A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
SPORTS
Bulldogs host Eagles, split doubleheader
After giving up 22
runs in Game 1,
Hermiston powered
through Game 2
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
STAFF WRITER
HERMISTON — In the
Hermiston softball team’s
league opener, all signs pointed
to a Game 1 victory.
The Bulldogs had chipped
away at an early deficit and
momentum was on their side
after going up 5-1 in the second
inning.
But a solid fourth inning from
Hood River Valley, and another
big fifth inning from the visiting
Eagles put them up for good.
Hood River added nine runs
in the sixth to take the first game
15-7, but Hermiston wasn’t done
yet. The Bulldogs came back in
the second game to split the day
after defeating the Eagles 8-6.
To open the day, Janelle
Almaguer was in the circle. She
got into trouble early with a bas-
es-loaded walk to give Hood
River its first run of the day, but
Almaguer followed up the first
inning by surrendering only two
hits while striking out two.
Offensively, the Bulldogs
(8-4 overall, 1-1 Columbia
River Conference) responded
to the Eagles’ lone run with five
of their own. A two-RBI single
off the bat of Sydney Stefani put
Hermiston up 2-1 in the bottom
of the second.
In the same inning, Sam Ati-
lano added a two-RBI double
of her own and Bailee Noland
knocked one into right field for
an RBI single to put the Bull-
dogs ahead 5-1.
The Eagles (13-1, 1-1) began
to chip away at their deficit, and
were within one run after four
innings. Then came the dreaded
fifth inning and with the 10-run
lead, Hood River was in a posi-
tion to end the game in the sixth
inning.
But the Bulldogs lived to
play a full game after Stefani hit
a two-RBI double to push the
score to 15-7.
Fortunately for Hermiston,
the Eagles’ bats settled down a
bit in Game 2 and the Bulldogs
were able to come away with a
win, which broke Hood River’s
13-game win streak.
Hood River again got out to
an early lead, and Hermiston
wasn’t able to catch up until the
bottom of the sixth inning.
The Eagles jumped out to a
3-0 advantage after the first three
innings with Bailee Noland
pitching, but in the bottom of
the third the Bulldogs were able
to cut their deficit with a Ste-
fani RBI double and a pop up
that then gave Stefani enough
time to reach home plate after
tagging up on third. Her double
was one of three in Game 2.
Hood River’s lead soon
increased when the Eagles
scored three more runs in the
following inning highlighted
by an RBI single off the bat of
Haylee Baker. That would end
their scoring for the day with
their run total at six.
Hermiston came back with a
lone run in the fifth on a ground
out that scored Kalei Smith,
and then in the sixth got its bats
going to take the lead for good.
Four different batters con-
tributed to the five-run affair.
Another Stefani double brought
in two runs, both Smith and Ati-
lano hit RBI singles and Janelle
Almaguer was the one to get
things started with a sacrifice
fly.
Noland took the win after
going the distance. She gave up
six runs on 12 hits, struck out
three and walked three.
Hood River’s Lauren Decker
was given the loss after 5 1/3
innings of work surrendering all
eight runs on 13 Hermiston hits.
She struck out two and walked
one.
PREPS
Continued from Page A9
duo of (Violet) Mitchell and (Ash-
lyn) Hofbauer are showing big
improvements (and) as a team we
are coming out more constantly in
the right mindset and showing a
higher level of confidence in our
play.”
The only other loss for Hermis-
ton came in doubles when Emery
STAFF PHOTOS BY KATHY ANEY
Hermiston pitcher Janelle Almaguer winds up Saturday against Hood River Valley.
Hermiston’s Sydney Stefani attempts to tag runner Haylee Baker, of Hood River Valley, during Saturday’s league game in Hermiston.
Box scores
Game 1
R H E
HRV
100 329
0 — 15 22 0
HHS
050 002
0 — 7 9 0
(HRV) K. McNeney. (H) Ja. Almaguer, P. Dufloth
(6), Ja. Almaguer (6). W — McNeney, L —
Almaguer.
3B: S. Atilano, A. Cameron (H). 2B: L. Decker,
Z. Munn, M. Chambers, K. McNeney, H. Baker
(HRV); S. Stefani (H).
Game 2
R H E
HRV
201 300
0 — 6 13 1
HHS
002 015 X — 8 14 0
(HRV) L. Decker, K. McNeney (6). (H) B. Noland.
W — Noland, L — Decker.
2B: E. Ellifritz, L. Weekly (HRV); S. Stefani 3 (H).
Hermiston batter Bailee Noland
watches a high ball go by
Saturday against Hood River
Valley.
Snyder and Katie Bradshaw fell,
6-4, 7-6 (7-3). But the No. 1, 3 and 4
duos all came out victorious allow-
ing, at most, only four set points
from the Eisenhower matchups.
Reed Middleton and Breena
Wadekamper led the way with a
6-0, 6-1 victory over Dayja San-
chez and Eyleen Hurtado. Alyssa
Perkins and Breckyn Mecham won
their match, 6-3, 6-1, and the fresh-
man pair took their match 6-4, 6-1.
On the boys side, the Bulldogs
were close to their first sweep of
the season and finished 7-1 over
Eisenhower.
“All the guys showed up to play
and compete,” head coach Shann
West said. “We changed our roster
a little bit and we might have found
out strongest lineup.”
At No. 2 doubles, Trent Pit-
ney and Matt Ekhardt were paired
together and won their match 6-1,
6-2. The unchanged No. 1 duo
of Patrick Wicks and Thomas
McCullough mirrored that score to
also win 6-2, 6-1.
Max Spencer and Miguel Salva-
dor moved to the No. 3 spot on Sat-
urday and handily won their match,
6-0, 6-2.
Hermiston’s Ivan Zepeda and
Eli Munez competed the doubles
sweep with a 6-2, 6-0 win against
their opponents.
But the highlight of the day,
West said, was in singles.
“All of my singles guys played
the best tennis I have seen them
play,” he said.
The only loss came from No. 3
singles player Austin Garcia, who
fell to his opponent, 5-7, 6-4 (10-6).
But after stepping out of doubles play
and taking the court solo, West was
happy with the grit Garcia showed.
Jason Morris, at the No. 1 spot,
won his match, 3-6, 6-4 (10-8), and
both Hayden Cissna (7-5, 6-2) and
Jaiden Ruloph (6-1, 6-0) picked up
wins.