wimbledon in 2015, then beat her at Roland
Garros last year.
T-WOLVES: Three softball players honored as All Americans in the classroom
Continued from 1B
graduated earlier this spring from
BMCC with his AAOT, and
received the NWAC Academic
Excellence Award.
Pena led the NWAC in appear-
ances on the mound in 2016 and
2017, and led the T-Wolves in ERA
this season. He recorded three wins
and four saves this last season.
Rodney Scarver, a starting center
fielder from Prosser, has signed to
play for Briar Cliff University in
Sioux City, Iowa. He had two home
runs and 13 RBIs this season, and
also received the NWAC Academic
Excellence Award.
Matt Palmer, a starting outfielder
from Palmer, Alaska, has signed
to play for Waldorf University in
Forest City, Iowa. His six doubles
tied him for third on the T-Wolves
team. He, too, earned an NWAC
Academic Excellence Award and
graduated earlier this year with his
AAOT.
“I’m extremely proud of all of
these individuals,” said BMCC
coach Brad Baker.“All of them
were hard workers, great people,
great teammates, and good students
at Blue Mountain. We will miss
them here, but I am excited for their
new opportunities.
Three softball players
earn national scholar
athlete awards
PENDLETON — Three Blue
Mountain softball players have
received All-American Scholar
Athlete awards from the National
Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) — Lauren Cagle, Miah
Slater and Brooke Kralman.
All three Timberwolves main-
tained a GPA of 3.5 or better during
the 2016-2017 academic year while
also making valuable contributions
to the BMCC softball team.
“This is a well-deserved award
for these players, especially
for being recognized for their
excellence in the classroom,” said
BMCC coach Steve Richards.
“All three put significant time into
their studies in addition to the time
commitment softball requires.
They are setting the standard that
our future players can aspire to.”
Cagle, an infielder from Susan-
ville, California, graduated earlier
this spring. Slater, a pitcher and
infielder from Elgin, and Kralman,
an outfielder from Milton-Free-
water, will be sophomores in the
fall.
Established in 1983, the
NFCA is the professional growth
organization for fastpitch softball
coaches from all competitive
levels of play.