B
S PORTS
Section B
Farewell to
Hayward
Field
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Lions and Bulldogs split a pair of games
With the new facility
being built, what is
being lost along the
way?
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
When I was seven-years-
old, I ran at Hayward Field
for the fi rst time.
Proudly wearing my Joey
Harrington jersey, I com-
peted in an all-comers meet
where I was the fastest (and
only) kid my age to run the
1500. Since then, Hayward
has been the setting for some
of my favorite memories.
I spent my 13th birthday
at the Prefontaine Classic
where future gold medalist
and all-around great human
Sanya Richards (not yet
Richards-Ross) wished me a
happy birthday.
In 2008 my dad and I
watched Nick Symmonds,
Andrew
Wheating
and
Christian Smith complete an
Oregon sweep of the 800 to
advance to the Olympics in
what is one of the greatest
races I have ever seen and
each re-watch since, still fi lls
me with emotions.
Every year, on the fi rst
day of the OSAA Track
and Field Championships, I
was allowed to skip school.
That Friday was not a day
for learning in a classroom
but sitting at the start line
of the 200 with seemingly
half of my high school as we
cheered on teammates, Or-
egon legends (see: Thomas
Tyner) and future Olympians
(see: Ryan Crouser). (Would
like to put on the record that
watching high school Thom-
as Tyner and Aloha’s state
record breaking 4x100 team
was unreal.)
Gifted with tickets for the
fi nal day of the 2012 Olym-
pic Trials, I sat 15 rows up
from the fi nish line as Or-
egon’s favorite son Ashton
Eaton set the world record in
the decathlon. Everyone in
the stands screamed, cried or
a combination of the two as
we reveled in the realization
that our hero was the greatest
athlete in the world.
I was late to prom my ju-
nior year in high school be-
cause I had to watch De’An-
thony Thomas compete in his
fi rst 100 as an Oregon Duck.
I was at the 2016 Trials on
the day of the 110 hurdle fi -
nals to then have Devon Al-
len jump into my section as
he punched his ticket to Rio.
I’ve seen countless sub-4:00
minute miles, critiqued pole
vault form, been locked in
for all 25 laps of the 10,000
and refused to bat an eye
on shot put throws under 70
feet.
When I walk into Hayward
it is less like walking into a
sporting event and more
like walking into grandma’s
house. There is a comforting
smell that greets you at the
door; it’s a place fi lled with
memories of your own and
from those before you; you
know each and every corner
of it. It’s a place you revere
and under no circumstances
could be replicated.
Seeing the images of what
the new Hayward Field will
look like deeply, and unex-
pectedly, pained me. Plans
for the new stadium – that is
scheduled to be ready in the
spring of 2020 – have been
in motion for quite some
time but there was something
about actually seeing what
this futuristic-feeling facility
will look like that felt like a
betrayal. This upgrade feels
HAYWARD continued on B3
PHOTOS BY ZACH SILVA/CG SENTINEL
Cottage Grove's Wyatt Sayles celebrates as fi rst basemen Jacob Dunn comes up with the fi nal out of the fi rst game of the day.
Cottage Grove baseball
team wins one, loses one in
double-header
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
In an especially close Sky-Em league
race, it was Cottage Grove and Sutherlin
splitting ever-important league games
last Friday in a double-header.
In league play, the Lions and Bulldogs
both remained at 4-4 and tied for fourth
place while sitting just a game and a half
back from league leaders Junction City
and Sweet Home.
“Steal a few wins, a few teams lose,
maybe to a team they shouldn’t, and
we’re right in it,” said Cottage Grove
head coach Dan Geiszler on the league
race that guarantees the top three teams a
spot in the playoffs.
On Friday, it was Cottage Grove start-
ing off the day with a 6-3 victory. While
the team has scored the least runs in the
league this season, it was the bats that
got things started for the Lions. Lead-
off hitter Payton Frieze got things going
right away with a homerun blast in the
bottom of the fi rst inning.
“Payton leading off the game with a
homerun sets a great tone. Kind of sets
a, ‘hey we can do this.’ Hitting is conta-
gious and once you see, oh, he can do it,
I can do it,” said Geiszler.
“You want to be a part of it. And we
hit.”
An additional pair of runs from Hunter
Sharkey and Wyatt Sayles in the inning
got the Lions started off on the right foot.
The game changed in the third inning
when the Bulldogs were able to tie the
score at three apiece after a Cottage
Grove balk, that was contested by Geisz-
ler over the nature of the rule, and a deep
shot to center that scored a runner from
third.
The Lions stole back momentum in the
fourth inning with another three-run in-
ning that began with bases loaded and no
outs. An Emry Foster grounder to short
scored Matt Zumwalt from third but not
before it had been ruled the Bulldogs
came away with a double-play. The call
was then changed after it was deemed
the fi rst basemen had pulled his foot.
A Frieze hit to right fi eld scored Jacob
Dunn from third and a Sayles fl y to left
brought in Foster.
With runners on fi rst and second, the
inning was ended as Sutherlin’s cen-
ter fi elder Tanner Lierman sprinted to-
wards the outfi eld fence to make an out-
stretched, over the shoulder catch on a
deep ball from Jaace Cross.
“Geez Jaace hit the heck out of one
and the kid makes a great catch for what
would have been two more runs,” said
Geiszler.
Defensively, the rest of the game was
controlled by Cottage Grove pitcher Wy-
att Sayles. Sayles pitched a complete
game and struck out four batters.
Making sure they got a win on the day,
it was Sutherlin coming out fi ring in the
second game as four of their fi rst fi ve bat-
ters found their way on base in the fi rst
inning on the way to three runs in the in-
ning. The damage was not yet done as
the Bulldogs were at it again in the sec-
ond inning as they hung six more runs on
the scoreboard. The team fi nished with
12 hits in the 10-0, fi ve-inning game.
“They just hit the heck out of the ball
for one inning,” said Geiszler.
Sutherlin’s pitcher Cade Meisner,
who also pitched two innings in the fi rst
game, handled the Lions as he recorded
fi ve strikeouts in four innings of duty
in the second game. Sutherlin’s Riley
Westbrooks closed the game in the fi fth
inning and had two strikeouts. Cottage
Grove had four hits in the game.
“They have three good arms. As deep
as anybody in our league. And it’s not al-
ways about the success, I thought we re-
ally swung the bat okay. We did a much
better job swinging the bat then we have
even though we didn’t score the second
game,” said Geiszler.
“It’s hard to say that when you lose
you’re happy but the way we competed
was fi ne. There was not a lack of effort,
there wasn’t a lack of competing. Some-
times the other team just does a better
job. And that was the second game and
that just happens.”
This Friday, Cottage Grove travels to
face Junction City in a double-header.
Cottage Grove's Noah Spink safely dives back to fi rst base last Friday.
Cyclists prepare Row River Trail
Cottage Grove
announcer calls
last game
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
PHOTO BY ZACH SILVA/CG SENTINEL
Members of the Cottage Grove Bicycle Club work on painting parts of the Row River Trail to show areas where there
are bumps, roots and rocks. Looking out for the safety of the riders, the group painted needed areas along the 16
miles of the trail. The group will hold their next meeting on May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Healing Matrix.
Athletes of
the Week
This week’s athletes of the week
are the Cottage Grove boys relay
teams. At the Elmira Relays last
Saturday, the Lions won six of the
eight different relay events on the
track coming away with wins in the
4 x 100, 4 x 200, 4 x 800, 4 x Mile,
the distance medley relay and the 4
x 120 yard shuttle hurdles.
For the last fi ve years, Evan McClendon has been living out
his dream as a sportscaster.
“I was born to do it,” he said.
Having called Cottage Grove High School football, basketball
and baseball games, McClendon, at least temporarily, made his
fi nal call last Friday at Cottage Grove baseball’s double-header.
A 2011 CGHS graduate, McClendon works in a mill full-time
and has been presented with a new opportunity that features trav-
elling, full-benefi ts and a higher pay-grade.
“I would love to sit here and do this for the rest of my life but
you know, I’ve got my own life to worry about and you get an
opportunity like this and you just have to take it,” he said.
The lifelong self-described sports fanatic fi rst got into calling
local games after him and his brother, Aaron, were listening to a
CGHS football game and he thought, oh, I could do that. During
ANNOUNCER continued on B2
Cottage
Grove's Jacob
Woods receives
the baton from
teammate
Juice Clafl in in
the 4x100 on
Saturday.
PHOTO BY ZACH SILVA/
CG SENTINEL