Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009

A look back at some Mid-Columbians in mid-summer

By Jeff Morrow, Herald sports editor

We have a number of athletes from our area playing professional sports.

So much so, that I took a look at what many of them did during this summer.

Here’s a quick scan, day-by-day, of just some of them over the first half of the summer.

I’ll add more to this as I can:

June

13 — Linebacker Cam Hall (Kamiakin), who played his first two seasons of professional football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and then signed with Montreal as a free agent in February, asked for and received his release from the Alouettes after a high-ankle sprain kept him sidelined during most of the team’s first week of preseason camp. He has since been home in Boise, rehabbing the ankle.

July

4 — Shortstop Shawn O'Malley (Southridge) went 2-for-4 with two RBI to help the Charlotte Stone Crabs (Tampa Bay) defeat Fort Myers 9-2 in a Florida State League long-season A game.

5 — Jorden Merry (Pasco) scattered two hits and struck out four in three innings of relief as Pulaski (Seattle) beat Danville 8-5 in an Appalachian League game. ... Kevin Skogley (Hermiston) tossed a complete-game 5-hitter, walking two and fanning 10, as Lake Erie beat Florence 8-0 in the independent Frontier League. ... Hope Solo (Richland) had four saves as the St. Louis Athletica blanked FC Gold Pride 1-0 in the Women’s Professional Soccer League.

8 — Stephen Ames (CBC) struck out one batter in one inning of relief as the Ogden Raptors (LA Dodgers) routed Great Falls 19-2 in the short-season Pioneer League.

9 — Jason Cooper (Moses Lake) was 4-for-5 with a double, home run and four RBIs as St. Paul beat Wichita 7-5 in the independent American Association. ... Leilani Mitchell (Kennewick) had a 3-point field goal and a rebound in the New York Liberty’s 69-60 WNBA loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. ... Eric O’Flaherty (Walla Walla) pitched two-thirds of an inning of relief, getting a strikeout, as the Atlanta Braves lost to the Colorado Rockies 7-6.

10 — Nyjer Morgan (Walla Walla CC) was 3-for-5 with two stolen bases as the Washington Nationals lost 6-5 to the Houston Astros. ... Shawn O'Malley (Southridge) was 1-for-2 with two walks and his 31st stolen base of the season in a 4-3 win over Jupiter in the Florida State League. ... Kyle Wright (CBC) tossed a complete-game 3-hitter, striking out seven, as Rockford beat Kalamazoo 3-0 in the independent Frontier League.

11 — Jorden Merry (Pasco) earned his first career victory by throwing three innings of scoreless relief in an 8-4 Pulaski win over Greenville. Merry struck out three, walked two and gave up three. ... Jake Muyco (Richland) retired three batters in one inning of relief as the Cubs’ Double-A team in Tennessee defeated Montgomery 8-2 in Southern League play.

12 — Jason Cooper (Moses Lake) was 1-for-3 with two RBI for St. Paul in a 6-4 loss to Sioux City. ... Eric O'Flaherty (Walla Walla) earned a hold by getting his one batter out during an 8-7 Atlanta loss to Colorado.

13 — Shawn O’Malley (Southridge), batting leadoff for Charlotte, was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI as the Stone Crabs beat Sarasota 7-4.

16 — Jason Cooper (Moses Lake) had a hit, scored a run and drove in another in St. Paul’s 5-3 loss to Forth Worth. ... Jayson Miller (Richland) scattered five hits over seven innings, but he still picked up the loss as Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) fell 2-1 to Inland Empire in the Class-A California League. Miller surrendered just one earned run, walked one batter and struck out seven. ... Nyjer Morgan (WWCC) had a hit, scored a run, and stole his 25th base of the season, but the Washington Nationals still lost to the Cubs 6-2. ... Jared Zabransky (Hermiston) is third on the depth chart at quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.

17 — Travis Mattair (Southridge) was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and an RBI, but the Phillies’ Lakewood Blue Claws team lost 8-4 to Lexington in the South Atlantic League. ... Shawn O’Malley (Southridge) had a hit and walked twice as Charlotte beat Jupiter 4-2.

18 ‹ Stephen Ames (CBC) picked up a save for Ogden when he pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief during an 8-2 win over Billings. Ames gave up just one hit and fanned six.