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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 2019)
SPORTS Tuesday, August 13, 2019 East Oregonian A9 Seahawks: Blair brings big hitter reputation Continued from Page A8 up wrong, my technique sometimes. I’m just working on it and getting better,” Blair said. NOTES: Carroll said T/ TE George Fant has a sec- ond-degree ankle sprain and will be aiming to try and get back for the season opener. Fant was injured when he was rolled up from behind on Thursday and was in a walk- ing boot at practice Sunday. Fant has regularly been used as an extra tight end. ... QB Geno Smith underwent sur- gery to remove a cyst from his knee and was a spectator at practice on Sunday. Carroll said Smith is hopeful he’ll be ready to play next Sunday against Minnesota, but said it could be a stretch to expect that. Smith’s uncertainty was why Seattle signed J.T. Bar- rett to add another arm for training camp. AP Photo/Stephen Brashear Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marquise Blair, right, hits Denver Broncos wide receiver Nick Williams, left, drawing a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness during the second half of an NFL preseason game Aug. 8, in Seattle. Rodeo: Stevi Hillman of Texas wins final barrel race EO Media Group Photo/Ronald Bond Mackinley Gregus is Eastern Oregon’s top returning scor- er after scoring 11 goals in 2018 as a freshman. Soccer: Close-knit winning culture continues in 2019 Continued from Page A8 another step we can take to improve our program.” Mixing in with that group are a dozen new- comers, and Plocher believes several of them — even some of the fresh- men — have an opportu- nity to see ample playing time this fall. “We feel we have added four or five who could start. That just helps us with our depth,” Plocher said. “Anytime you can add competi- tion to any position it just helps individuals get bet- ter and then the team gets better as a while. Iron sharpens iron, so to be able to have competition day in and day out at all positions hopefully will make our team able to play at the highest level.” Josee Bassett, the reigning conference defensive player of the year, said the new Moun- taineers have brought a heightened level of inten- sity to the team. “It makes me want to work harder,” she said. “I feel like our incom- ing group, transfers and freshmen, have worked so hard, and I don’t think there’s a big gap between the starters, and the trans- fers and freshmen.” The senior said one of the vital components of team success — chemis- try — is being built more quickly than she’s ever experienced with any team she has been a part of at EOU. “This is the fastest we’ve connected as a group,” she said. “Usu- ally it takes a couple weeks to get in the groove of everything and get to know each other and our style of play, but I think this is the fastest we’ve clicked.” Cottrell said that on a team retreat they did activities “to open each other up, and get peo- ple talking and connect- ing. If you bond together, then it’s easier to play with each other because you know the person, you know how to play with them on the field.” Kara Gooderham, one of the freshmen, said the returners have already taken the new players in. “I feel like I know all of them just as much as I know my old team,” the former La Grande stand- out said. “We have great team chemistry.” In response to Bas- sett commenting that the freshmen are challenging the returners, Gooderham said, “I take it as a com- pliment, because if we’re making them better, that makes the whole team better, we’ll be better as a whole.” EOU did lose a key component to the offense with the graduation of Taylor Boyer, last year’s CCC offensive player of the year, who scored 16 goals and added five assists. But among the return- ers on the offensive side are sophomore Mackinley Gregus, who had 11 goals and three assists. Return- ers Morgan Farrington and Kaitlyn McLeod each added three goals a year ago, and Plocher said there is the potential for Eastern to be more well- rounded on offense this fall. “It’s going to be more of a collective unit, but having some of our fresh- men getting valuable experience last year and coming into a sophomore year where hopefully things slow down (and) they’re able to process things quicker,” he said. “Along with our trans- fers and incoming kids, (we’ll be) able to play a lot of different forma- tions depending on what we need to get the desired result.” Eastern also gets back senior Nan Kiebert, who played in only six games last fall, and among the transfers are two Division I additions — Alexis Jor- dan and Anna Hager. EOU, which finished ranked 14th last season, will get a set of early tests against four teams who also finished in the top 25 last fall — No. 11 Hastings, No. 9 Midland, No. 10 Embry-Riddle and No. 25 Hope Interna- tional. Those last two matches are at home on Aug. 30 and Sept. 10. EOU’s matchup against No. 15 North- west, which defeated the Mountaineers in the CCC title game, is Oct. 25 in La Grande. Follow us on Facebook! Continued from Page A8 Right to win the night and the FCPR title in the event in his first trip to Hermiston. “This is one of the biggest rodeos going on right now,” Frost said. “It is a privilege to be here in Hermiston. The ring setup is cool, and there is a lot of energy in the crowd,” I’ll be back.” Frost sits 13th in the stand- ings, and the $6,838 from the FCPR will go a long way in helping him earn his first trip to the NFR. “It couldn’t be any better,” he said. “It’s been a really good year. Now, you have to hammer down and finish with some wins. It’s been a slow week, so Hermiston will help me out a lot.” Saddle bronc riding Ryder Wright got good luck kiss from his 2-year- old daughter Bexley before he competed Saturday night. It’s a ritual they have when his wife Cheyenne and his daughter join him on the road. That kiss seemed to do the trick as Wright posted an 82.5-point ride on Dirty Lit- tle Secret for the mark on the night, and a fourth-place fin- ish overall. Dawson Hay, who turned in an 86 on Friday, walked away with the title and $5,640. “There’s always a little pressure when there’s a big number on top,” Wright said. Speaking of on top, Wright, 21, leads the world standing with $192,479 — more than $33,000 more than the second-place man. Wright, who comes from a long line of saddle bronc rid- ers, broke the regular-season earnings record for saddle bronc riding with $184,880 as of July 30. The Utah cow- boy surpassed Jacobs Craw- ley’s 2017 total of $184,052. “I definitely have an advantage,” he said. “I have had awesome bronc riders as coaches my whole life. I need anything, they are just a phone call away.” Steer wrestling There were a lot of great runs Saturday night, but the hot run belonged to Tyler Pearson, who turfed his steer in 3.6 seconds. The Mississippi cow- boy had the top time in the second go-round, and also picked up the $100 bonus for the top time of the night. He said the cash was much needed. “I lost my wallet the other day,” he said. “I needed some cash bad.” The go-round money ($1,899) is nice, as is the aver- age money ($1,363). Pearson was 16th in the standings at the beginning of the week — less than $2,000 out of 15th. He is looking for his third consecutive trip — and fourth overall — to the NFR. “Every dollar counts,” he said. “It’s nice to get a win. That was a good steer.” Jesse Brown of Baker City, who had a time of 7.6 seconds on two runs, won the event and pocketed $4,914, which included money in each go-round. “I knew I had to be fast,” he said. “That steer was fast; it worked out great.” Brown, who turned 27 earlier in the week, is ranked 39th in the world stand- ings, and leads the Columbia River Circuit. “It’s been all right,” Brown said of his season. “I’m just chipping away.” Rodeo fans will see Brown next month at the Pendleton Round-Up. “Pendleton is one of my favorites,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it for nothing.” Team roping Lane Ivy and Cesar de la Cruz may have had the hot ride of the night, roping their steer in 4 seconds flat, but it was Charly Crawford and Logan Medlin who won the title with their 5.8-second finish on Friday night. Of the 14 competitors in Farm-City’s final team roping event, four teams received penalties and seven received no time, leaving it wide open for Crawford of Prineville and Medlin of Tatum, New Mexico, to claim the title. Pendleton’s own Clay- ton Morrison, teamed with Prineville’s Sean Santucci, provided some Eastern Ore- gon representation for the event, but were one of the unlucky groups who failed to rope their steers. Tie-down roping Two cowboys tied for the tie-down roping’s top spot, but only one rode off with the title. Richard Newton of Por- tales, New Mexico, and Reese Riemer of Stinnett, Texas, each clocked in at 8.1 seconds, but it was Riemer’s 17.8 average that earned him the 2019 title. For Riemer, the vic- tory was seven years in the making. He’s been a Farm- City regular since 2012, but this year was his first as a champion. “The money keeps me coming back,” he joked. “It’s a great rodeo with a great committee. It’s just one of those rodeos that everyone has on their lists to ride in every year.” With $50,326.71 in PRCA earnings, Riemer is No. 21 in the tie-down world stand- ings. His goal, he said, is to crack the top 15. “I just gotta keep doing what I did tonight,” he said. “It’s one check at a time, and one rodeo at a time. I’ve seen guys in my position try too hard and end up making mis- takes. I just have to take it easy from here on out.” Barrel racing Stevi Hillman came all the way from Weatherford, Texas, to win Farm-City’s final barrel race. On the back of her 12-year-old horse Cuatro Fame, she finished at 17.13 for the night’s best ride. Brit- tney Barnett of Joilet, Mon- tana, earned the title with her 17.01-second finish on night one. “A 17.01 ride is fast,” Hill- man said. “To win third is great. There’s some phe- nomenal horses and jockeys here.” Of the ten racers on Satur- day night, four received pen- alties. Vale’s Danyelle Wil- liams closed the night with a 17.42 finish for Saturday’s second-best ride. “He took off a little sooner than I wanted,” Hillman said of Cuatro Fame. “He’s a big, strong horse. He feeds off the crowd’s energy. He won’t do what you tell him to do. The crowd was amazing tonight.” Hillman has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the past three years, and is looking to do it a fourth. “We’re looking good here,” she said. “Now we’ll just have to see if we have good consistency.” SCOREBOARD BASEBALL AMERICAN LEAGUE East W L Pct GB New York 79 41 .658 — Tampa Bay 69 50 .580 9½ Boston 62 59 .512 17½ Toronto 50 72 .410 30 Baltimore 39 80 .328 39½ Central W L Pct GB Cleveland 72 47 .605 — Minnesota 71 47 .602 ½ Chicago 52 64 .448 18½ Kansas City 43 76 .361 29 Detroit 35 80 .304 35 West W L Pct GB Houston 77 41 .653 — Oakland 67 51 .568 10 Texas 59 59 .500 18 Los Angeles 58 61 .487 19½ Seattle 48 71 .403 29½ ——— Sunday’s Games Baltimore 8, Houston 7 L.A. Angels 5, Boston 4, 10 innings N.Y. Yankees 1, Toronto 0 Kansas City 10, Detroit 2 Cleveland 7, Minnesota 3, 10 innings Oakland 2, Chicago White Sox 0 Texas 1, Milwaukee 0 Tampa Bay 1, Seattle 0 Monday’s Games Houston at Chicago White Sox, ppd. N.Y. Yankees 8, Baltimore 5, 1st game N.Y. Yankees 11, Baltimore 8, 2nd game Toronto 19, Texas 4 Cleveland 6, Boston 5 Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, late Tampa Bay at San Diego, late Tuesday’s Games Houston (Greinke 11-4) at Chicago White Sox (Cease 2-4), 1:40 p.m., 1st game Baltimore (Means 8-7) at N.Y. Yankees (German 15-2), 4:05 p.m. Texas (Lynn 14-7) at Toronto (Pannone 2-5), 4:07 p.m. Boston (Sale 6-11) at Cleveland (Clevinger 7-2), 4:10 p.m. Seattle (Kikuchi 4-8) at Detroit (Boyd 6-8), 4:10 p.m. Houston (Cole 14-5) at Chicago White Sox (Nova 7-9), 5:10 p.m., 2nd game Minnesota (Perez 8-5) at Milwaukee (Anderson 5-2), 5:10 p.m. St. Louis (Flaherty 5-6) at Kansas City (Sparkman 3-7), 5:15 p.m. Oakland (Anderson 10-7) at San Fran- cisco (Bumgarner 7-7), 6:45 p.m. Pittsburgh (Williams 4-5) at L.A. Angels (Canning 4-6), 7:07 p.m. Tampa Bay (McKay 2-2) at San Diego (Lauer 6-8), 7:10 p.m. Wednesday’s Games Texas at Toronto, 9:37 a.m. Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees, 10:05 a.m. Boston at Cleveland, 10:10 a.m. Houston at Chicago White Sox, 11:10 a.m. Minnesota at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m. Tampa Bay at San Diego, 12:40 p.m. Oakland at San Francisco, 12:45 p.m. Seattle at Detroit, 4:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, 5:07 p.m. St. Louis at Kansas City, 5:15 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East W L Pct GB Atlanta 70 50 .583 — Washington 63 55 .534 6 New York 61 57 .517 8 Philadelphia 60 58 .508 9 Miami 44 73 .376 24½ Central W L Pct GB Chicago 64 54 .542 — St. Louis 61 55 .526 2 Milwaukee 62 57 .521 2½ Cincinnati 56 61 .479 7½ Pittsburgh 48 69 .410 15½ West W L Pct GB Los Angeles 79 41 .658 — Arizona 59 59 .500 19 San Francisco 59 60 .496 19½ San Diego 55 62 .470 22½ Colorado 53 65 .449 25 ——— Sunday’s Games Atlanta 5, Miami 4 Chicago Cubs 6, Cincinnati 3 Washington 7, N.Y. Mets 4 Texas 1, Milwaukee 0 St. Louis 11, Pittsburgh 9 Colorado 8, San Diego 3 L.A. Dodgers 9, Arizona 3 San Francisco 9, Philadelphia 6 Monday’s Games Washington 7, Cincinnati 6 Arizona 8, Colorado 6 Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, late Tampa Bay at San Diego, late Tuesday’s Games Chicago Cubs (Quintana 10-7) at Phila- delphia (Vargas 6-6), 4:05 p.m. Cincinnati (Wood 1-0) at Washington (Ross 2-3), 4:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 11-2) at Miami (Yamamoto 4-3), 4:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Wheeler 9-6) at Atlanta (Fried 13-4), 4:20 p.m. Minnesota (Perez 8-5) at Milwaukee (Anderson 5-2), 5:10 p.m. St. Louis (Flaherty 5-6) at Kansas City (Sparkman 3-7), 5:15 p.m. Arizona (Gallen 2-3) at Colorado (Gray 10-8), 5:40 p.m. Oakland (Anderson 10-7) at San Fran- cisco (Bumgarner 7-7), 6:45 p.m. Pittsburgh (Williams 4-5) at L.A. Angels (Canning 4-6), 7:07 p.m. Tampa Bay (McKay 2-2) at San Diego (Lauer 6-8), 7:10 p.m. Wednesday’s Games Minnesota at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m. Arizona at Colorado, 12:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at San Diego, 12:40 p.m. Oakland at San Francisco, 12:45 p.m. Cincinnati at Washington, 1:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Miami, 4:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 4:20 p.m. Pittsburgh at L.A. Angels, 5:07 p.m. St. Louis at Kansas City, 5:15 p.m. BASKETBALL 2019-20 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS SCHEDULE All Times Pacific Oct. 23 Denver, 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Dallas, 4 p.m. Oct. 28 at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Nov. 2 Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 Brooklyn, 7 p.m. Nov. 10 Atlanta, 6 p.m. Nov. 12 at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Nov. 13 Toronto, 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Houston, 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Nov. 21 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. Nov. 23 at Cleveland, 5 p.m. Nov. 25 at Chicago, 5 p.m. Nov. 27 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. Nov. 29 Chicago, 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m. Dec. 4 Sacramento, 7 p.m. Dec. 6 L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Dec. 10 New York, 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at Denver, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Dec. 18 Golden State, 7 p.m. Dec. 20 Orlando, 7 p.m. Dec. 21 Minnesota, 7 p.m. Dec. 23 New Orleans, 7 p.m. Dec. 26 at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m. Dec. 30 Phoenix, 7 p.m. Jan. 1 at New York, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at Washington, 4 p.m. Jan. 5 at Miami, 3 p.m. Jan. 7 at Toronto, 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Jan. 11 Milwaukee, 7 p.m. Jan. 13 Charlotte, 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at Houston, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at Oklahoma City, 6 p.m. Jan. 20 Golden State, 7 p.m. Jan. 23 Dallas, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 Indiana, 6 p.m. Jan. 29 Houston, 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 Utah, 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at Denver, 7 p.m. Feb. 6 San Antonio, 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 Miami, 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Feb. 12 at Memphis, 5 p.m. Feb. 21 New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 Detroit, 6 p.m. Feb. 25 Boston, 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Indiana, 5 p.m. Feb. 29 at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. March 2 at Orlando, 4 p.m. March 4 Washington, 7 p.m. March 6 at Phoenix, 6 p.m. March 7 Sacramento, 7 p.m. March 10 Phoenix, 7 p.m. March 12 Memphis, 7 p.m. March 15 Houston, 12:30 p.m. March 17 Minnesota, 7 p.m. March 19 Dallas, 7 p.m. March 22 at Minnesota, 4 p.m. March 24 at Charlotte, 4 p.m. March 25 at Detroit, 4 p.m. March 27 at Boston, 4:30 p.m. March 29 at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. March 30 at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m. April 2 Utah, 7:30 p.m. April 5 Memphis, 6 p.m. April 7 Cleveland, 7 p.m. April 9 Denver, 7 p.m. April 13 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. April 15 L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
