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Saturday, april 13, 2019
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B1
Questions
hang over
NWSL in
World Cup
season
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
PORTLAND — The NWSL opens
its seventh season this weekend with
some lingering questions about its
health, but also the encouraging possi-
bility of a World Cup “bump.”
The National Women’s Soccer
league has already outlasted any of the
other previous pro women’s leagues in
the United States. With support from
the U.S. Soccer Federation, the NWSL
was always positioned to fare better
than the earlier attempts.
that doesn’t mean there aren’t con-
cerns going into Year 7 — many of
which were there in the sixth season,
too. Possible expansion, the stability of
some individual clubs, a need for spon-
sorships and the lack of a TV deal are
among the issues faced by the league
that hasn’t had a commissioner since
Jeff Plush stepped down in March 2017.
Still, the NWSL could get greater
exposure starting in June when the World
Cup opens in France, since NWSL ros-
ters are filled with national team play-
ers from around the globe. Teams will
have to navigate player absences during
the tournament but could win fans for
the latter half of the season — much like
after the last World Cup in 2015.
Portland Thorns defender Meghan
Klingenberg said she believes the
league is still headed in the right direc-
tion, but, like anything, continued suc-
cess will depend on both investment and
the will to see it through.
“The most important thing is invest-
ment across the league, in human
resources; whether that’s coaching or
whether that’s just staff that’s help-
ing out, whether that’s in better fields,
whether that’s in better housing, whether
that’s in whatever. Making the league
better, in the league front office but also
the clubs’ front offices, I want that,” she
said. “And if we can get that, year after
year after year then I think we’ll be in a
good place.”
The defending champion North Car-
olina Courage will open the season Sat-
urday night at home against the Chi-
cago red Stars, one of four games set
for this weekend. The Courage defeated
the thorns 3-1 in the title game in front
of a crowd of 21,144 in Portland last fall.
The victory capped a fantastic season
for the Courage, who went 18-1-6 over-
all, won the league’s Supporters’ Shield
for best record and never dropped a
game on the road.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Hermiston’s Bailey Noland receives a welcome at home plate after hitting a home run during Friday’s game against against Kamiakin.
DAWGS BRAVE KAMIAKIN
Studer’s walk-off grand slam helps Hermiston to doubleheader win
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
O
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Hermiston’s Sydney Stefani lets a ball go by during Fri-
day’s game against Kamiakin. On the next pitch, she
smashed a home run.
n Friday, Hermiston’s
softball team left their
home field with two
more wins, in part thanks to
Grace Studer.
While the Bulldogs
cruised to an 11-5 win
against the Kamiakin Braves
in the first of two games, a
fourth-inning stumble in
game two threatened a split.
Studer’s grand slam at the
bottom of the seventh inning
propelled the Dawgs to a
last-minute 12-10 win to end
the day.
“When she came up to
that last at-bat, she had a
plan,” coach Kate Gree-
nough said of Studer. “She
centered her hit and extended
the ball. Hitting-wise, this
was her best performance so
far this season.”
And Studer wasn’t the
only Dawg to bring the fire-
power on Friday. Sydney
Stefani led off with a home
run that sparked a six-run
first inning. Bailey Noland
would knock away a two-run
See Dawgs, Page B2
See NWSL, Page B2
THE MASTERS
Zach Johnson’s practice swing doesn’t miss the ball
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Zach Johnson hits on the 18th hole during
the first round for the Masters golf tourna-
ment on Thursday in Augusta, Ga.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — In his 15
years at the Masters, in his two
decades as a pro, Zach Johnson
had never experienced a shot
like this.
He had never hit one that
short, either, but at least it
didn’t count.
Johnson was going through
his practice routine on the par-5
13th on Friday when the tip of
his driver hit the golf ball. It
went straight right into the tee
marker, and then ricocheted to
the left about 5 yards away.
Johnson was so stunned he
blurted out, “Oh, (s---)” before
turning to his group to fig-
ure out his next move. Matt
Kuchar, ian poulter and the
caddies replied in unison that
the shot wasn’t intentional and
there was no penalty.
“I thought I had done it all,”
Johnson said. “But now I know
I’ve done it all. ... I don’t think I
could do it again if I tried.”
That he wasn’t trying to hit
the shot is what kept him from
the penalty, a decision in place
even before the new Rules of
Golf this year. It’s covered
under Rule 6.2b(5) on starting
a hole: “if a teed ball falls off
the tee or is knocked off the tee
by the player before the player
has made a stroke at it, it may
be re-teed anywhere in the tee-
ing area without penalty.”
Johnson said he knew the
rule. His reaction was “only
because I have never done
that.”
The rest of the group appar-
ently hadn’t either because they
couldn’t stifle their laughter.
“Y’all can laugh,” Johnson
said as he prepared to hit again.
“That is embarrassing.”
Johnson drilled his tee shot
and wound up making birdie on
his way to a 73.
Missing the cut
Two years ago, Justin Rose
and Sergio Garcia faced off in a
playoff for the green jacket.
On Friday, both were head-
ing home.
rose and Garcia missed the
cut by a single shot, each card-
ing a 4-over 148 for the first two
rounds at Augusta National.
See The Masters, Page B2