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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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knew what we saw. It was his call,
and I was nodding furiously. I just
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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.
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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,
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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
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told me they had to beg that
guy’s parents to let him come,
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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
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gap with dirt. We made do.
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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.
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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.
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Curiel was better in relief, toss-
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Without four regulars, Stan- hits while striking out four and
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Rice of Riverside/Irrigon.
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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
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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.
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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
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within two at 7-5.
R/I grabbed a couple of insur-
ance runs in the sixth on a two-run
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Christian Friday at 6 p.m. in
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———
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
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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
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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
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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
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00 — 10 12 2
ECH
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00 — 2 6 2
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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).
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———
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
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Preferred Realty @ C&C Construction,
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Park
DQ @ Shearer’s, 7:30 p.m., North
field
C&C Construction @ Perferred Realty,
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Thursday, June 25
Baseball
Hermiston vs. Mt. Spokane, TBD
Friday, June 26
Men’s rec softball
Regency Hermiston @ H and M Photography,
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Java Junkikes @ Nookies, 6 p.m., South
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Sage Center @ M2Machmedia, 7:30 p.m.,
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New Hope @ 11th Market, 7:30 p.m.,
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Baseball
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Saturday, June 27
Auto racing
Johnny Appleseed Super Late Model 125, 7 p.m.