Hood River base runner Drew Beam dives safely back to first base before Ridgeview first baseman Olen Nofziger can tag him out. The Eagles beat the Ravens 8-4 on April 19, and swept the three-game series.
Hood River catcher Joe Reitz eyes a throw back to third base as the home base umpire calls the Ridgeview base runner out. The Eagles beat the Ravens 8-4 on April 19, and swept the three-game series.
Hood River’ Joe Reitz celebrates with his teammates after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning to extend the Eagles lead against Ridgeview on April 19.
Hood River base runner Drew Beam dives safely back to first base before Ridgeview first baseman Olen Nofziger can tag him out. The Eagles beat the Ravens 8-4 on April 19, and swept the three-game series.
Noah Noteboom photo
Hood River catcher Joe Reitz eyes a throw back to third base as the home base umpire calls the Ridgeview base runner out. The Eagles beat the Ravens 8-4 on April 19, and swept the three-game series.
Noah Noteboom photo
Hood River’ Joe Reitz celebrates with his teammates after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning to extend the Eagles lead against Ridgeview on April 19.
Baseball can be a fickle game, but there are a few constants depending, perhaps, on who one talks to: Oregon baseball will occasionally be played in the rain; pitching will rise to the top; and consistency is a game changer.
Hood River Valley’s Intermountain Conference baseball fortunes on Friday shouldn’t rest on the weather, as a 60-degree day is forecast for Pendleton where the Eagles will take on the Buckaroos in a 3 p.m. doubleheader. Each team entered the week 5-0 in the IMC, with single games against Crook County (at HRV) and Redmond (at Pendleton) scheduled for Tuesday.
“They (Pendleton) will do all the little things very well,” HRV Coach Max Reitz said. “They will pitch very well and will have pitching depth. (Last year’s co-player of the year) Peyton Lambert is a stud and a great kid to compete against. He finds a way to beat you.
“I can’t wait to see how this week plays out. We have a tough third game against Crook County to deal with first. I expect three tight, low-scoring games this week.”
If pitching is a deciding factor, Hood River figures to be in good shape with Jake Von Lubken on the mound. The junior right-hander threw a two-hit shutout in HRV’s opener of a three-game set April 22 against visiting Crook County. The eighth-ranked Eagles blasted the Cowboys, 10-0, behind Von Lubken’s gem and a 13-hit attack. Things were a little more difficult in the second game, but HRV but broke away from a 5-5 tie with a five-run fifth inning to win, 13-10.
Von Lubken, who pitched to two batters over the minimum in the five-inning game, helped his cause with a 3-for-3, two-run day at the plate. Teammate Trenton Hughes, who is adjusting quite nicely to batting lower in the order, added a 3-for-3, two-run, two-RBI day. The Eagles are using Hughes’ penchant for getting on base and Ryles Buckley’s occasional power burst to their advantage. Buckley now follows Hughes in the batting order and his homer and double knocked in four runs on the day.
“We have put a lot of work in as a staff to get Jake back on track offensively, as well as Trenton and Ryles,” Reitz said. “Moving people around in the lineup is one way to get them some different pitch sequences and different looks.
“Our hitting coach, Jake Williams, deserves a ton of credit for his work with all of our hitters. I think we still might be best with Trenton leading off and Jake in the four hole, but we will roll with this look for the time being. Credit to the kids for being so willing to try new ideas and be coachable.”
Hood River took advantage of five Crook County errors in the second game, pounding 11 hits. Von Lubken and Hunter Hough had three hits apiece for eighth-ranked HRV (10-4 overall). Hough had two doubles and Von Lubken added a home run. Mason Spellecy, who came on in relief in the third inning and earned the pitching win, was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
Ever-the-while, HRV catcher Joe Reitz, arguably HRV’s most consistent player, controlled the game from behind the plate on defense — with no stolen bases allowed — and offensively with his three steals. He is leading the team in five of seven offensive categories and is second in the other two. Coach Reitz said, “We’ll need everybody to be big. It’s gonna’ take everyone to get us through the next seven games.”
Pendleton enters Friday’s game ranked seventh in the state (Class 5A) and is 9-5 overall. The Buckaroos overcame five errors to top Redmond 3-2 and 2-0 in a Saturday doubleheader. Lucas Bensching was the winning pitcher in the second-game shutout, allowing three hits. Redmond came back in the first game and had the tying run on third base in the seventh inning but couldn’t score.
“Pendleton is the best-run, best-coached program in our conference and I have nothing but respect for Coach (TJ) Haguewood and his staff,” Coach Reitz said. “We knew before the season even started that the conference title went through Pendleton and once again, it’s the case.
“Our boys are excited to be in this position and to have this opportunity. It is 100 percent what high school athletics is about.”
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