WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
A number of locals on
college rosters this spring
BASEBALL
continued from Page A10
we should be giving up
earned runs and errors are
killing us,” Moore said. “In
that first game we give up
five unearned runs and we
lose 5-0 because we played
sloppy defense, vice versa,
we played better defense
the second game versus the
first game.”
The Bulldogs were
cleaner their next time out,
committing only two errors
compared to the four from
Game 1 and nearly quadru-
pled their offensive output
from four hits to 14.
“I’m pretty happy with
the way we finished the sec-
ond game,” Moore added.
On the offensive end,
the victory was highlighted
by an inside-the-park home
run from Landon Jones.
After an RBI single from
Wyatt Noland put Herm-
iston up 1-0 in the first
inning, the two teams were
scoreless nearing the half-
way point. But in the bot-
tom of the fourth, the Bull-
dogs extended their lead
and would reach their even-
tual game-winning score.
Joel Mendez started off
the five-run inning with an
RBI to center field. Jordan
Ramirez followed with a
ground ball to shortstop
that gave Garron Anderson
enough time to score.
Now up 3-0 with two
outs and two on, Landon
Jones stepped up to the
plate. Prior to his appear-
ance in the fourth, Jones
had reached base during his
two previous at bats – the
first on an infield single and
the second after being hit
by a pitch.
This time, Jones’ line
drive went deep down the
right-field line, passed the
glove of the Timberwolf
and cleared the bases.
“That’s one of the most
exciting plays in baseball,”
Moore said.
Moore added that Jones’
quickness and the team’s
willingness to continue
their aggressive base run-
ning put Hermiston in the
position to execute the
inside-the-park home run.
The heavy hitting con-
tinued as Noland was a per-
fect 4-for-4 at bat and Lukas
Tolan hit two doubles going
3-for-4 at the plate.
Tolan transitioned that
power when he was toe-
ing the rubber. His perfor-
mance on the mound was
the highlight of the Bull-
dogs’ defensive efforts. The
four-year varsity player
ROUNDUP
Continued from Page A10
March 27 — the Knights
(5-7) grinded out a victory
to wrap up their long stretch
of non-league play.
Stanfield baseball
sweeps Burns in
EOL opener
STANFIELD — After
sweeping Burns on Friday,
By ERIC SINGER
HERMISTON HERALD
By my count there are 45
former prep athletes from
our region of Oregon sitting
on a college roster for base-
ball, softball, golf and track
and field this spring at 17 dif-
ferent colleges and univer-
sities. I took a dive into the
stat sheets for each athlete to
update readers on what the
local kids from Hermiston
and surrounding areas are up
to these days. Baseball and
softball cumulative statistics
are as of April 9:
Softball
STAFF PHOTOS BY E.J. HARRIS
Hermiston pitcher Caden Schwirse throws from the
mound in the Bulldogs’ 5-0 loss to Heritage on Friday in
Hermiston.
Hermiston’s Daniel Gossler gets tagged out at home by
Heritage’s Xavier Ulrich as Andrew James looks on in the
Bulldogs’ 5-0 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday.
went the distance, throwing
a complete game and only
giving up four runs while
striking out six and walk-
ing three.
“It’s a situation where
we have a week off and I
want Luke to extend a lit-
tle bit,” Moore said. “I kept
on asking him in between
innings, ‘Luke, how are
you feeling?’ And he goes,
‘I want it.’ When a kid is
throwing that well and he
wants to finish the ball
game, I’m going to ride
him into it. Tonight he went
the distance.”
Stanfield is now riding a
three-game win streak after
opening up league play. The
pair of wins came after a
10-6 victory in Game 1 and
a 13-5 defeat of the Hilan-
ders (2-8 overall, 0-2 East-
ern Oregon League) in
Game 2.
The Tigers (8-4, 2-0),
however, fell behind 3-0
before commanding a lead
they would never relinquish.
A two-RBI double from
Burns started off the scor-
ing in the second inning and
the Hilanders added to their
total with another RBI dou-
Hermiston will return
to the diamond Saturday
when the Bulldogs host the
Hood River Valley Eagles
for their league opener.
———
Game 1
R H E
HERITAGE 011 021
0 — 5 6 1
HERMISTON 000 000 0 — 0 4 4
(HERI) B. Youkon. (HERM) C. Schwirse,
G. Anderson (6) — . W — Youkon, L —
Schwirse.
2B — C Hendy (HERI).
Game 2
R H E
HERITAGE 000 000
0 — 0 4 3
HERMISTON 100 500 X — 6 14 2
(HERI) N. Bacon, D. Gange (5). (HERM)
L. Tolan. W — Tolan, L — Bacon.
HR — L. Jones (HERM). 2B — L. Tolan
2 (HERM).
ble to hold their brief lead.
Stanfield
finally
responded in the third with
four runs highlighted by RBI
singles from Brody Woods
and Shayne Keltz.
Both Woods and Keltz
were at it again in the fifth
when Woods hit an RBI tri-
ple to center field and Keltz
sent a line drive to the same
spot for a double that scored
TJ Smith.
Michael Connell added
an RBI of his own and later
scored on a wild pitch to put
the Tigers up 9-3.
Stanfield’s final run of
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There are currently three
former Bulldogs who have
continued playing softball
at the collegiate level. Join-
ing the trio is a graduate of
Stanfield High and a former
Echo Cougar.
● Ellery Jones (Hermis-
ton), Idaho State, fr. — Jones
has played in 24 games and
started nine for the Bob-
cats, tallying a .071 batting
average with one hit in 14
at-bats, while also scoring
four runs.
●
Mikayla
Kopacz
(Hermiston),
Columbia
Basin College, soph. —
Kopacz has been one of
CBC’s top hitters, sporting
a .416 average with eight
home runs and 25 RBI,
seven doubles and 26 runs
scored.
● Allie Rude (Hermis-
ton), Whitworth University,
sr. — A senior catcher, Rude
holds a .291 average with
one home run, eight RBI and
two doubles in 32 games.
● Kenzie Gonzales (Stan-
field), Blue Mountain CC, fr.
— Gonzales has had a rough
year at pitcher for the Tim-
berwolves, too, with a 16.71
ERA in 34 1/3 innings over
11 appearances. She also has
one home run and four RBI
as a hitter.
● Sam McQuown (Echo),
Blue Mountain CC, fr. —
She is third on the team with
a .225 average in 40 at-bats,
with thre runs scored and
four RBI.
Baseball
There are currently eight
players Hermiston, Stanfield
and Irrigon playing in the
college ranks this season.
● RJ Robles (Hermis-
ton), Treasure Valley CC,
soph. — The former Herm-
iston star pitcher has been
the first game came off the
bat of Makiah Blankenship,
who grounded into a field-
er’s choice that gave Smith
enough time to safely reach
home plate.
After three scoreless
innings, Burns tried to rally
in the top of the seventh.
The Hilanders managed to
add three more runs to their
total off a two-RBI double
and a score on a wild pitch,
but their late efforts weren’t
enough to catch up to the
Tigers.
Smith pitched Stanfield
to victory after 4 2/3 innings
of work. Smith allowed six
hits and three runs while
striking out one batter.
In Game 2, the Tigers
didn’t hold back, building
an early advantage and get-
ting out to a 7-3 lead after
the first three innings.
Woods, Smith, Connell
and Blankenship aided in
Stanfield’s first four runs.
Woods and Smith hit RBI
doubles; Connell grounded
out for the Tigers’ second
out and third score of the
inning; and while Blanken-
ship was at the plate, Keltz
scored on a wild pitch.
Burns squeezed in a lone
run off an RBI double before
Stanfield increased its lead
in the bottom of the second.
Damien Curial high-
lighted the three-run inning
with an RBI single to right
field. The Hilanders would
score four more runs — two
in the third and two more in
the sixth.
Woods and Smith were
responsible for a combined
four of Stanfield’s next five
runs and Dillon Dunlap
capped off the scoring in the
dominant in his second year
with the Chukars, posting a
2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings
over seven starts with 36
strikeouts.
● Chase Root (Hermis-
ton), Blue Mountain CC,
soph. — Following a solid
freshman season at pitcher,
Root’s second year with the
Timberwolves has been a
bit of a struggle with a 7.71
ERA in 16 1/3 innings this
season between six total
appearances and three starts.
● Tyler Sexton (Herm-
iston), Blue Mountain CC,
soph. — The 6-foot-5 righty
has appeared in 11 games
this season with a .263 bat-
ting average with five runs
scored, four RBI and two
doubles in 38 at-bats.
● Nychal Gritz (Hermis-
ton), Blue Mountain CC, fr.
— Arguably the best start-
ing pitcher for the Timber-
wolves this season, Gritz has
a 4-0 record with a 3.11 ERA
in 34 2/3 innings spread
over six starts. He also has a
team-high 30 strikeouts.
● Slade Gritz (Hermis-
ton), Blue Mountain CC,
fr. — Known more for his
catching prowess as a Bull-
dog, Gritz has made an
early impact as a pitcher for
BMCC. He has five relief
appearances totaling 4 2/3
innings with a 3.85 ERA.
● Dylan Grogan (Stan-
field), Yakima Valley Col-
lege, fr. — Consistent play-
ing time has been hard to
come by for Grogan. He has
appeared as a hitter in five
games with one hit, three
runs, three walks and two
RBI in 12 at-bats. On the
mound, Grogan has thrown
10 innings with 18 strike-
outs and five walks in four
appearances.
● Tony Flores (Stan-
field), Blue Mountain CC,
fr. — Flores has appeared in
eight games with only three
at-bats, where he recorded
one hit, two walks and one
run scored.
● Austin Rice (Irrigon),
Whitworth University, fr.
— In Rice’s first year at the
Division III level, he has
appeared in eight games
with one start on the mound,
with 16 strikeouts and a 6.00
ERA in 18.0 innings.
Track & Field
Hermiston has produced
several tremendous track
and field athletes over the
past few years, and now
bottom of the sixth with an
RBI single.
Woods was given the vic-
tory on the pitcher’s mound
after surrendering three
runs on three hits over four
innings. Wood struck out
seven.
———
Game 1
R H E
BHS
021 000
3 — 6 8 7
SHS
004 051 X — 10 9 2
(B) C. Tiller, L. Bailey (5). (S) T. Smith, A.
Renner (4). W — Smith, L — Tiller.
3B — B. Woods (S). 2B — B. Goss, L.
Bailey, M. Winn, E. Aamodt (B); S. Keltz,
T. Smith (S).
Game 2
R H E
BHS
012 002
0 — 5 5 3
SHS
430 321 X — 13 15 3
(B) M. Winn, G. Swindlehurst (4). (S) B.
Woods, D. Curial (5). W — Woods, L —
Winn.
2B — M. Winn (B); B. Woods, A. Renner,
T. Smith (S).
Knights thump
Vikings in first
league baseball
doubleheader
IRRIGON — In both
team’s league openers, Irri-
gon had the home-field
advantage against Umatilla
and handed the Vikings (4-3
overall, 0-2 Eastern Oregon
League) two tough losses.
The Knights (6-3, 2-0)
got out to an early lead
in both games, taking the
first, 11-4, and the second,
13-3 — which enforced the
10-run rule.
In Game 1, Nate Gum-
bert started off the scoring
with an RBI single and later
stole home to put Irrigon up
2-0 after the first inning.
James Wilson hit a sacri-
fice fly for Umatilla to help
cut its deficit to a single run,
but the Knights doubled
their run total in the next two
innings.
those athletes are making
names for themselves in col-
lege. The Bulldog alums
have a heavy presence at
EOU.
● Alex Cisneros (Herm-
iston), Portland State, r-Jr.
— Cisneros has competed
twice this spring season,
finishing first in the 5,000
meter run (14:28.96) at the
L&C Spring Break Open on
March 17, as well as a 15th
place finish in the 10,000-
meter run (29:54.96) at the
SF State Distance Carnival
on March 30.
● Makayla Akers (Herm-
iston), Eastern Oregon, fr.
— Competing in javelin,
Akers set her best throw of
the season during the EOU
Team Challenge in Herm-
iston on March 17, record-
ing a distance of 135-feet,
4-inches — fifth best in the
NAIA.
● Abby Johnston (Herm-
iston), Eastern Oregon, r-Jr.
— Competing in 100-meter
dash and hurdles, Johnston’s
best finish was a fourth
place in the 100 hurdles at
the EOU Team Challenge on
March 17.
● Ebony Wilson (Herm-
iston), Eastern Oregon, fr.
— Currently holds the top
mark for EOU in 100-meter
dash (12.79), long jump
(5.35 meters), and triple
jump (11.07 meters).
● Jose Macias (Hermis-
ton), Concordia, jr. — So far
in his junior season, and first
year at Concordia, Macias
had a top-10 finished at the
Ash Creek Invite. The dis-
tance runner finished in
seventh place after clock-
ing a 19:09.4, and then ran
a 26:56.83 at GNAC’s and a
32:53.3 at Regionals.
Golf
A lone Bulldog has
moved on to continue her
golf career at the next level.
● Madison Welch (Herm-
iston), Concordia Univer-
sity, jr. — In her sophomore
season, Welch was named
to the Department of Ath-
letic’s Honor Roll and was
also selected to make up
the GNAC All-Academic
Team. In the 2016-17 sea-
son, Welch played in two
tournaments, her best was a
185 that she recorded a two
separate invitationals.
————
Did we miss a player?
Email sports@eastorego-
nian.com and let us know.
Lino Covarrubia hit an
RBI double in the bottom of
the second and Zack Hen-
richs singled to score Adrian
Roa. Irrigon went up 4-1
after three innings of play.
Another lone run — this
time off the bat of Kole
Keller — would put the
Vikings on the board again,
but for every Umatilla run,
Irrigon scored just a few
more. The Vikings went on
to score one run in the fifth
and sixth innings off a Cody
Samson single and Wilson
grounder, respectively.
The Knights scored seven
more runs over the final two
innings. A Gumbert RBI
double started the action in
the fifth and a run on a wild
pitch capped off the excite-
ment in the sixth.
In Game 2, Irrigon again
got out to an early lead and
was up 11-0 after just three
innings.
A sequence of stolen
bases, a balk, and a passed
ball ended up putting the
Knights up 5-0 after the first
inning and an RBI double
from Covarrubia showcased
the scoring in the third.
Umatilla tried to mini-
mize the damage by chip-
ping away at its deficit in the
fourth and fifth innings. A
walk with the bases loaded
brought in the Vikings
only run in the fourth, but
the 10-run rule was still in
effect.
Irrigon added to its total
in the bottom of the inning
to go up 13-1.
In Umatilla’s final chance
to get the game going, it
was only able to bring in
two runs — both off a bases
loaded hit by pitch.