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.