E AST O REGONIAN
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019
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A8
SOFTBALL DISTRICT PLAYOFFS
Hermiston drops title game to Southridge, 4-2
Bailee Noland pitched a
complete game and had three
hits for Hermiston
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Bailee Noland pitched a four-hitter, and
her defense backed her with stellar play,
but Hermiston could not make up for the
lack of of production at the plate as South-
ridge escaped with a 4-2 victory on Wednes-
day in the District 8 championship game in
Kennewick.
“They played great defense, but two runs
is not enough,” Hermiston coach Kate Gree-
nough said. “Bailey threw great; she had
two earned runs. Earned run for earned run,
it was an even game.”
UP NEXT
Hermiston plays the winner of the Shadle
Park-Kennewick game at 5 p.m. Friday.
The winner of Friday’s game advances to
the 3A state tournament. The game is at
Rocky Heights Elementary School, 650 W
Standard Ave, Hermiston.
The Bulldogs’ season is not over. They
will play the winner of the Shadle Park-Ken-
newick game at 5 p.m. Friday, with the
winner advancing to the 3A state tourna-
ment. Both games will be at Rocky Heights
Elementary.
With the win, the Suns advance to the
state tournament for the fi rst time since
2008.
“It has been a while,” Southridge coach
Eric Weisgerber said. “We have had some
good players and good teams, but for what-
ever reason it has not gone our way. The
girls did a fabulous job (last) Friday to get us
past Mt. Spokane.”
Southridge starter Bailey Rose struck out
14 and limited the Bulldogs to three hits —
all by Noland — but Hermiston managed to
put a run on the board in the fi rst inning.
With two out, Ashley Cameron drew a
full-count walk, then scored on a Noland
single to deep center. Cameron just beat
the throw to home plate for the game’s fi rst
run.
The Bulldogs played solid defense the
fi rst two innings, allowing just one base
runner.
In the third, the Suns came to life. Rylee
Vasquez drew a walk, Raelynn Nesary
1A STATE TRACK
Warriors look
to build off
well-balanced
Game 1 win
GOING
FOR
By JANIE MCCAULEY
Associated Press
GOLD
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Griswold High School senior Hannah Christman will defend her 1A state championship title in the 800-meter run on Saturday in Monmouth.
Griswold senior looks to defend her 1A state title in the 800 meters
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
The 800-meter run is not for the faint
of heart.
Basically, it’s an all-out sprint for two
laps around the track, and hopefully you
have saved enough energy for a kick at
the end.
Griswold High School senior Han-
nah Christman has only run the event
the past two years, but she has become
one of the best among 1A runners in the
state.
“My freshman and sophomore years,
I did the 400 and the 300 hurdles,”
Christman said. “When it came to dis-
tricts, I would be third or fourth. My dis-
tance coach (Jeff Newtson) said I should
try the 800.”
Christman was hesitant at fi rst, but
as she started working with the distance
crew, the 800 quickly grew on her.
“My fi rst meet, I didn’t even know
where to cut in,” she said. “After my fi rst
race my junior year, I was ranked fi rst in
the district. It’s really cool to fi nd some-
thing that is your event.”
Christman won her second consecu-
tive 1A Special District 3 title last Satur-
day in Moro, and is headed to state this
weekend to defend her state title.
reached base on an error, McKenna Crum
fl ew out, and Rose singled, driving in
Vasquez to tie the score.
Catcher Emmee Ball then blasted an 0-1
pitch over the fence in left-center to give
Southridge a 4-1 lead.
“You just know when it comes off the
bat,” Ball said of her fi rst homer this season.
The Suns would only get two more base
runners the rest of the game, but the damage
had been done.
The Bulldogs got a solo home run from
Janelle Almaguer in the top of the seventh
— her fi rst of the year — but that would be
it.
“It was really nerve-racking when they
got that fi rst run,” Ball said. “Once our hits
came along, our defense backed us up.
Their pitcher can hit, and their shortstop
(Sydney Stefani) is amazing.”
“That was the goal, to go back (to
state) and win it again,” Christman said.
With University of Oregon’s Hay-
ward Field under renovation, the 1A
meet has been move to Western Oregon
University.
“Just being there takes a couple of
seconds off your time,” Christman said
of Hayward Field. “It is awesome. Last
year, the seniors were reminiscing, and
the rest of us were like, ‘dang.’”
Learning curve
The more Christman runs the 800,
the more she breaks it down to work for
her.
“I always think the fi rst lap you are
full of adrenaline and maybe going too
fast for your pace,” she said. “Between
400 and 600 meters, is where you make
all of your decisions. That is your make
or break point. Last year at state, that’s
where I started to speed up, then you
realize you have sprint at the end.”
Christmas won her fi rst state title in
a time of 2:26.51, nearly 4 seconds in
front of Sahalie Crain of Chiloquin.
Last week, she won district in a time
of 2:27.80, nearly 6 seconds ahead of
Hailey Heideman of Ione.
Her personal best time of 2:25.25 was
set May 3 at the Dick Horyna Invite in
Stanfi eld.
Christman has the second-best time
in Oregon among 1A runners this
spring, behind Ella Coughlan of Joseph,
who clocked a 2:22.13 on May 3 at the
Baker Invite.
“I have put in a lot of practice and
effort to get where I am,” Christman
said. “I can keep working and bring my
time down.”
Griswold coach Rory Simpson has
no doubt that Christman will succeed in
what she sets out to do.
“It’s kind of the way Hannah is,” he
said. “The harder it is, the more she’s
drawn to it. She is competitive. It will be
great to see her run (at state).”
Christman also received an at-large
bid to run the 3,000 at state, and she is
part of the 4x400 relay team that won
the district title.
The Grizzlies were third at state in
the 4x400 last year, but with Emma Feh-
renbacker and Lucy Case graduating,
Christman and Kaylee Cope have had to
break in sophomores Karalin Reynolds
and Ryann Stahancyk. Their best time
this year is 4:35.74 — quite a bit off their
state time of 4:24.27 last year.
“We have new runners and there is
See Christman, Page A9
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden
State Warriors displayed that familiar
swagger, celebrated in front of the home
crowd as they so love to do and got con-
tributions on both ends of the fl oor from
up and down the roster.
They were playing with the kind of
joy coach Steve Kerr talks about when
things just click.
“You see like the morale, like every-
body’s shoulders are up and smiles,
and just aggressiveness all over the
fl oor,” Stephen Curry said. “Whether
that’s setting a screen, swing or cutting
hard, all that type of stuff. When you
create good shots that way, it’s fun for
everybody.”
And he means everybody.
Before the Western Conference
fi nals began, Kerr told his team this
series against Portland might allow for
more guys to play key minutes and have
opportunities for the two-time defending
champs.
Golden State’s bench players pro-
vided the perfect complement to Curry,
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green
in Game 1 as the Warriors withstood
the absence of Kevin Durant for another
impressive win.
The Warriors lead the best-of-seven
series 1-0 after beating the Trail Blazers
116-94 on Tuesday night.
“Strength in numbers has been the
motto for this team, and it’s been proven
over the last couple of years,” reserve
guard Quinn Cook said Wednesday
after contributing eight points and a pair
of 3-pointers in the win. “Obviously, we
have the star power. But I think what
makes this team so special is the guys
who don’t get the recognition who come
in off the bench and who put the work
in daily.”
Kerr reiterated that the Warriors
expect to know more ahead of Game
2 at Oracle Arena on Thursday about
whether Durant can return during this
series once he is reevaluated.
The coach has said that until Durant
can do signifi cant on-court work to test
the leg he will not be ready.
“It makes everything tougher for
sure, when you lose a guy like Kevin,”
Green said.
The Warriors certainly looked more
like themselves with the crisp ball move-
ment — leading to 30 assists — with
almost everyone fi nding a way to con-
tribute to the victory.
SPORTS SHORTS
Bob Baff ert-trained Improbable listed as
5-2 favorite in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes
BALTIMORE (AP) — Hall of Fame
trainer Bob Baff ert will seek his
record-setting eighth Preakness victory
Saturday with 5-2 morning line favorite
Improbable, who will start from the No.
4 post in a fi eld of 13 horses.
For the fi rst time since 1951, the
Preakness will not include the four
horses that crossed the fi nish line fi rst
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
in the Kentucky Derby.
Improbable fi nished fi fth and was
moved up to fourth following the dis-
qualifi cation of Maximum Security for
interference.
It was the only time in six career
races that Improbable failed to fi nish
fi rst or second.
War of Will, the second choice at
4-1, received the No. 1 post in Wednes-
day’s draw. It’s the same post position
he had in the Kentucky Derby, when he
fi nished eighth and was moved up to
seventh.
Baff ert and R.W. Walden, who sad-
dled seven winners in the late 1800s,
are currently tied atop the Preakness
leaderboard.