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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2018)
SPORTS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Bucks take control Bower, Naughton help Pendleton thump Hood River Valley 11-1 By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian PENDLETON — For the past three seasons, the Hood River Valley Eagles have been the kings of the Columbia River Conference. The Eagles are the three-time defending league champions and have a state championship under their belt from 2015. In that span, the Eagles tormented the Pendleton Buckaroos and handed the Bucks 10 consecutive losses. However, in 2018 the Buckaroos are poised to dethrone the Eagles in the CRC. Pendleton snapped its losing streak against the Eagles on Saturday by splitting a doubleheader, and on Tuesday the Buckaroos earned a two-game cushion in the CRC standings as they thumped the Eagles 11-1 in six innings at Bob White Field. “This is huge for us,” Pendleton senior Nick Bower said. “I don’t remember beating Hood River in a high school baseball game, so to get two wins against them now is huge.” The Buckaroos (11-7 overall, 5-1 CRC) used all of its big guns to put away the Eagles, starting with Bower. The senior center fielder started the game with a three-run home run that carried over See BASEBALL/3B Staff photo by Kathy Aney Kirah McGlothan, of Pendleton, slides into home plate during Tuesday’s game against Hood River at Steve Cary Field. Walk-off keeps Bucks perfect in league Second consecutive come-from-behind victory against Hood River Valley pushes Pendleton’s win streak to 15 straight By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian PENDLETON — When Rylee Gentner took the plate with two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, she just wanted a base hit. The Pendleton softball team had already defeated Hood River Valley twice over the weekend, and were on the verge of three straight wins over the Eagles at Steve Cary Field on Tuesday. The Buckaroos’ late efforts overcame a two-run deficit and knotted the score up at five runs apiece. Hood River had Lauren Decker in the circle, who had been keeping the Bucks (16-1 overall, 6-0 Columbia River Confer- ence) off balance. But Gentner saw a pitch she liked and sent the ball soaring over the right-field fence for a three-run walk-off home run. “I was just looking to get a base hit and then Kila (Solomon) would drive us in because she’s a great hitter,” Gentner said. “I was really just looking to get the barrel on the ball, and I drove it out.” Pendleton’s 8-5 win cemented itself atop the Columbia River Conference standings, pushed the Bucks’ win streak to 15 consecutive games and was the third straight come-from- See SOFTBALL/2B Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton third baseman Ryan Stahl fields a ground ball in the Bucks’ 11-1 win against Hood River on Tuesday in Pendleton. PREP ROUNDUP Cougars shut out Pirates East Oregonian Staff photo by Kathy Aney ECHO — Alyssa Ray threw a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts as her Echo Cougars defeated the Riverside Pirates 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon. Ray allowed only three hits and two walks in the game, which head coach Bryan Bailey described as “probably one of her best games of the season so far.” She stranded nine Pirate baserunners in the game and escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the sixth with a groundout. Alex Putman led the Cougars’ offense going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while Michelle Weems had a double with two RBI. Kendra Hart tripled, and Monique Montoya and Amber Weems both doubled. Jojo Hernandez, Ray Elliot and Brenda Flores accounted for the three hits for the Pirates. Skylar Wightman took the loss in the circle, but struck out eight in six innings. Pendleton pitcher Lauren Richards gets ready to launch the ball during Tuesday’s game against Hood River at See ROUNDUP/2B Sports shorts THIS DATE IN SPORTS Commission to unveil ideas to fix college basketball’s woes RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — College basketball is getting ready to hear new ideas on how to fix corruption in the sport. A commission led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will present recommenda- tions Wednesday to key NCAA leaders. That will start what could be a complicated process of changing the sport by next season. College hoops has been embroiled in a fraud and bribery scandal since last year. That’s when federal prosecutors charged coaches, an Adidas executive and others with improperly steering recruits toward certain schools, agents and sponsorship deals. Rice’s commission is charged with finding ways to reform and modernize rules, including looking at the NCAA’s relationship with the NBA, youth leagues, apparel companies and agents. 1950 — Charles Cooper, a Duquesne All-American with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first black player selected in the NBA draft when taken by the Boston Celtics. 1974 — The NFL adopts the 15-minute, sudden-death overtime to avoid ties. The league also moves the goal posts to the back of the end zones. 1993 — Micheal Williams set an NBA record for consecutive free throws with 84. Calvin Murphy held the previous mark of 78 for Houston in 1981. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
