Eagles earn a collective sigh — and a win — as baseball losing skid ends

The kicking-someone-when-they’re-down losing skid started with a two-game set vs. OSAA Class 5A No. 5-ranked La Salle Prep, two games vs. No. 2 ranked Canby, and finally two more losses to No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Wilsonville.

“I think that after six games with three of the top five teams in the state, we ran out of gas,” Reitz said. “This group has been very resilient this year and proved it again Friday.”

A five-run fourth inning put the Hillsboro game out of reach. Leadoff hitter Davis Snyder set the tone for the Eagles with four hits. Pitcher Addison Postlewait dominated on the mound for HRV.

“Great senior presence when we needed it,” Reitz said. “Davin was the spark plug for the offense as he continues to be a consistent impactful offensive contributor this year.

“It felt great to get back into the win column.”

Fortunately for HRV, the six losses didn’t put much of a dent on the team’s OSAA ranking, in fact just the opposite. The Eagles started the week ranked No. 11, lost three games, and exited at No. 9. That’s important because there are two wildcard state playoff berths into the 16-team 5A postseason bracket.

On the other hand, Hood River is seeking to get an automatic berth - something it will clinch if it beats Hillsboro in game 2 of their series (scheduled May 20 at Tranor Field, as is rainy weather, however). The Eagles finish the regular season with a two-game series against Centennial (5-19, 3-11) on May 21 (home, senior night) and May 23 in Gresham.

Three weeks ago, Hood River was part of a four-way tie with La Salle, Wilsonville and Canby. Now the standings show Wilsonville and Canby at 13-0 and La Salle at 10-3. La Salle hosts Wilsonville on May 20; Canby and Wilsonville are slated for May 21 and 23 games.

Highlights of HRV’s two game series with Wilsonville included Davis Parr’s triple in the Eagles’ three-run fifth in the opener on May 13. That pulled HRV within 4-3, but Wilsonville scored four times in the bottom of the inning to regain control and win, 8-4. Parr had three hits, as did Kingston McAdam, while Snyder added two.

“We fell behind early in this one, which has been an issue for us at times this year,” Reitz said. “I love how we battled back and had the tying run on third in the fifth inning.

“We ultimately couldn’t shut down their offense — which is elite.”

That was evident in game two at Hood River, a 24-5 Wilsonville win. Postlewait had two hits for HRV, which was hurt by the 12 walks issued by five of its pitchers.