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TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019
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B1
CENTRAL 11, PENDLETON 4
BUCKS FALL SHORT
East Oregonian Photo/Ben Lonergan
Pendleton catcher Justin Duso tags out Emiliano Alarcon at home plate. Central defeated the Pendleton Bucks 11-4 to win the OSAA 5A State Baseball Championship at
Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer on Saturday.
Pendleton drops 5A
baseball title game
to Central Panthers
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
KEIZER — Pendleton watched their dream
season quickly crumble as two bad innings led to
the Central Panthers winning the Oregon School
Activities Association 5A baseball state title.
On Saturday, the 5A’s top-ranked Panthers
put up nine runs in the fi rst two innings on their
way to beating the Bucks and claiming the state
title 11-4 at Volcanoes Stadium.
Although no team hopes to take home a sec-
ond place trophy, Pendleton coach TJ Hague-
wood knows that moments likes these only
come around every so often. The last time the
Bucks were in this position, it was the spring of
1992, where they lost a 4A championship game
in Portland to McNary, 7-4.
“I went to that game,” Haguewood said. “I
went as a fan. I bleed green. This was a really
special opportunity. It’s a tough way to end the
season, but I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.”
Pendleton starting pitcher Cooper Rob-
erts struck out Central’s lead-off batter Hunter
Chase, but the next three batters each had sin-
gles, including Brendan Lesmeister, whose line
drive to left fi eld drove a runner home. Emiliano
Alarcon would do the same on the next at-bat,
and Justin Girod’s two-run single would cap off
the four-run inning.
It was a lead that the Panthers never gave
up. The four-run burst set down the path early
to their fi rst state title since 1958, when they
shut out Myrtle Creek 6-0 in the A-2 state
championships.
“I’m just happy for the guys. They worked
extremely hard to enjoy this,” said Central coach
Tom Roberts. “I can’t say enough about Pend-
See Bucks, Page B2
East Oregonian Photo/Ben Lonergan
Karen Demianew drapes tassels over the shoulders of Matt Demianew before an on-fi eld graduation ceremony
held for the Bucks. Central defeated the Pendleton Bucks 11-4 to win the OSAA 5A State Baseball Championship
at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer on Saturday.
Pendleton baseball celebrates graduation in Keizer
By ANNIE FOWLER
and BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
KEIZER — The traditional
pomp and circumstance of grad-
uation is something parents and
family wait years for.
The Pendleton High School
Class of 2019 graduated Satur-
day morning at Round-Up Arena,
minus seven of its classmates,
who played for the 5A state base-
ball title later that day.
Pam Duso, mother of Bucks
catcher Justin Duso, said choos-
ing the championships over the
“offi cial” graduation ceremony
was a no-brainer.
“He’s going to remember this
for the rest of his life,” Duso
said. “The boys wanted to prac-
tice together as a team. Baseball
players are very superstitious.
They didn’t want to break their
routine.”
While Duso, Matt Demianew,
Quinn Doherty, Ryan Stahl, Aus-
ten Fell, Chris Large and Gabe
Umbarger missed walking with
rest of their classmates, they still
See Seniors, Page B2