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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Saturday, August 12, 2017 MLB Angels rally from 4-run deficit to top Mariners 6-5 By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE — Mike Trout scored from second base on Jean Segura’s error in the top of the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels rallied from a four-run deficit for a 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. For the second straight night, Trout was the source of some ninth-inning misery for the Mariners. He had a three-run double in Thurs- day’s series opener to give the Angels a 6-3 victory. A day later, Trout walked with one out, taking a close 3-2 pitch from James Pazos (3-4). Albert Pujols followed Los Angeles Seattle 6 5 with a single and C.J. Cron chopped a hard grounder that Segura couldn’t handle that bounced far enough into left field for Trout to score the go-ahead run. Seattle held a 5-1 lead going into the seventh inning thanks to home runs from Nelson Cruz and Mike Zunino, but the Angels scored four times in the seventh to pull even. The Angels took advan- tage of the struggling young Seattle righty Andrew Moore in the seventh, most of the damage coming with two outs. Called up earlier Friday to take the spot of left-handed ace James Paxton, who was placed on the disabled list, Moore gave up a two-out infield single to Cameron Maybin and walked Trout to load the bases. Pujols deliv- ered a two-run single, Cron added an RBI single, and Andrelton Simmons capped the rally with an RBI double that tied the game at 5-5l. Amplifying Moore’s struggles, Seattle failed to start getting a reliever ready in the bullpen until after Pujols’ hit. Three Angels’ relievers quieted Seattle after the Mariners knocked around starter Ricky Nolasco. Cruz hit his 28th homer of the season leading off the second inning. He added a double in the fourth and his double off the wall in right-center field in the sixth scored Robinson Cano to give Seattle a 4-1 lead and end Nolasco’s night. Cruz later scored on Jarrod Dyson’s two-out single. Nolasco allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings. But that was it for Seattle as Eduardo Parades and Keynan Middleton (3-0) shut down the Mariners for three innings. Yusmeiro Petit pitched the ninth for his second save. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andrew Moore, right, looks down as he waits with catcher Mike Zunino, left, and third baseman Kyle Seager, before Moore was removed during the seventh inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Angles on Friday in Seattle. DUCKS: Will limit number of uniform combinations worn this season Continued from 1B Oregon 2017 Schedule seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, inheriting a winless program that he turned around with back-to-back winning seasons. When Taggart was hired by Oregon in December, he said he had three basic tenets: “Make no excuses, blame no one, do some- thing.” Hence the tagline. The Taggart Turnaround may not be immediate, but he does have some talented pieces to work with, including sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert, and Heisman hopeful Royce Freeman. They’ll be tasked with leading Taggart’s so-called “Gulf Coast Offense,” a wide-open spread. But he’ll also have a defense that has to be reworked following a disastrous attempt at a 4-3 scheme installed by former Michigan coach Brady Hoke in his lone season with the Ducks. Taggart’s defensive coordinator is Jim Leavitt. Taggart said his main challenge is making sure the team is aligned 9/2 9/9 9/16 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/28 11/4 11/18 11/25 vs. Southern Utah vs. Nebraska at Wyoming at Arizona St.* vs. Cal* vs. Wash. State* at Stanford* at UCLA* vs. Utah* at Washington* at Arizona* vs. Oregon St.* *-Pac-12 contests with his philosophy. “Anytime you come into a new program, changing the culture is probably the biggest thing and the hardest thing to do because they have been doing it a certain way for a while,” he said. “So it’s hard changing behaviors.” HERBERT GETS COMFORTABLE: Herbert was thrust into a role as Oregon’s starting QB as a freshman last season when graduate transfer Dakota Prukop struggled. Herbert would go on to play in eight games, throwing for 1,936 yards with 19 touchdowns. A year older and wiser, Herbert has been bulking up and working on becoming a leader. He went to the Manning Passing Academy this summer. “Last year I think I didn’t do a good job of being vocal or talking very much. So I think it kind of hurt us from a strategy standpoint. I didn’t have the comfortability to go to the offensive linemen or the running backs or the receivers,” Herbert said. “But I think just being more comfortable around them has been super helpful.” FREEMAN’S DECISION: Oregon’s prolific running back said he had multiple reasons for returning to the Ducks for his senior season, but getting his degree is the first thing he mentions. This summer he completed his degree in General Social Science with an emphasis on crime, law and society. “It’s something that I valued highly,” he said. “And then just coming back and finishing on a better note than I did last year.” Despite being hampered by injury, Freeman was the Ducks’ leading rusher last season with 945 yards in 11 games. He has rushed for 4,146 yards over three seasons with the Ducks, second only to LaMichael James (5,082 yards) on Oregon’s career rushing list. ABOUT THOSE UNIFORMS: The start of the season doesn’t seem complete without a word about Oregon’s uniforms. But Taggart is shutting down the weekly fashion show put on by the Ducks in years past. “We’re going to be sharp,” Taggart said. “But you won’t see as many different combinations. We want to play football.” KEY GAMES: A big test will come the second week of the season, when Nebraska — and former Oregon State coach Mike Riley — visit Autzen. The Huskers went 9-4 last year in Riley’s second season at the helm, falling to Tennessee at the end in the Music City Bowl. The Ducks play reigning Pac-12 champ Washington on Nov. 4 in Seattle. But the scheduling gods were on Oregon’s side in Taggart’s first year: The Ducks don’t face USC, picked in the preseason to win the conference. PREDICTION: Herbert and Freeman are known weapons for the offense, so Oregon’s defense seems to be the biggest mystery. Can the Ducks overcome last season’s obvious confusion and turmoil on that side of the ball? “I think going back to the 3-4 is going to help a lot of these guys because a lot of them were recruited to play in a 3-4 system, so hopefully that helps,” Taggart said. Expect the Ducks to fare a bit better than last season, and perhaps vie for a bowl game at the end of the season. But a return to the national championship will have to wait. BEAVERS: Face early tests versus Minnesota, Washington, and USC Continued from 1B 4-8 overall, a two-game improve- ment over the previous season. Just before fall camp opened, players pointed to those wins as an indication that the team is making strides. Oregon State opens the season at Colorado State on Aug. 26. “It was definitely motivation for us going into the offseason. It was positive for us because now we’re going in knowing that we can compete,” running back Ryan Nall said. “This offseason there was definitely a shift of attitude and momentum.” The Beavers will definitely be stronger at running back with a group led by Nall, who ran for four touchdowns in the victory over the Ducks. Nall finished the season with 951 yards rushing and 13 touch- downs on the ground, and also caught a pair of TD passes. He had four 100-yard rushing games. Joining him is Thomas Tyner, who is returning to football after two years away from the game. The Oregon native played for the Ducks for two seasons but took a medical retirement after missing the entire 2015 season with a shoulder injury. “It’s great having Thomas here. He’s just been an experienced young man, he’s walked in here and he works, he understands,” Andersen said. “There’s so many things when a kid has been where he’s has been — he’s been to the highest spot that you can get in college football. Then he’s had something that knocked him down, and he’s gone full circle.” Tyner rushed for 1,284 yards and 14 touchdowns during his career at Oregon. The last live game he played was the national championship in January 2015 against Ohio State. Other things to note as the Beavers start the 2017 season: LUTON EARNS STARTING Oregon State 2017 Schedule 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/16 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/26 11/4 11/11 11/18 11/25 at Colorado State vs. Portland State vs. Minnesota at Washington St.* vs. Washington* at USC* vs. Colorado* vs. Stanford* at California* at Arizona* vs. Arizona St.* at Oregon* *-Pac-12 game ROLE: Early in fall camp Andersen named community college transfer Jake Luton the team’s starting quarterback. Last season at Ventura Community College, Luton threw for 3,551 yards and 40 touchdowns, both single-season records at the school. He went 13-for-21 for 118 yards in the Beavers’ spring game but he was beset by a mysterious illness that caused him to drop 30 pounds from his 6-foot-7 frame. He said before the start of fall camp that he has fully recovered. Luton will be backed up by Darell Garretson. McMARYION MOVES ON: Quarterback Marcus McMaryion, who started the Beavers’ final six games last season, has decided to transfer to Fresno State with two years of eligibility remaining. Pressed into service because of injuries, McMaryion threw for 1,286 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, but also threw five interceptions. COLLINS RETURNS: Receiver Seth Collins missed the final two games last season with a serious illness that put him in the hospital for nearly two weeks. He had 36 catches for 418 yards and a touchdown before falling ill. This season he’ll play at slot receiver. KEY GAMES: Can the Beavers make it two in a row in the Civil War? They’ll get their chance — this time at Autzen Stadium — on Nov. 25. Oregon State will face a few considerable tests before then: notably Minnesota on Sept. 9. The Golden Gophers are coming off a 9-4 season capped by a victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl. The Beavers will also be challenged on the road against USC, picked to top the Pac-12 this season, on Oct. 7. PREDICTION: There are still so many questions about the Beavers as they embark on Ander- sen’s third season. While the team has made statistical improvements on defense during his tenure, last season they still struggled against the run — and that could be a problem in the Pac-12. But Andersen is a careful and methodical coach, so expect more incremental improvement and the Beavers could become bowl eligible for the first time since 2013. RODEO: Trevor Brazile took home the $100 bonus for scoring the night’s best time Continued from 1B nity College in 2011-12. “It’s hot here, but it’s the hot I’m used to.” Foss also had a bit of an advantage when it came to his horse, as he had matched up with Special Delivery three times prior in his career. But Friday’s ride was his best by far, he said. The advantage came in handy as Orin Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba set the bar high with an 86 point ride, and Richmond Champion rode for 84.5 points, though the horse didn’t do what Foss was planning for. “He’d never veered a route like that with me, which was pretty cool,” Foss said. “To come here and get a horse like that and get that type of ride, it’s some- thing else.” Saddle bronc riding on Friday also brought the best ride of the week, as Milford, Utah’s Jake Wright took on Calgary Stam- pede’s Weekend Departure and rode off with 88.5 points to tie the arena record. The bronc took Wright straight toward the south stands before veering to the west, getting great extension on its kicks to help Wright jump to the overall leaderboard. “I’ve been looking forward to that horse all week,” said Wright, currently No. 7 in the world standings. “I’ve seen him a bunch and that’s a great horse. As soon as I got off I knew it was good, because anytime you get one that jumps in the air like that you step back and make it look good. Everything felt really nice, just like bronc riding should be.” In tie-down roping the two men that shined the brightest have a combined 26 world cham- pionships between them, and that would be the Texas cowboys Tuf Cooper and Trevor Brazile. It was the 23-time champion Brazile that took home the $100 bonus for scoring the night’s best time, an 8.2 second run that put him in a tie for first in the second go. But Cooper’s impressive 8.6 second time was enough to shoot him into the lead in the average with a time of 17.5 on two. Cooper, who currently sits No. 1 in both the all-around and tie-down roping world standings, won the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in 2008 and said he’s felt comfort- able in Hermiston ever since. “My first year here I was 18-years-old, my first time in the Northwest to compete and I won it and I’ve had positive vibes everytime I come back. “Today they had fresh cattle and I had two of the better ones, and my horse was good and it made my job a lot easier.” Cooper didn’t compete in the PRCA last season due to ties with the Elite Rodeo Athletes, and he said that the time off from the daily grind of rodeo has helped his resurgence this season. “The time off was one of the best things for myself,” he said. “Now we have six weeks to go of the regular season and it’s still not easy, but there’s not as much pressure on myself and I can show up and have fun. It’s a great lifestyle and I’m very fortunate and blessed to be able to live it.” In steer wrestling, it was Fern- dale, California’s Bill Bugenig that took home the nightly $100 bonus after he dropped his steer in 3.4 seconds which shot him to the lead of the second go. In team roping, world No. 1s Kaleb Driggers of Albany, Georgia and Junior Nogueira of Brazil took the top time of 4.2 seconds. King Hill, Idaho barrel racer Darby Fox rode her horse named Fancy to the top time of the night, circling all three barrels in 17.33 seconds. Barrel racing was also the event that took home the Darrell Sallee Grey Ribbon award of the night, which came with the $500 bonus. And in bull riding, it was once again the stock that got the better of the cowboys on Friday night, with no qualified rides from any of the seven competitors, including Hermiston’s Cody Ford and Pendleton’s Cain Smith. The rodeo concludes on Saturday night with the fourth performance at 7:45 p.m. ———— Contact Eric at esinger@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966- Staff photo by E.J. Harris 0839. Follow him on Twitter @ Austin Foss of Terrebonne rides Special Delivery for 89 points in bare- ByEricSinger. back riding Friday at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston.
