WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
SPORTS
Kopacz named third-team all-state
Utility player led
Bulldogs in eight
offensive categories
BY SAM BARBEE
HERMISTON HERALD
The Hermiston softball
team had a member earn a
high honor Monday.
Do-everything
play-
er Mikayla Kopacz was
named a third-team player
Monday by OregonLive.
com.
“It was exciting for Mi-
kayla to get recognition,”
Hermiston coach Kylee
Lete said. “She did a good
job at the plate, and it was
good to see her get some
recognition.”
As a junior getting time
at shortstop, second base
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a team-leading .408 in 88
plate appearances. She also
led the Bulldogs in hits with
31, RBIs — 15, doubles —
seven, walks — 10, on-base
percentage — .483, slug-
ging — .552 and on-base
plus slugging — 1.036. She
also stole seven bases in
seven attempts.
Kopacz not only helped
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her attitude and personality
in the dugout was welcome,
as well.
“She has a bubbly per-
sonality that helped the
girls,” she said. “She helped
that she brought, not light-
heartedness, but spirit and
bubbliness to the team.”
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Hermiston High School second baseman Mikayla Kopacz
attempts to tag Lauren Richards, of Pendleton, during a CRC
softball game at Steve Cary Field in Pendleton. Richards was
ruled safe.
BULLDOGS:
continued from page A6
times that runner scored.
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out of the game, however.
The Tigers got two in the
third when, down 7-0, Keith
Wampler walked to start,
stole second and scored
when Flores reached on an
error. Ryan Bailey grounded
out the next pitch, scoring
Thyler Monkus, who had
previously singled.
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however, when the Tigers
were helped by walks. In
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with two outs on a dropped
third strike, and then Flores
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Bailey and Dylan Grogan
walked to load the bases,
and then Hunter Barnes was
beaned — he was hit three
times in the game — to
CANCER:
plate Monkus. Then Makiah
Blankenship walked in Bai-
ley, and Jason Fitzpatrick
walked in Grogan. Barnes
scored on a wild pitch with
Justin Keeney at the plate,
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was back in it at 10-7. The
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on no hits.
Hermiston,
though,
tacked on another when
Paytan Staker drove in Ca-
den Schwirse on a single.
Schwirse walked to lead off
the inning.
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enth, when Flores drove in
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on a throwing error for a 13-
12 lead. A batter later, Bai-
ley singled, but the hard-hit
line drive got past the right
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base was high and went
out of play, sending Bailey
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hold it for long. Hermiston 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
pounded out seven hits in
———
19, STANFIELD 14
that eighth inning, putting HERM HERMISTON
213
311
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STAN
002
054
club.
— 14 7 4
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T. Sexton, G. Anderson, D. Gossler, K. Moss, H.
Thursday when it hosts a Edmiston, K. Caldwell and S. Gritz; T. Flores, H.
doubleheader against Sun- Barnes, J. Keeney, M. Blankenship, D. Curiel, T.
and D. Grogan.
nyside Christian at 4 p.m. Monkus
2B: D. Gossler (HERM), T. Sexton (HERM), C.
Hermiston hosts Richland at Schwirse (HERM), G. Anderson (HERM), M.
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
StanÀeld’s Ryan Bailey slides safely into third as Hermiston’s
Garron Anderson tries to keep the ball in front of him Monday.
Bailey would score on the play.
blew Watson away.
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“I give them the biggest learned. Some boards were
shout out” he said. “Every- GLI¿FXOWUHIXVLQJWREHKDOYHG
continued from page A6
thing you see here was do- Some cooperated, breaking on
Marcos Saturday. The top nated. It all was given. It was WKH¿UVWVWULNH
fund-raiser, Emma Pollick, probably $500.”
It culminated with Watson,
raised $311 and received a
The demonstration started his sons Tyler and Kameron,
fancy belt holder. The next with the younger students — who are all black belts, Wat-
two, JP Phillips and Joseph WKHQLQMDVDVWKH\¶UHFDOOHG² VRQ¶V ZLIH /RUU\ D UHG EHOW
Medina, received new duf- and they used simple strikes DQG :DWVRQ¶V GDXJKWHU %DL-
ÀH EDJV IRU UDLVLQJ DQG and kicks to break boards. The ley, also a red belt. They broke
$210, respectively.
order went by age groups, with bricks and demonstrated ad-
“I appreciate everything each student having a chance vanced athletic techniques.
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money for me,” Marcos said.
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ing back and forth to Port-
land.”
Early Saturday afternoon,
Eastern Oregon Family Tae-
kwondo was packed. Benches
had been arranged and each
was full. People were standing
all along the back wall, trying
to catch the action.
Watson got the materials
he needed, the things to break,
from Home Depot. When he
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asked for 20 8-foot, 1x12-inch
boards, 50 bricks and eight
cinder blocks to use as holders.
He was originally told they
could only provide half his
request: 10 boards, 30 bricks
and four cinder blocks. What
happened next left Watson
“speechless,” he said.
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
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GRXEOHG :DWVRQ¶V UHTXHVWV Erwin Watson, owner and operator of Eastern Oregon Family
They gave him 20 boards, 90 Taekwondo in StanÀeld, breaks a stack of four bricks at the
bricks and 40 cinder blocks. It beneÀt break-a-thon he organized for local cancer patient
Marcos Madera.
For Kameron, who is current-
ly attending the University of
Oregon but drove over Friday
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tion was about showing the
students how to use their inter-
ests not for themselves, but for
others.
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ed to instill into this school,”
he said. “We wanted to give
out to this community and
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thing that I think that we, as a
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just to teach them self defense,
the basic things that people
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teaching these kids how to
Blankenship (STAN). 3B: P. Staker (HERM).
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bunt. Blankenship then sin-
to drive both in, giving
6tan¿eld splits Zith gled
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Renner then hit a clutch sac-
Tri-Cities Badgers
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AAU baseball team split a It proved to be a huge one,
pair of games Sunday with as TCB plated one in the
the Tri-Cities Badgers.
home seventh, but Barnes
TCB took the opener VWUXFNRXWWKH¿QDOWZREDW-
EXW 6WDQ¿HOG ZRQ WKH ters with the bases loaded to
nightcap 9-8 on a single earn the split.
from Makiah Blankenship.
Monkus was 4-for-6,
,Q WKH RSHQHU 6WDQ¿HOG scored two runs and drove
managed to slap seven hits in two more on the week-
but only got one run out of end.
it, when Thyler Monkus sin-
———
TRI-CITIES BADGERS 11, STANFIELD 1 (5)
gled home Hunter Barnes in STAN
010
00 — 1 7 4
the second. TCB scored in TCB
333
3X — 11 6 2
D. Grogan, A. Renner, T. Monkus; Nelson and
each inning.
The nightcap, though, Harlow.
2B: D. Grogan (STAN), Covedale (TCB).
went much better for Stan- ———
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221
100
before allowing four runs STAN
3 — 9 6 2
012
004
in the home sixth to fall TCB
8 8 5
behind 6-5. In that seventh, 1 T. — Monkus,
J. Fitzpatrick, H. Barnes and D.
Barnes and Justin Keeney Grogan; Ritala, Wilson, Hartwig and Long.
started with walks, and Ja- 2B: J. Fitzpatrick (STAN), Ritala (TCB). 3B:
son Fitzpatrick moved them Vasquez (STAN).
———
behave, how to treat other
students, how to treat their
parents and how to give back,
obviously.”
It was an emotional day.
Margarita Madera was deeply
thankful of the time an effort
put forth by Watson, his fam-
ily, his students and their par-
ents. She kept glancing over to
the displayed envelopes Wat-
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the funds. The moment was
overwhelming for her.
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to believe.”
A video tribute was post-
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book page, and donations are
National Flag Week
Exchange your old flag for a new American Flag!
June 15th through June 19th
We celebrate Flag Week in honor of
our American flag and our heritage
In honor of National Flag Week,
we will be handing out
free American Flags.
Flags may be exchanged
Monday, June 15
thru
Friday, June 19
between 9:00am and 5:00pm.
SAM BARBEE PHOTO
Kameron Watson, the son of
Erwin Watson, prepares to
brick a stack of bricks as a
demonstration at Watson’s
break-a-thon beneÀting Mar-
cos Madera, a local boy from
Umatilla who was recently
diagnosed with cancer.
still rolling in. Watson lost his
mother to cancer, and he be-
came emotional at the thought
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tion.
“I wanted (my students)
to go, ‘You know what? Be
blessed and be fortunate that
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going through the same thing
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he said. “Hopefully nothing
happens to anyone in my
class or anyone at all, but this
could be you, and you might
need help and so you need to
step up to help this kid and
this family.”
Limited supply, reserve yours today!
There will be a ceremonial disposal
of the retired flags that are collected.
You're a grand old flag, you're
a high flying flag, and forever
in peace may you wave.
~George M. Cohan
McKay Creek Estates
1601 Southgate Place
Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 276-1987
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