A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
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Dawgs going after slow pitch title
Softball 2A/3A tournament is
Friday and Saturday in Yakima
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
Everything the Hermiston Bull-
dogs have done this season has
helped them get to this point.
The Bulldogs (16-2) will play
in the 2A/3A state slow pitch soft-
ball tournament this weekend, with
winning a state title the ultimate
goal.
“It takes so much to get there,”
Hermiston coach Kate Greenough
said, as her team took off for a
run Monday afternoon. “We have
played some competitive teams
from the Yakima Valley and Chi-
awana. It’s a really good test for
the kids. People are excited about
what we are doing.”
Hermiston will open state play
against Prairie at noon Friday
at Gateway Sports Complex in
Yakima.
The eight-team bracket will
feature first-round and semifinal
games Friday, along with two con-
solation games. The champion-
Photo courtesy of Kate Greenough
The Hermiston Bulldogs won the 3A/2A MCC/GSL/GNL district tournament Saturday in Spokane.
ship game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Saturday.
Hermiston advanced to state
with a pair of wins Saturday at the
3A/2A MCC/GSL/GNL district
tournament in Spokane.
“We won district, and that was a
lot of fun,” Greenough said.
The Bulldogs defeated Rogers
10-6 in the semifinals, then eked
out a 10-9 victory over Mt. Spo-
kane in the championship game.
“In the first game, Grace
(Studer) hit a home run and we
went up 5-0 to start,” Greenough
said. “In the second game, the
kids put the ball in play as much
as they could. The kids had to
play defense. They (Mt. Spokane)
played with us the whole time.”
The Bulldogs have 10 players
off the fast pitch team that quali-
fied for the 3A state tournament,
including Studer, Bailee Noland,
Sam Atilano and Janelle Almaguer.
The Bulldogs, who have won 14
consecutive games, also have got-
ten good contributions from fresh-
men Macey Tovar (second base)
and Hailey South (short stop).
“It’s a really cool group of
kids,” Greenough said. “This sport
gives them a chance for a common
goal, and (to) do something they
might not have before.”
Abby Findley has done a good
portion of the pitching this fall,
while Noland is at first base, Studer
at third, Almaguer is the rover and
Atilano plays in the outfield.
The Bulldogs have been pro-
ductive offensively, scoring an
average of 13.8 runs a game.
Noland has seven home runs this
season, while Studer has five and
Almaguer two. Tovar has four tri-
ples, and the team has hit a couple
dozen doubles.
“It’s fun to see the different
groups of kids come together,”
Greenough said. “They are pretty
relaxed. I have 16 kids who show
up every day and love to play.”
MCC FOOTBALL
Walchli scores 4 TDs, but
Dawgs drop game to Hanford
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Garrett Walchli (5) evades a tackle during Friday’s game against the Hanford Falcons.
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
I
n a play straight out of the movie
“Rudy,” Hermiston starting wide
receiver Trevor Wagner went to
coach David Faaeteete and asked
that senior Zach Tovey start in his
place Friday night against Hanford.
Tovey, who has been hurt most of
his high school career, started the first
series of the game against Hanford, car-
ried the ball 6 yards on a reverse. It was
one of a few bright spots in what would
be a 50-28 Mid-Columbia Conference
loss to the Falcons at Kennison Field.
“That’s a testament to him,” Hermis-
ton coach David Faaeteete said of Wag-
ner. “To have him (Tovey) come out, be
successful and contribute is big.”
To Wagner, it was the right thing to
do.
“He comes to everything,” Wagner
said. “He has been troubled with inju-
ries and I felt it was only right he got to
start on Senior Night.”
Senior Garrett Walchli had four
touchdown catches on the night for the
Bulldogs, bringing his season total to
nine.
“It was a lot of fun,” Walchli said.
“We were battling the wind all day.”
Hanford took a 21-0 lead at the
end of the first quarter, getting scor-
ing passes of 25 and 21 yards from
Easton Wise-Hyde, and an 8-yard run
by Idrian Cerna.
Hermiston would hold the Falcons
scoreless in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs scored with 1:47 left
in the first half as Walchli hauled in a
4-yard pass from Sam Schwirse.
Hermiston’s series started after D.J.
Wilson intercepted Wise-Hyde and
took the ball out to the Hanford 40-yard
line.
The Falcons helped the Bulldogs
down the field with a face mask pen-
alty, a roughing the passer penalty, and
a pass interference penalty in the end
zone on fourth down.
When the Bulldogs got to replay
fourth down from the 4-yard line, Wal-
chli got the touchdown.
Walchli also had touchdown catches
of 80, 18 and 6 yards in the second half
as the Bulldogs never backed down.
“We are never satisfied,” said Wal-
chli, who had 11 receptions for 185
yards. “Our record does not show who
we are.”
Hermiston played the last part of
the game without Faaeteete, who was
ejected with 4:47 remaining in the third
quarter for disputing a ruling on a fum-
ble by Trevor Wagner.
“That was a big momentum swing,”
Faaeteete said. “We were only down 15
at the time.”
The Falcons scored two plays later
for a 36-14 lead.
Kamari Durmas led the Falcons
with 173 yards rushing, while Cerna
had 98 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Wilson, Wagner, Ryan
Arnold and Tyson Stocker each had
five solo tackles for the Bulldogs (1-7,
1-6 MCC).
BOX SCORE
Hanford 21
0 15
14 — 50
Hermiston 0
7
7
14 — 28
SCORING
Han — Gabe Martinez 25 pass from Easton Wise-
Hyde (Xavier Uvalle kick)
Han — Idrian Cerna 8 run (Edward DeLaPaz run)
Han — Caleb Harvey 21 pass from Wise-Hyde (kick
failed)
Her — Garrett Walchli 4 pass from Sam Schwirse
(Trevor Wagner kick)
Han — Jaxon Farrah 31 pass from Wise-Hyde
(DeLaPaz run)
Her — Walchli 80 pass from Schwirse (Wagner
kick)
Han — Wise-Hyde 3 run (Uvalle kick)
Her — Walchli 18 pass from Schwirse (pass failed)
Han — Cerna 23 run (Uvalle kick)
Her — Walchli 6 pass from Schwirse (Guiomar
Garay pass from Schwirse)
Han — Cerna 15 run (Uvalle kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: Herm, Schwirse 29-46-0-303-4; Hanford,
Wise-Hyde 7-17-1-142-3
Rushing: Herm, Garay 18-89, Schwirse 5-10, Wag-
ner 2-9, Walchli 2-15, Zach Tovey 1-6, Spencer Juul
1-(-6); Hanford, Easton Wise-Hyde 7-(-17), Kamari
Durmas 23-173, Idrian Cerna 11-98, Gabe Martinez
1-8, Isaiah Mitchell 1-8, Cole Mullins 1-3.
Receiving: Herm, Garrett Walchli 11-185, Trevor
Wagner 6-68, Broc Remmer 5-15, Spencer Juul 2-7,
Trent Pitney 3-15, Guiomar Garay 2-13; Hanford,
Jaxon Farrah 2-43, Caleb Harvey 2-51, Isaiah Mitch-
ell 1-20, Gabe Martinez 1-25, Kamari Durmas 1-3.