SPORTS
WEEKEND, OCTOBER 21-22, 2017
1B
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Astros force
Game 7 with
Yankees
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Justin Verlander stayed
perfect with the Houston Astros when they
couldn’t afford anything else.
The ace right-hander pitched seven
shutout innings and Jose Altuve homered
and drove in three runs during a 7-1 victory
over the New York Yankees on Friday
night that extended the AL Championship
Series to a decisive Game 7.
Acquired in an Aug. 31 trade, Verlander
has won all nine of his
outings for the Astros.
ALCS
And with his new
club facing playoff
elimination in Game 6
Yankees
against the Yankees, he
delivered again.
Game 7 is Saturday
night in Houston, with
the winner advancing to
the World Series against
Astros
the NL champion Los
Angeles Dodgers.
CC Sabathia is
scheduled to start for Game 7:
New York against Saturday,
Charlie Morton in 5 p.m., FS1
a rematch of Game
3, won 8-1 by the
Yankees. The home team has taken every
game in the series.
“It’s going to be a crazy night,” Altuve
said. “I know both teams are going to go
out there and leave everything they have.”
After striking out 13 for a complete-
game victory in Game 2, Verlander threw
another gem. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy
Young Award winner scattered fi ve hits
and struck out eight to improve to 9-0
with 67 strikeouts since agreeing to a trade
from Detroit that was completed only
seconds before the midnight deadline for
postseason eligibility.
For the Astros, it was Just-in time.
“I literally love Justin Verlander,”
Altuve said. “The way he goes out there
makes me feel like I have to out there and
play the same way he’s doing it.”
George Springer helped Verlander out
of a jam in the seventh, leaping to make
a catch at the center-fi eld wall that robbed
Todd Frazier of extra bases with two on
and the Astros up 3-0.
“I thought homer,” Verlander said.
“That was obviously one of the big turning
moments in the game.”
Brian McCann’s RBI ground-rule
double in the fi fth ended an 0-for-20
slump before Altuve snapped an 0-for-12
skid with a two-run single later in the
inning. Altuve hit his fourth homer of the
postseason when he connected on a solo
shot off David Robertson with no outs in
the eighth.
1
7
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Hermiston’s Andrew James (8) leaps over Redmond’s John Crivellone (33) while running the ball in the Bulldogs’ 62-14 win
against the Panthers on Friday in Hermiston.
BULLDOGS
DOMINATE
Hermiston’s home fi nale
biggest win all season
“It’s just all a perfect moment,” he
said. “It’s what you dream of.”
Gutierrez was one of fi ve Bulldogs
to score, and it was his touchdown
that brought the running clock rule
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
into effect. If a team is leading by 45
or more points, the clock does not
HERMISTON — For a handful stop except for touchdowns and time-
off Bulldogs, Friday night’s game had outs. Gutierrez’s two-yard rush up
a special meaning. For one Bulldog Hermiston up 55-7 half way through
the third quarter, but by
in particular, the 62-14
Prep football
that point the Bulldogs’
win over Redmond on
fate was sealed.
senior night was a little
The fi rst 20 seconds
bit sweeter.
After
Hermiston Redmond Hermiston of Hermiston’s home
fi nale was a good indi-
participated in its
cator of what was to
tradition of walking
come. Junior Youbani
the length of Kennison
Field arm-in-arm one MORE INSIDE: Pendleton Razon opened the
last time with the Class wins on the road at Bend game with a 82-yard
punt return, and put
of 2018, the friends Prep Roundup, 3B
fellow junior Andrew
and family of Joey
Gutierrez were waiting near the end James and the rest of Hermiston’s
zone. Minutes later, the small crowd offense in the red zone for their fi rst
broke out signing “Happy Birthday”
See DAWGS/3B
as Gutierrez celebrated turning 18.
14
62
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Hermiston’s Jonathan Hinkle rushes the ball chased
by Redmond’s Cooper Browning in the Bulldogs’ 62-
14 win against the Panthers on Friday in Hermiston.
Mustangs take back league title from defending champs
Heppner beats
Stanfi eld at home,
earns playoff spot
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Coby Dougherty, of Heppner, gains yardage during Fri-
day’s game against the Tigers in Stanfi eld.
STANFIELD — After
a one year absence, the
Columbia Basin Conference
championship is back in the
possession of the Heppner
Mustangs.
Heppner wore out and
beat down the defending
CBC champion Stanfi eld
Tigers on a cold and windy
October evening for a 44-15
victory. It’s the fourth straight
victory for the Mustangs on
Prep football
Heppner
Stanfi eld
44
15
the season, and one that offi -
cially clinched the school’s
21st consecutive state playoff
berth.
“It’s surreal,” Heppner
senior Coby Dougherty
said after the game, smiling
ear-to-ear.
“From
the
beginning of the season we
were doubted quite a bit,
and coming into this game
and being here and having
a playoff spot, this is just
amazing.”
“I’m really happy for
my kids,” Heppner coach
Greg Grant added. “They’ve
gone through a lot, they’ve
worked really hard, and I’ve
been hard on them because
I know what they’re capable
of and they’re really starting
to come together and they
showed what they’re capable
of tonight at times.”
The Mustangs established
their presence at the line of
the scrimmage early and
often on both sides of the ball
and took control of the game.
Heppner ran for 303 yards in
the game led by Dougherty
with 128 yards on 20 carries
with three total touchdowns.
Heppner picked up 20 fi rst
downs, held the ball for 24
minutes of game time and
was a combined 6 of 10
on third and fourth downs,
thanks to a big effort from its
offensive line.
“The guys on the line of
scrimmage really did dig
in and work hard,” Grant
said. “I thought everybody
blocked well tonight, I really
did. I thought we all blocked
for each other, with each
other and that’s a beauty of
football.”
Quarterback
Jayden
Wilson has utilized his legs
more in the last few games
for the Mustangs and he
continued that trend Friday
as he ran for 115 yards and
See MUSTANGS/3B
Sports shorts
Baker out as Nationals manager
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dusty Baker’s time
as the manager of the Washington Nationals is
over after two seasons, two NL East titles and
zero playoff series victories.
The Nationals announced Friday that they
would not be bringing Baker back.
His two-year deal with the club is
expiring.
The moves come the week after
Washington was eliminated from
its NL Division Series against the
Chicago Cubs with a 9-8 loss at
home in Game 5. The Nationals
Baker
also were bounced from the
postseason in the NLDS round in 2016 also
with a Game 5 loss at home by one run, that
time against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite a host of injuries to key players, the
Nationals went 97-65 this season, fi nishing 20
games out in front in their division. In 2016,
Baker’s fi rst in Washington, the club was 95-67.
“By no means was I
trying to injure or take
out Aaron Rodgers. He’s
one of, if not the best,
player in this league. I’m
not a dirty player. I don’t
play dirty. We don’t
preach that around
here.”
— Anthony Barr
Minnesota Vikings lineback-
er who was fi ned $9,115 for
head-butting Green Bay’s Da-
vante Adams but faced no pun-
ishment for a tackle that broke
the collarbone of QB Rodgers.
Lynch suspended one game
for unsportsmanlike conduct
NEW YORK (AP) — Oakland running
back Marshawn Lynch was suspended for one
game without pay by the NFL on Friday for
shoving a game offi cial during the Raiders’
victory over Kansas City on
Thursday night.
Lynch was ejected from the
game after he shoved line judge
Julian Mapp.
The scuffl e started when
Oakland quarterback Derek Carr
was hit late on a run by Kansas
Lynch
City’s Marcus Peters midway
through the second quarter. Raiders offensive
linemen Kelechi Osemele and Donald Penn
immediately confronted Peters, and Lynch
sprinted onto the fi eld from the bench to join
the fray. Mapp tried to break up the fi ght, but
Lynch pushed him and grabbed his jersey.
Lynch also got a personal foul.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1975 — Carlton Fisk
breaks up a thrilling contest
with a homer in the 12th inning
to give the Boston Red Sox a
7-6 victory over the Cincinnati
Reds and force a seventh game
in the World Series.
2007 — Rob Bironas kicks
an NFL-record eight fi eld
goals, the last a 29-yarder with
no time left to give Tennessee
a 38-36 win over Houston.
Bironas adds two extra points
to set the NFL record for most
points by a kicker, with 26.
2012 — Tamika Catchings
scores 25 points to help the
Indiana Fever win their fi rst
WNBA title with a victory
over the Minnesota Lynx.
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