SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
1B
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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.
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