Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 7, 2025 -- SEVEN
Mustangs Hold Off Mustangs show strong at
Centennial Invitational Lady Mustangs go
3A Hilanders
2-1 in exciting week
of softball action
Caleb George makes contact. -Photo by Brian Bunch
Shad Greenup called
“Game!” from right field,
catching all three outs of the
seventh inning late in the
afternoon on Friday, May 2,
in Heppner as the Heppner/
Ione Mustangs held off a
comeback attempt by the
Burns/Crane Hilanders.
The Hilanders, mem-
bers of 3A-Special District
2 and ranked #11 among
3A schools in the state of
Oregon, made the road trip
to Heppner for a non-league
matchup on the warm May
Friday. With a sunny first
pitch and the dial in the
mid-70-degree range with
a slight breeze, the home-
town crowd was ready for
the best baseball weather
of the season.
Ryan Haugen got the
start on the mound for the
Mustangs and led them
to a 4-0 lead after three
innings. Caylan Proudfoot
walked, then ran, for a run
in the bottom of the first;
batted in on an Alakae Ro-
driguez RBI-double. R.
Haugen would score on a
Caleb George RBI-single
before consecutive walks
would score Keaton Coiner
and Proudfoot again in the
bottom of the second for
the 4-0 lead. A scoreless
third inning would see both
defenses put in work as R.
Haugen earned the only
strikeout of the inning for
either starting pitcher.
R. Haugen would give
up four straight singles to
start the top of the fourth
inning. Those four batters
would go on to score; one
with the help of an error
and two on a sacrifice fly.
With the game tied at four,
R. Haugen would earn the
third out with a four-pitch
strikeout to end the half.
Two fly-outs for the Mus-
tangs would bring Rodri-
guez to the plate to work a
two-out walk before getting
caught stealing at second to
end the inning.
R. Haugen’s outing on
the mound would end after
the fourth with 4.0 innings
pitched, allowing four runs
(one earned) on five hits
with one walk and earning
five strikeouts.
Rodriguez would take
the mound in the fifth in-
ning for the Mustangs,
pitching 1.0 innings in re-
lief, allowing one earned
run on four walks.
The Hilanders would
take the lead after a lead-
off walk would score on a
passed ball, but Rodriguez
would keep it close; earning
two K’s along the way. A
lead-off walk by Mason
Orem in the bottom of the
frame and R. Haugen get-
ting on base with a two-base
error set the Mustangs up
with two runners in scoring
position with no outs.
A strikeout and a quick
ground out would quickly
make it two outs; still two
runners in scoring position
and the top of the order,
George, coming to the plate
for the Mustangs. The
third pitch George saw, he
hammered to the left field
gap for a two-RBI double.
G e o rg e w o u l d g e t
stranded on second, but
not before the Mustangs
had regained the lead, 6-5.
Coiner would close
out the game for the Mus-
tangs, pitching 2.0 innings
of no-hit, no-run baseball;
earning the Save. The top
of the sixth inning saw two
fly-outs to Orem in center
field and a ground out to
Proudfoot at second by the
Hilanders. A 1-2-3 inning
by the Hilander’s closer
in the bottom of the sixth
gave them one last hope to
get back in the game in the
seventh inning, down by
one with the heart of their
order due up.
Coiner threw six pitch-
es in the bottom of the
seventh inning; the second
pitch each batter saw would
be hit to right field, where
Greenup refused to let the
ball hit the ground in a mas-
terful display of defense.
Game! 6-5 Mustangs.
R. Haugen led the team
with two runs on two hits,
while George was the only
other Mustang with mul-
tiple hits, tallying one run
and three RBI’s on two
hits. Rodriguez, the only
other Mustang with a hit,
recorded two RBIs and two
walks as well.
Mustang pitching as
a whole gave up five runs
(two earned) on five hits
with five walks and two
defensive errors while earn-
ing seven strikeouts with a
combined .185 BAA (oppo-
nent batting average).
Mustangs Survive the
Wind and the Rockets
On Tuesday, April 29,
the Pilot Rock Rockets
made the trip to Heppner for
a windy mid-week matchup
against the Heppner/Ione
Mustangs. Keaton Coiner
got the start for the Mus-
tangs, pitching 3.0 innings
and giving up one hit and
three walks while earning
five strikeouts.
Alakae Rodriguez
pitched 4.0 innings in re-
lief, allowing one run on
three hits and earning three
strikeouts. The Mustang
bats were flapping in the
wind as the offense man-
aged two runs on zero hits
with four walks while strik-
ing out eight times. A Ma-
son Orem run in the second
and a Rodriguez run in the
fourth would power the
Mustangs to the 2-1 win
over the Rockets.
Mustangs Resume
League Play
After the non-league
win against Burns/Crane,
the Heppner/Ione Mustangs
(11-5 overall, 7-3 league)
returned to 2A/1A-SD7
play as they hosted the
league-leading Prospec-
tors (10-8, 9-1) from Grant
Union/Prairie City/Mon-
ument Tuesday afternoon.
With another chance
to move up, the Mustangs
will host the Bobcats (13-
3, 7-3) from Union/Cove
on Friday, May 9, for a
doubleheader starting at 1
p.m. These will be the last
home games of the regular
season for the Mustangs
as they finish the season
on the road, traveling to
Grant Union/Prairie City/
Monument on May 13 for
part two of the home-and-
home series between the
two. They will then finish
the regular season visiting
Weston-McEwen/Griswold
on May 16 for a double-
header.
We are due for some
exciting baseball down the
back stretch of the regu-
lar season; make sure you
catch this team on the home
field while you can!
GRESHAM — The
Heppner Mustang track
and field teams competed
at the 59 th Centennial Invi-
tational on Saturday, May 3,
delivering a strong showing
against larger programs and
posting a number of person-
al records.
Junior Chris Hum-
phreys led the boys with a
standout third-place finish
in the javelin, launching a
personal-best 163 feet, 9
inches. He also placed 11 th
in the discus with a throw
of 120 feet, 3 inches. Senior
Marty Medina continued
his solid season, placing
21 st in both the 800 meters
(2:09.54 PR) and 1500 me-
ters (4:34.46 PR).
In the sprints, Hayden
McMahon ran 12.00 in the
100 meters and 25.24 in the
200. The boys 4x100 relay
team—Medina, Joseph Al-
bitre, Nick Wenberg and
McMahon—finished 19 th
in 47.98 seconds.
Gage Heideman, a
freshman, threw a person-
al-best 35 feet, 8.5 inches
in the shot put. Landon
McMahon added a PR in
the discus at 119 feet, 3
inches. Albitre cleared 5
feet, 10 inches in the high
jump to finish seventh,
while Wenberg placed 16 th
in the long jump at 18 feet,
7.75 inches.
On the girls’ side, senior
Hallee Hisler had a strong
day, placing fifth in the 400
meters (59.50 SR) and sixth
in the 200 meters (26.61).
Lily Nichols finished fifth
in the 800 (2:26.13) and
sixth in the 1500 (4:58.68).
Riley Archer and Brooklyn
Hendricks each recorded
personal bests in both the
1500 and 3000 meters.
Laia Puelles also
notched two PRs, running
18.92 in the 100-meter
hurdles and 58.63 in the
300-meter hurdles. Teagan
Kelton threw a person-
al-best 82 feet, 10 inches in
the javelin.
With a wave of sea-
son-best performances,
the Mustangs are gaining
momentum as they ap-
proach the final stretch of
the spring season.
Full Centennial Invita-
tional stats are as follows:
Men’s Results
100 Meters Varsity -
Finals
49. Hayden McMahon
(12) – 12.00a (1.4)
59. Nick Wenberg (12)
– 12.23a (2.0) PR
200 Meters Varsity -
Finals
39. Hayden McMahon
(12) – 25.24a (2.9)
800 Meters Varsity -
Finals
21. Marty Medina (12)
– 2:09.54a PR
1500 Meters Varsity -
Finals
21. Marty Medina (12)
– 4:34.46a PR
4x100 Relay Varsity -
Finals
19. Marty Medina (12),
Joseph Albitre (11), Nick
Wenberg (12), Hayden Mc-
Mahon (12) – 47.98a
Shot Put (12lb) Varsity
- Finals
30. Gage Heideman (9)
– 35’ 8.5” PR
33. Chris Humphreys
(11) – 35’ 1”
52. Landon McMahon
(11) – 30’ 0.75”
Discus (1.6kg) Varsity
- Finals
11. Chris Humphreys
(11) – 120’ 3”
12. Landon McMahon
(11) – 119’ 3” PR
63. Gage Heideman
(9) – 66’ 2”
Javelin (800g) Varsity
- Finals
3. Chris Humphreys
(11) – 163’ 9” PR
58. Austin Willis (11) –
84’ 9” PR
59. Lucas King (9) –
83’ 11”
High Jump Varsity -
Finals
7. Joseph Albitre (11)
– 5’ 10”
Long Jump Varsity -
Finals
16. Nick Wenberg (12)
– 18’ 7.75”
Joseph Albitre (11) –
DNS
Women’s Results
100 Meters Varsity -
Finals
16. Hallee Hisler (12)
– 13.12a (-0.5)
35. Healy Hisler (10) –
13.64a (-0.2) SR
64. Teagan Kelton (11)
– 15.01a (-1.5)
200 Meters Varsity -
Finals
6. Hallee Hisler (12) –
26.61a (1.7)
21. Healy Hisler (10) –
28.10a (2.0)
46. Teagan Kelton (11)
– 31.65a (0.1)
400 Meters Varsity -
Finals
5. Hallee Hisler (12) –
59.50a SR
10. Healy Hisler (10) –
1:02.75a SR
800 Meters Varsity -
Finals
5. Lily Nichols (11) –
2:26.13a
1500 Meters Varsity -
Finals
6. Lily Nichols (11) –
4:58.68a
11. Riley Archer (11) –
5:20.00a PR
24. Brooklyn Hen-
dricks (10) – 5:37.06a PR
3000 Meters Varsity -
Finals
8. Riley Archer (11) –
11:38.46a PR
11. Brooklyn Hen-
dricks (10) – 11:57.37a PR
100m Hurdles (33”)
Varsity - Finals
26. Laia Puelles (10) –
18.92a (1.0) PR
300m Hurdles (30”)
Varsity - Finals
9. Lily Nichols (11) –
50.87a
34. Laia Puelles (10) –
58.63a PR
Javelin (600g) Varsity
- Finals
19. Teagan Kelton (11)
– 82’ 10” PR
Hunter ed field day June 14
A hunter education
field day is scheduled for
June 14 in Lexington.
The one-day class is
a field day only. Students
are required to take an ap-
proved online course before
attending the field day and
to bring their course certif-
icates to the field day.
Class begins at 8 a.m.
at the Lexington Gun Club,
66290 Marquardt Road.
Cost is $10.
Instructions for signing
up can be found at http://
vem.myodfw.com/event-
profile/174.
For more information,
contact instructor Jim Mar-
quardt at 541-969-4845.
For help signing up, contact
855-868-1055 or odfw-
help@payitgov.com.
Housing authority to meet
The next meeting of the Senior Center lobby.
Heppner Housing Authority
For more information,
for the Heppner Senior Cen- contact KayRene Qualls at
ter will be Tuesday, May 13, 541-980-2836.
at 4 p.m. in the St. Patrick’s
Maya Payne pitching.
-Photo by Sandy Matthew
CiCi Stefani hitting.
-Photo by Sandy Matthew
The Heppner Lady
Mustangs put together a
strong week on the dia-
mond, bookending a tough
home loss with two impres-
sive wins—one of them in
dramatic walk-off fashion.
Payne dominates in
road win over Pilot Rock/
Nixyaawii
On Tuesday, April 29,
pitcher Maya Payne turned
in a brilliant performance
as Heppner defeated Pilot
Rock/Nixyaawii 5-2. Payne
threw a no-hitter, striking
out 15 and allowing only
three walks and two runs in
seven innings.
The Lady Mustangs
built an early lead in the
second inning with a flurry
of offense. Delaney Stefani,
Ciciley Stefani and Ava
Gerry each drove in runs,
with Gerry plating two on
a single.
Heppner collected sev-
en hits in the game, with
Kadie Henrichs and the
Stefani sisters tallying two
hits apiece. Gerry led the
team with two RBIs. Pi-
lot Rock struggled against
Payne’s dominant pitching
and could not overcome
early errors.
Payne shines at the
plate, but Lady Mustangs
fall to Vale in game one
Back at home on Fri-
day, May 2, the Lady Mus-
tangs dropped the first game
of a doubleheader to Vale,
6-4, despite another stand-
out effort from Payne—this
Katie Spivey fielding.
-Photo by Sandy Matthew
time with the bat.
The senior went 3-for-4
with a solo home run, a dou-
ble, and a single, account-
ing for much of Heppner’s
offense. Ciciley Stefani also
added three hits, but the
team left too many runners
stranded.
Vale capitalized on a
big first inning, scoring
four runs, including a two-
run homer from B. Blake.
Heppner out-hit Vale 9-7
but couldn’t close the gap.
Payne pitched a com-
plete game, allowing sev-
en hits and six runs (four
earned) while striking out
eight.
Walk-off magic lifts
Mustangs in game two
thriller
The second game of
Friday’s doubleheader had
all the makings of a classic.
Tied at 12 in the bottom
of the seventh, Ava Gerry
delivered the game-winning
single to seal a dramatic
13-12 victory for the Mus-
tangs.
Ciciley Stefani had a
huge day, driving in four
runs with a pair of hits, in-
cluding a three-run double.
Isabel Payne added a solo
home run, and Henrichs and
Keeley Nairns delivered
key RBIs during a wild
sixth-inning rally.
Maya Payne again took
the ball for Heppner, grind-
ing through seven innings
as the Mustangs and Vi-
kings traded leads late in
the game. Though she gave
up 16 hits and 12 runs (10
earned), the offense picked
her up with 14 hits of their
own.
Gerry led the team at
the plate, going 3-for-5,
and Payne, Henrichs and
Stefani each added multiple
hits. The team also turned
a double play defensively.
The Lady Mustangs re-
turn to the field on Tuesday
at home against Pilot Rock/
Nixyaawii in a rematch.
Sunday men’s play
Eighteen participated
in men’s play on Sunday,
May 4, at Willow Creek
Country Club. The results
are as follows:
KP #4/13, Jerry Gen-
try, 6’.
KP 2 nd shot, #6/15 Dave
Pranger, 6’4”.
Net—1 st , Curt Day 56;
nd
2 , Tom Shear 57; and 3 rd ,
Rick Britt 59.
Gross—1 st , Charlie
Ferguson 66; 2 nd , Jeff Wat-
kins 69; and 3 rd , Jared Hud-
dleston/Dennis Peck 70.
There will be no orga-
nized play on May 11 as the
WCCC men celebrate their
mothers.
The next organized
play will be on May 18.
The event will be the two-
man shootout, hosted by
Dave Gunderson and David
Allstott.
Seniors Matter May Menu
May 6 - Baked Pasta, Garden
salad, Garlic bread and dessert
May 13 - Hot Turkey Sandwich, Mashed
potatoes, Pea salad, Dessert
May 20 - Taco Bravo Bar, Spanish
Rice and Dessert
May 27 - BBQ Beef Sandwich, Jojo
potatoes, Coleslaw and Dessert
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