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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
SPORTS JUNE 24, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM A6 WEDNESDAY, SUMMER SOFTBALL • PREP BASEBALL • RODEO • SCHEDULE Giving back to the game SAM BARBEE FROM THE SIDELINES Sports reporter Y ou never know what you’ll see in a day of umpiring. Some of the strangest things I’ve seen happen RQDEDVHEDOO¿HOGZHUHQ¶WZKHQ I was wearing a glove, it was when I was wearing a mask. This past weekend I went back to Longview for Father’s Day and to help the area umpire’s association work a 9- and 10-year-old tournament in neighboring Kelso. 7KH¿QDOJDPHRIWKH evening, which happened to be the 9-year-old championship, was by far the most interesting game of the day. It was a blowout, 14-3 or something, but the score didn’t matter. It was an interesting game. It pitted the always-good Black Hills (Lacey, Washington) squad against a quality team from White River, British Columbia, Canada. With Black Hills pulling away, a ball was ORIWHGWRULJKW¿HOG,WKRXJKWLW had a chance to leave, and I was watching to make sure I knew what happened while keeping track of the runners at the same time. The ULJKW¿HOGHUZDVEDFNSHGDOLQJZLWK his right gloved hand outstretched. He literally was just hoping the ball would fall into it, and, by some random divine intervention, it did — right into the pocket. My partner and I looked at each other from DFURVVWKHLQ¿HOGWRPDNHVXUHZH knew what we saw. It was his call, and I was nodding furiously. I just ZDQWHGKLPWRKDYHFRQ¿GHQFHLQ the making the right call. It was an out. But the player stayed down for awhile. It was the third out of the inning, so his whole team gathered around while he laid there in tears. ,ZDV¿UVWWRDUULYHDQGFOHDUHG everyone out while both sets of coaches attended to him. He landed pretty hard on his back and I think he smacked the back of his head against the ground. That’s enough to keep anyone down. I grabbed the ball, that was still in his glove, DQGUROOHGLWEDFNLQWRWKHLQ¿HOG but thought better of it right away. I like giving balls to kids who get hurt or make great plays. It’s one of 100 baseballs we have, and giving away one or two doesn’t make a huge difference. Plus, it gives the player something tangible to remember the tournament by. He, or she, can pick that baseball up and remember the catch he or she made. It was made a little more special an inning later, when WKH:KLWH5LYHU¿UVWEDVHFRDFK told me they had to beg that guy’s parents to let him come, DQGLWZDVD¿JKWHYHU\VWHS of the way. Now he’s made a fantastic catch that had everyone applauding and he got a baseball. What a weekend. We had another kid get dehydrated and we crossed him off the batting order. We also had a snafu with a base becoming permanently dislodged and the RQO\VROXWLRQZDVWR¿OOLQWKH gap with dirt. We made do. $IWHUWKHJDPH,ÀLSSHGD ball over to the Black Hills team and thanked them for coming. They were thankful to also get a souvenir, and I saw some players tossing it amongst themselves during the trophy presentation as I headed to my car for the long drive back to Hermiston. Not too long ago, I was those kids’ age, playing summer baseball for no reason but because I loved it, and guys would put time in on the weekends to work my games. 1RZWKLQJVKDYHÀLSSHGDQG I’m giving my time for them, and eventually those kids will do so as well. It’s a cycle that will never stop. And a cycle I’m proud to be a part of. — Sam Barbee is a sports reporter for the Hermiston Herald and East Oregonian based in Hermiston. He can be reached by email at sbarbee@hermiston- hearld.co or by phone at 541-564- 4542, Follow him on Twitter @ SamBarbee1 and follow Herald Sports @HHeraldSports. 5LYHUVLGH,UULJRQWRSV6WDQ¿HOG Curiel was better in relief, toss- LQJWKH¿QDOWKUHHLQQLQJVDQGDO- ORZLQJWZRXQHDUQHGUXQVRQ¿YH Without four regulars, Stan- hits while striking out four and ¿HOG KDG QR DQVZHU IRU $XVWLQ walking just two. Rice of Riverside/Irrigon. 2Q WKH VXPPHU 6WDQ¿HOG The right-hander tossed a drops to 5-4. complete game, fanning 15 Ti- R/I got on the board ear- gers in a 9-5 Riverside/Irrigon ly when Kasey Kroske singled win Monday in Irrigon. Thyler home a run in the bottom of the 0RQNXVZDVIRUIRU6WDQ¿HOG ¿UVW 6WDQ¿HOG WLHG WKLQJV LQ WKH with two RBIs, and Adrian Ren- top of the third when Monkus ner knocked in a pair, as well. singled home Justin Keeney. Klay Jenson started on the hill But R/I took control in the bot- and lasted just three innings, al- tom half of the third. Wayne Kil- lowing seven runs — six earned lion started things with a double, — on seven hits, while walking then, after an out, Abel Rodelo VL[DQGVWULNLQJRXW¿YH'DPLDQ and Rice both walked to load the BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD bases. Killion would score on a wild pitch for a 2-1 lead, then Nate Bumbert walked to repack the pillows. Adrian Roa drove in Rodelo with a walk for a 3-1 lead, and Rice scored on a passed ball the next at-bat for a 4-1 lead. R/I got three more in the fourth when Jose Salgado scored on a wild pitch, and Krose and Romer scored on a two-run sin- gle for a 7-1 lead. 6WDQ¿HOG WULHG WR FRPH EDFN ZLWK D IRXUUXQ ¿IWK &XULHO DQG Keeney started with singles, and Shane Keltz was beaned to load the bases. After an out, Monkus singled home Curiel, and, an out later, Renner doubled home Keltz and Monkus to cut R/I’s lead to 7-4. Fitzpatrick would later score RQDSDVVHGEDOOWRSXOO6WDQ¿HOG within two at 7-5. R/I grabbed a couple of insur- ance runs in the sixth on a two-run HUURUWRSURYLGHWKH¿QDOVFRULQJ 6WDQ¿HOG KRVWV 6XQQ\VLGH Christian Friday at 6 p.m. in 6WDQ¿HOG ——— RIVERSIDE/IRRIGON 9, STANFIELD 5 STN 001 040 0 — 5 8 3 R/I 103 302 X — 9 12 1 K. Jenson, D. Curiel and T. Monkus; A. Rice and C. Kroske. W — A. Rice. L — K. Jenson. 2B: A. Renner (STN), W. Killion 2 (R/I), Homer (R/I). Hermiston’s Crossley takes barrel racing college title BY MATT ENTRUP EO MEDIA GROUP Led by the best bar- rell racing time of the week from Hermiston native Callahan Cross- ley, the Blue Mountain Community College Timberwolves women’s rodeo team took the women’s championship of the College National Rodeo Finals in Casper, Wyoming. Crossley posted a time of 13.72, edging teammate Danyelle Wil- liams for the title. Fel- low Timberwolf Jessica Lewis placed seventh. It was the first time a BMCC barrel racer had topped the national standings, but the fourth time a member of the Crossley family finished on the barrel racing podium at the Casper Events Center. Callahan placed sec- ond last season with a four-round time of 56.03, sister Jade was second in 2013, and sis- ter Jordan was third in 2008. “We got all of our points out of the barrel race, which is unusual,” said BMCC co-coach Larry Patterson. “I’ve never seen that happen before, that I remember anyway.” Patterson, who coaches the team along with Shawn Eng, said they treated their ladies like pitchers working a no-hitter as at least one of them placed in each SEE RODEO/A7 STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Callahan Crossley, of Blue Mountain Community College, competes in the barrel riding event during last season’s Northwest Intercollegiate Rodeo Finals in Hermiston. Crossley took the 2015 women’s barrell racing event in Casper, Wyoming. Echo exits McMinnville tourney early ed, then used a walk, single, double and another single to SODWH¿YHPRUHDQGWDNHDFRP- Echo Outrage’s summer soft- manding 7-0 lead. ball season got off to a rough Gonzales allowed seven start this weekend. earned runs over the 1/3 of an 2XWUDJHORVWLWV¿UVWJDPHLQ LQQLQJ RQ ¿YH KLWV ZKLOH ZDON- McMinnville, 10-2 to the Forest ing two and striking out none. Grove Rampage, then dropped In relief, Julisa Garza was ef- a tight one to the McMinnville fective, allowing three runs — Grizzlies, 10-9, at an ASA soft- two earned — on seven hits ball tournament in McMinn- while walking two and striking ville. Both games were short- out one. ened by time. Silvia Gonzalez singled Echo found itself down big home Jamie Christopher in the early to Forest Grove. The ¿UVW WR JHW (FKR RQ WKH ERDUG Rampage plated seven runs in and Gonzalez drove in Beatriz WKH¿UVWLQQLQJFKDVLQJVWDUWLQJ $JXLOHUD ZLWK D VDFUL¿FH À\ LQ pitcher MacKenzie Gonzales WKH WKLUG *RQ]DOH] ¿QLVKHG after just a third of an inning. for 2 with both of Echo’s RBIs. Forest Grove used a walk and Christopher, Aguilera, Kel- three singles to plate two runs ly McLaughlin, Lemmon and EHIRUHWKH¿UVWRXWZDVUHFRUG- Gonzales had Echo’s hits. They BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD the dish. McLaughlin would double, and MacKenzie Gon- zales walked behind her. Julissa Garza then singled, plating two, Meranda Lemmon then tripled to drive in one, and Silvia Gon- zalez to plate one more and give FOREST GROVE RAMPAGE 10, ECHO OUTRAGE Echo a 5-0 lead. 2 (5) McMinnville got one back in FGR 703 00 — 10 12 2 ECH 101 00 — 2 6 2 WKH KRPH ¿UVW RQ D VLQJOH EXW D. Wright and C. Holder; M. Gonzales, J. Garza and E. Echo plated three of its own in Parks. W — D. Wright. L — M. Gonzales. the second. McLaughlin drove 2B: J. Noe (FGR). LQ D UXQ ZLWK D VDF À\ *RQ]D- ——— les then drove in a run with a ,Q (FKR¶V VHFRQG DQG ¿- ground out, and Garza singled nal game of the day, Outrage home a run for an 8-2 Echo couldn’t put away McMinn- lead. McMinnville got a two- ville. (FKRSXVKHGDFURVV¿YHUXQV run single in the second to cut LQWKH¿UVWLQQLQJ%HDWUL]$JX- Echo’s lead to 8-5, and got three ilera started things off with a more in the third to tie things at walk, and scored on a passed SEE SOFTBALL/A7 ball with Kelly McLaughlin at were all singles. Forest Grove, though, ex- tended its lead in the top of the third with three runs. The Ram- page used four singles, a walk and an error to plate three. ——— GO SEE IT Wednesday, June 24 Men’s softball Shearer’s @ DQ, 6 p.m., North softball ¿HOG7KHDWHU6SRUWV3DUN Preferred Realty @ C&C Construction, SP 6RXWK VRIWEDOO ¿HOG7KHDWHU 6SRUWV Park DQ @ Shearer’s, 7:30 p.m., North field C&C Construction @ Perferred Realty, SP6RXWK¿HOG Thursday, June 25 Baseball Hermiston vs. Mt. Spokane, TBD Friday, June 26 Men’s rec softball Regency Hermiston @ H and M Photography, SP1RUWKVRIWEDOO¿HOG7KHDWHU6SRUWV3DUN Java Junkikes @ Nookies, 6 p.m., South VRIWEDOO¿HOG7KHDWHU6SRUWV3DUN Sage Center @ M2Machmedia, 7:30 p.m., 1RUWK6RIWEDOO¿HOG7KHDWHU6SRUWV3DUN New Hope @ 11th Market, 7:30 p.m., VRXWKVRIWEDOO¿HOG7KHDWHU6SRUWV3DUN Baseball 6WDQ¿HOG YV 6XQQ\VLGH &KULVWLDQ SP Saturday, June 27 Auto racing Johnny Appleseed Super Late Model 125, 7 p.m.