S PORTS
Hermiston
A8
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
3-on-3
tourney
now a
tradition
SAM BARBEE
FROM THE
SIDELINES
B
y the time I got
downtown on
Saturday, Takin’ It
to the Streets, Hermiston’s
three-on-three basketball
tournament, was already in
full swing. The courts were
full of participants playing
or shooting. Lines had
formed around all the food
vendors and the bleachers
placed carefully around the
intersection of East Main and
Third streets had no empty
seats remaining.
I saw people from all
over: Prosser, Mabton,
Yakima, Richland,
Kennewick, Pasco,
Pendleton, Irrigon, Stan¿ eld,
Hermiston, Umatilla.
Volunteers bustled around.
Fans clapped, cheered,
gasped and groaned. It
became obvious during the
specialty competitions — the
slam dunk contest and three-
point contest — that people
take these things seriously,
especially considering slam
dunk champ Thane Pierson
went between his legs on
his ¿ rst ¿ nals attempt to
decidedly win the title.
But games were physical.
A couple times it looked
like the players might try to
settle a dispute with closed
¿ sts, but the tension always
relieved itself with a shake of
hands and a few words.
Takin’ It to the Streets was
inspired and helped along
by Hoopfest in Spokane.
Actually, my friend, who
attended Gonzaga University
in Spokane, told me that it
reminded her of the “biggest
3-on-3 on Earth.”
But it’s easy to see why
Takin’ It to the Streets has
lasted much longer than
its predecessor: Shake N’
Bake. For one, as long-time
organizer Joe Thompson
told me, Hermiston has just
gotten better at wrapping
itself around things like this.
Businesses — regional,
national and local —
sponsored various aspects
of the tournament from
courts to teams to simply
advertisements sprinkled
around the venue. I saw Jake
McElligott, Hermiston’s
boys basketball coach, and
Steve Hoffert, Hermiston’s
girls coach, organizing and
of¿ ciating games. I saw
current and former area
players volunteering or
playing. Former Bulldog
Abi Drotzmann and current
Bulldog Jansen Edmiston
were judges for the slam dunk
contest along with Irrigon
boys coach Mitch Thompson
and Hoffert’s wife, Jenni.
By including recognizable
names in positions like
that, it, at least, gives the
impression that Hermiston
is behind the event, that it’s
excited to host something
like this. Fellow Herald
reporter Sean Hart told me
it can be close to impossible
to get a hotel room in town
that weekend because of how
many people À ood in for
Takin’ It to the Streets.
Above all else, though,
it was fun. I had fun and all
I did was talk to people and
take pictures. In 10 years,
Hermiston has certainly
¿ gured out how to run a
good basketball tournament
and how to make it enticing
and attractive. Here’s to
another 10 years of Takin’ It
to the Streets. And hopefully
another 10 years after that.
— Sam Barbee is a sports
reporter for the Hermiston
Herald and East Oregonian
based in Hermiston. He can be
reached by phone at 541-564-
4542 or by email at sbarbee@
hermistonherald.com. Follow
him on Twitter @SamBarbee1
and follow Herald Sports @
HHeraldSports.
HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Echo Outrage ends summer with title
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
The Echo Outrage 18U
ASA softball team won
three of its four games this
weekend and walked away
with the top prize at the
summer season-concluding
tournament in McMinnville.
Bolstered by a leadoff
home run from Megan Bai-
ley in the top of the seventh
inning of the championship
game against the host Mc-
Minnville Grizzlies, Out-
rage held on for a narrow
2-1 victory to take the tour-
nament.
McKenzie
Gonzales
threw her best game of the
summer, coach Bryan Bai-
ley said. The rising junior
tossed a complete game,
allowing one earned run on
six hits while striking out
¿ ve and walking three.
After Marissa Pratt dou-
bled home Allison Rude
in the top of the ¿ rst for a
1-0 lead and Bailey parked
a solo shot in the seventh
to put Echo up 2-0, Gonza-
les found herself in a bit of
trouble in the home seventh.
After an error, strikeout and
single, McMinnville had
PHOTO COURTESTY BRYAN BAILEY
The Echo Outrage 18U ASA softball team celebrates after winning the summer season-concluding
McMinnville Tournament this weekend in McMinnville.
runners at the corners with
one away. Gillian Bonnett
then tripled off Gonzales
to drive in the Grizzlies’
only run of the day and cut
Echo’s lead in half, but Mc-
Minnville got greedy trying
to send the runner from ¿ rst,
and catcher Erika Parks
tagged out the runner to re-
cord the second out of the
inning. Gonzales induced an
easy ground ball to seal the
win and the tournament.
Earlier on Sunday, Echo
beat Walport 11-4 behind a
solid offensive effort. Ken-
zie Blankenship (3 for 3,
triple, three runs) and Jaime
Christopher (2 for 2, two
RBIs) led the way offensive-
ly, but Parks (2 for 3, two
RBIs), Rude (2 for 3, two
runs),
SOFTBALL Pratt (2
for
3,
double,
two RBIs) and Monique
Montoya (two RBIs) con-
tributed heavily, as well.
Bailey started in the cir-
cle and tossed six innings,
allowing four runs (three
earned) on eight hits and
fanned six. Gonzales tossed
a perfect seventh.
On Saturday, Echo split
its two games. Salem May-
hem eased past Outrage
18-1 in Saturday’s opener
with an 11-run ¿ fth inning.
Kelly McLaughlin and Be-
atriz Aguilera were the lone
bright spots with 2-for-2
days.
Echo rebounded with
a 4-3 win in Saturday’s
nightcap over the Hills-
boro Thunder. McLaughlin
put the team out front with
two-run shot in the top of
the third to give Echo a 3-2
lead. Hillsboro loaded the
bases in the bottom half of
the third against Bailey, but
the right-hander bowed her
back and got an in¿ eld À y,
¿ elder’s choice and easy
pop up to left ¿ eld to end
the threat. Echo tacked on a
much-needed insurance run
in the seventh when Bailey
scored on a throwing error,
and it proved huge as Hills-
boro pushed across a run of
its own in the home seventh
to come within a run at 4-3.
But Bailey again worked out
of trouble and coaxed two
ground balls to put away the
Thunder.
“Overall, it was a suc-
cessful summer season for
all players involved,” Bai-
ley said. “I’ve seen vast
improvement from many
players.”
———
ECHO OUTRAGE 2, MCMINNVILLE GRIZZLIES
1
ECHO
100
000
1 — 2 6 1
MCMG
000
000
1 — 1 6 4
M. Gonzales and E. Parks; Taylor and B.
Malldave.
STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE
+ermiston 11-\ear-old &hase Elliott Á iSs to second base with his glove while taking ground balls during the Tri-&it\ <outh %aseball &linic on Sunda\ at *esa Stadium
in Pasco.
Pros put on a clinic
Try-City team
coaches 30 young
ballplayers from
northeast Oregon
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
Growing up in West Co-
vina, California, Tri-City
Dust Devils ¿ rst baseman Ty
France
BASEBALL attended
Rancho
C u -
camonga Quakes games
often, and participated in a
number of clinics and camps,
getting opportunities to work
on the same ¿ eld as profes-
sional ballplayers and learn-
ing from them.
Sunday, the tables turned.
No longer was he looking up
to the players. He was one
now, and he spent two hours
teeing up balls on Sunday for
children from all over south-
east Washington and north-
east Oregon at the Tri-City
Dust Devils Youth Baseball
Clinic at Gesa Stadium in
Pasco.
“It’s cool being able to
now be in our position where
we can give back to these lit-
tle kids and help them out,”
he said. “It’s fun.”
Teammate Mason Smith,
an out¿ elder, agreed.
“I think it’s just a great
opportunity to work with
little kids who love the
See CLINIC, A9
STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE
A camSer from +ermiston gets an autograSh from Tri-&it\ 'ust
'evils outÀ elder Mason Smith after the <outh %aseball &linic on
Sunda\ at *esa Stadium in Pasco.
GO SEE IT
Wednesday, July 22
Men’s Softball
Winner Game 1 @ #1 Preferred Realty, North
softball fi eld, Theater Sports Park, 6 p.m.
Winner Game 2 @ Winner Game 3, South
softball fi eld, Theater Sports Park, 6 p.m.
If Game, South softball fi eld, Theater Sports
Park, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 25
Tuesday, July 28
City of Hermiston Junior Golf Tournament,
Echo Hills Golf Course, 8:30 a.m.
No events scheduled
No events scheduled
Thursday, July 23
Sunday, July 26
No events scheduled
Water Volleyball
Hermiston Family Aquatic Center, 6-8 p.m.
Friday, July 24
Monday, July 27
No events scheduled
No events scheduled
*If you have any events
you’d like to see on the sched-
ule, email submissions to Sam
Barbee at sbarbee@hermiston-
herald.com
GOLF