B2
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Blues defeat Bruins,
Stanley Cup series
now knotted 2-2
By JOE HARRIS
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — It usu-
ally takes a lucky bounce
here and there to win the
Stanley Cup.
Game 4 of the final
between the Bruins and
the Blues had a whole lot
of bounces — and not a
lot of luck for goaltenders
Tuukka Rask and Jordan
Binnington.
Whether it was nerves,
fatigue or simply traffic
in front, Rask and Bin-
nington each gave up
rebounds aplenty and
both teams cashed in on
the prime scoring chances
Monday night. The Blues’
Alex Pietrangelo pounded
a slap shot that seemed
to handcuff Rask and
the juicy rebound left the
puck in midair when Ryan
O’Reilly swatted it into
the net.
The goal put the Blues
up 3-2 and turned out to
the game-winner in the
4-2 victory that knotted
the final 2-2.
Both of O’Reilly’s
goals came off rebounds.
He took a rebound off of a
Zach Sanford shot behind
the net and beat Rask on
a wrap-around to the right
side just 43 seconds into
the game.
Charlie Coyle evened
the game with 6:46 left
in the first after he found
himself alone in front
of the Blues net to bang
home the rebound from a
Zdeno Chara shot.
The Blues took advan-
tage of another sec-
ond-chance opportunity
at 15:30 in the first. This
time it was Vladimir
Tarasenko pouncing on a
big rebound in the slot off
of a Pietrangelo shot to
make it 2-1.
Rask struggled again
during a Boston power
play in the second period
as O’Reilly almost poked
in his own rebound on a
short-handed rush.
Instead, it was the Bru-
ins capitalizing short-
handed at 14:19 of the
second as Brandon Carlo
found the back of the net
for the first time this post-
season after Binnington
couldn’t handle a Patrice
Bergeron shot with the
puck caroming off of his
pad.
The goal sucked the
life out of the Enterprise
Center and took away the
momentum St. Louis gen-
erated during a prolonged
shift in the Boston zone,
which featured several
line changes and danger-
ous scoring chances as
well as creating the power
play that led to the short-
handed goal.
Then came O’Reilly’s
heroics and the first Stan-
ley Cup Final victory at
home in St. Louis fran-
chise history. Game 5 in
the best-of-seven series is
Thursday night in Boston.
East Oregonian Photo/Ben Lonergan
Pendleton Athletic Director Troy Jerome gives words of advice to the graduating members of the Pendleton baseball team.
Central defeated the Pendleton Bucks 11-4 to win the OSAA 5A State Championship at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
Seniors: Pendleton baseball celebrates grads in Keizer
Continued from Page B1
were able to don their caps
and gowns and receive their
diplomas.
And to see their sons
graduate on the same
grounds where they fought
for Pendleton baseball’s
first-ever state title was
extra sentimental for the
parents in attendance.
“It’s pretty special,” said
Karen Demianew, mother of
outfielder Matt Demianew.
“What a way to end their
high school careers — to
play for a championship and
to graduate on that field.”
The OSAA has worked
with schools around the
state for the past 20 years
or so to help graduating
students and their fami-
lies experience graduation,
albeit on the playing field,
to the appropriate music and
with all the fanfare one can
muster at a ballpark.
“The schools them-
selves and their adminis-
trators, ADs and coaches
make it happen,” said Ore-
gon School Activities Asso-
ciation sports information
director Steve Walker. “We
just play the music and read
their scripts. It’s really cool.
Sad they can’t be there with
their classmates, but it’s the
next best thing.”
Pendleton athletic direc-
tor Troy Jerome arrived
at Volcanoes Stadium
with a box of gear for the
ceremony.
To add a little authentic-
ity to the event, Pendleton
school board member Steve
Umbarger was on hand to
present the diplomas. With
his son Gabe on the team, he
was already at the stadium.
“It’s
surreal,”
said
Umbarger. “We didn’t think
about this when they were 6
years old and just starting
baseball. But to see the cul-
mination of all their years
of hard work — it’s really
neat.”
Festivities and celebra-
tions followed on Sunday
afternoon.
The Pendleton softball
team had the same expe-
rience last year when they
won the 5A state title.
“I’m in my gown and
softball
gear,”
Kalan
McGlothan said at the time.
“This is just crazy.”
Rutschman, Witt,
Vaughn are top picks
in MLB draft
By DENNIS
WASZAK JR.
Associated Press
SECAUCUS, N.J. —
A capsule look at the top
three picks in the Major
League Baseball draft
Monday night:
1. Baltimore Orioles:
Adley Rutschman, C,
Oregon State
Golden Spikes Award
finalist
was
Pac-12
player of year and con-
ference’s
co-defensive
player of year. Marked
seventh time player
drafted as catcher taken
with top pick — first
since Joe Mauer in 2001.
Switch-hitting slugger
batted .411 with career-
best 17 homers and 58
RBIs for Beavers, and
threw out 13 of 27 run-
ners attempting to steal.
Ranked among national
leaders in several offen-
sive categories, includ-
ing on-base percent-
age (.575), slugging
percentage (.751) and
walks (school-record 76).
Was 40th-round pick by
Seattle in 2016.
2. Kansas City Roy-
als: Bobby Witt Jr, SS,
Colleyville H.S. (Texas)
Son of former big
league pitcher Bobby
Witt , who was selected
No. 3 overall by Texas
Rangers in 1985 draft.
Witts became high-
est-drafted
father-son
duo, topping Tom Grieve
(No. 6, 1966) and Ben
Grieve (No. 2, 1994).
They’re also seventh
father-son combo of
first-rounders, and first
since Delino DeShields
(1987) and Delino DeSh-
ields Jr. (2010). Younger
Witt considered top high
school prospect this year.
Five-tool shortstop has
impressive power with
smooth
right-handed
swing.
3. Chicago White Sox:
Andrew Vaughn, 1B,
California
Outstanding overall
hitter looking to become
first repeat winner of
Golden Spikes Award
after being selected
country’s top college
player as sophomore
last year. Widely consid-
ered best all-around hit-
ter in draft, Vaughn hit
.381 with 15 homers, 50
RBIs and .544 on-base
percentage that ranks
among national leaders.
Struck out just 74 times
in three seasons.
2018 champ Beavers
knocked out of NCAA
regionals
Associated Press
CORVALLIS — The
second day of NCAA
regionals brought an early
exit for the defending
national champion.
Oregon State was elim-
inated on its home field
with a 4-1 loss to Big
East champion Creigh-
ton on Saturday, marking
the first time the Beavers
have gone 0-2 in regionals
in 14 appearances since
1985. They were knocked
out in the regional round
for the first time since
2015.
“It was a matter of us
not playing good baseball.
That’s the bottom line,”
OSU interim coach Pat
Bailey said.
The Beavers lost 10
of their last 15 games
and finished 36-20-1 a
season after they com-
pleted a two-year run in
which they won 111 of
130 games under former
coach Pat Casey.
The game was catcher
Adley
Rutschman’s
last for Oregon State.
Rutschman was the No. 1
pick in the Major League
Baseball draft on Mon-
day. He was on deck when
the Bluejays turned the
game-ending double play.
He had driven a ball to the
warning track in his last
at-bat and tipped his cap
to the crowd as he jogged
back to the dugout.
East Oregonian Photo/Ben Lonergan
Pendleton third baseman Kyle Field holds up a ball to celebrate an out at third base.
Bucks: Drop 5A state title game to Central Panthers
Continued from Page B1
leton. They just keep grind-
ing, grinding, grinding.
That says a lot about them
as a team.”
With just one out on the
board, the Panthers posted
five more runs in the the
bottom of the second. Alar-
con and Brandon Lopez
drove in two apiece with
their back-to-back singles.
The Bucks would get on
the scoreboard in the fol-
lowing inning.
“Before the game, coach
Wes (Armstrong) said that
we’re battle-tested,” said
Pendleton center fielder
Gabe Umbarger. “This
game showed it.”
Umbarger singled for
Pendleton’s first hit of
the day. Panthers pitcher
Ruben Cedillo walked two
Bucks to send Matt Demi-
anew in to put Pendleton
on the board. Matt Demi-
anew would score on Ty
Beers’ sacrifice fly before
the inning’s end.
“We showed a lot of
character,” Umbarger said.
“We put runners on base
and runs on the board. We
had to believe in ourselves
and what we could do.
That’s what it took to get
started.”
Roberts and Chris Large
surrendered 10 runs within
the first three innings
before Demianew took to
the mound. He would only
East Oregonian Photo/Ben Lonergan
Pendleton’s Kyle Field swings at a pitch late in the game. Central defeated the Pendleton
Bucks 11-4 to win the OSAA 5A State Baseball Championship at Volcanoes Stadium.
allow one more run over the
final four innings.
“Central is a really
strong-hitting team,” Demi-
anew said. “They put the
ball in really good spots.
We were throwing good,
they were just able to hit
against our pitchers.”
Pendleton drew four
straight walks in the top
of the fifth in which they
scored their final runs, but
Leismester, who relieved
Cedillo on the mound,
would hold them scoreless
for the remainder of the
game.
Cedillo hit a perfect
4-for-4 and scored two
runs. Conner Laeng scored
three runs and had an RBI.
Pendleton finished the
season with a record of 18-9
season.
“There’s no quit in
these boys,” said Hague-
wood. “I’m super proud of
them. It takes special play-
ers and extra opportunities
to fight back like they did.
Hopefully we’ll be back
next year.”