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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2017)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS PENDLETON Buckaroos advance to playoffs Volleyball Pendleton beats Hillsboro in 5A play-in game By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian PENDLETON — One of the fi rst goals that the Pendleton Bucakroos volleyball team came up with prior to the start of the 2017 season was to make the playoffs. On Tuesday night, Pendleton achieved that goal. The Buckaroos defeated the Hillsboro Pendleton 1 3 Hillsboro Spartans 3-1 (25-16, 25-7, 12-25, 25-17) in a Class 5A play-in game at Warberg Court to advance to the state bracket. Maureen Davies notched another double-digit total in kills with 14 to lead the Buckaroos, while Ellie Nirschl followed with seven and Kalan McGlothan and Rylee Gentner both had four. “It’s been one of our long-term goals and we’re glad to get there,” Pendleton coach Amanda Lapp said afterward. “Now we just have to make progress and see the consis- tency come out in the next couple of days to make sure that we’re really showing up to the next match.” Pendleton (15-6) shot out of the gates and showed it was the better team on the court with two quick set wins 25-16 and 25-7, putting See BUCKAROOS/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton Buckaroo players celebrate after defeating the Hill- sboro Spartans 3-1 on Tuesday in Pendleton. World Series HERMISTON Dawgs enjoying bragging rights Kershaw powers Dodgers to Game 1 win By BEN WALKER Associated Press LOS ANGELES — No sweat, Clayton Kershaw. Changing jerseys to beat the 103-degree heat, the Dodgers ace with a checkered playoff history deliv- Game 1 ered a signature performance, pitching Los Angeles past Houston the Houston Astros 3-1 Tuesday night in the World Series opener. Boosted by Los Angeles Justin Turner’s tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning off Dallas Keuchel, Kershaw was in complete control against the high- est-scoring team in the majors this season. “Defi nitely feels good to say it was the World Series, and it feels good to say we’re 1-0,” Kershaw said. The left-hander had waited his whole career for this moment. And once he took the mound in his Series debut, he lived up every bit to the legacy of Sandy Koufax, Orel Hersh- iser and the greatest of Dodgers hurlers. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 11 , gave up just three hits and walked none over seven innings, featuring a sharp breaking ball that often left Houston batters taking awkward swings. His lone blemish was a home run by Alex Bregman in the fourth that made it 1-all. No matter, with Koufax in the house, Kershaw did his pal proud. “He was as good as adver- tised,” Keuchel said. A sweltering, pulsating crowd at Dodger Stadium dotted with Hollywood A-listers was fi lled with Kershaw jerseys, and he drew loud cheers all evening. Kershaw got one more ovation when he walked through a corridor to a postgame interview. There, fans applauded a fi nal time. “I felt good. It’s a tough lineup over there,” Kershaw said. “The way Keuchel was 1 3 Staff photo by E.J. Harris In this 2016 fi le photo, Hermiston’s Dayshawn Neal turns up fi elds as Pendleton’s Aiden Patterson prepares to make the hit in the Bull- dogs’ 13-12 win against the Bucks. Hermiston controlling Pendleton rivalry after six winless decades By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian On Friday night, the “War on 84” will have one last victor. When Hermiston and Pendleton meet on the Round-Up grounds one last time it will be an equally matched showdown, which hasn’t always been the case in their 95-year rivalry. A win for Pendleton will give the Buckaroos their fi rst playoff berth since 2014, but a win for Hermiston will mean more than just a chance at another state title. A win would cap off an all-time series that has only been in the Bulldogs’ favor recently. Over the years, league titles, winning records, and playoff berths have all been on the line, which adds to the richness of the rivals’ unique history that has outlasted six major wars and eclipsed nine decades. This will be the two teams’ 92nd meeting, with Hermiston only taking the upper hand in the recent millennium and winning eight of the last 13 games. “The rivalry was a big brother, Hermiston’s Cody Hawes runs after blocking a Pendleton punt during Hermiston’s 33-21 win over the Buckaroos in 1997 at the Round-Up. It was the fi rst win in 13 years over the Bucka- roos for the Bulldogs. EO fi le photo little brother type of thing,” said Paul Barnett. “Finally, we were able to compete against them. For years it was a game we circled on the calendar and we’d hope to come out with a win” Barnett was a part of the Class of 2000 and traveled with the varsity team his sophomore year (1997) and senior year (1999) — both years Hermiston came away with a victory at the Round-Up grounds. In fact, every Barnett that went on to play for Hermiston never lost a rivalry game. Paul was the oldest to make his way through Hermiston’s foot- ball program, and when his brothers reached high school the Bulldogs were no longer the underdog. But it wasn’t always like this. Many begrudgingly remember the Bulldogs’ 62-year skid where even in winning seasons they weren’t Coming Thursday: • Former Pendleton players look back on decades of dominance able to top the Buckaroos. When the pair met for the fi rst time in 1922, Hermiston claimed the fi rst ever bragging rights. But as seasons came and went the Bull- dogs stopped celebrating. Despite successful seasons and blowouts over numerous teams, the Bulldogs couldn’t get anything going when it came time to face the Bucks. The closest game during the winless drought was in 1941 when the game ended in a tie — the only tie in the rivalry’s long history. Prior to this meeting, Pendleton was nothing but dominant and highlighted its run by winning eight consecutive games with a shutout from 1929-38. The decades without a win were draining, which made the rivalry endured the years of defeat. “You felt it more from the See RIVALRY/2B See WORLD SERIES/2B Sports shorts Walla Walla bullrider jumps to No. 1 in PBR world standings SAN JOSE, Calif. — It would not be a stretch to call Derek Kolbaba the best bull rider in the world right now. The Walla Walla native jumped to the No. 1 spot in the Professional Bull Rider Built Ford Tough Series world standings over the weekend after winning the Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride event in San Jose, California on Saturday. The two-time Pendleton PBR classic Kolbaba champion came into the weekend No. 4 in the standings. Kolbaba, 21, now has more won more than $300,000 on the PBR tour this year and leads Brazilian rider Eduardo Aparecido by 102.5 points in the standings. Kolbaba will next head to Las Vegas to compete in the world fi nals Nov. 1-5. “This is the roster that I put together. I’m the reason we’re 1-6. We do have to play better as a team. So we lose together, we win together. I believe everyone is accountable here for what goes on. We’re 1-6 together. But you can put it all on me.“ — Jerry Reese The New York Giants GM is taking all the blame for his team’s dreadful start as the Giants go into their bye week this week with the third-worst record in the NFL, behind only San Francisco and Cleveland, both winless. Seahawks sign veteran Freeney RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney is back in the NFL after agreeing to a deal to join the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks announced they had agreed to terms on a deal with Freeney on Tuesday night after bringing him in for a visit earlier in the day. The 37-year-old has been without a job after spending last season with Atlanta. Freeney will have a specifi c role as a pass rusher with the Seahawks, adding depth after Freeney defensive end Cliff Avril was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury. Seattle played last week against the New York Giants with just 52 players on its roster. Last year with the Falcons, Freeney appeared in 15 regular season games and had three sacks. He started two of Atlanta’s three THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1990 — Evander Holyfi eld knocks out Buster Douglas in Las Vegas to become the undisputed heavyweight cha 1998 — Jerry Rice sets an NFL record for receptions in consecutive games with his 12-yard catch from Steve Young on San Francisco’s fi rst offensive play. Rice has caught passes in 184 straight games, breaking the mark set by Art Monk from 1980-95. mpion. 2003 — Pitching on three days rest, Florida’s Josh Beckett throws a shutout to lead the Marlins to a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
