A next-man-up mentality with its pitching rotation — as well as offensive firepower — last week propelled Hood River Valley to the top of the Intermountain Conference baseball standings.
The fifth-ranked Eagles finished the final game of a three-game set against Crook County on April 26, when Mason Spellecy and Jordan Webber no-hit the Cowboys, 12-0, obviously with plenty of offensive support. On Friday, HRV traveled to Pendleton where Jake von Lubken shut out the Buckaroos, 5-0, in the first game of a doubleheader. In the nightcap, pitchers Webber, Hunter Hough and Spellecy were beneficiaries of a 12-hit attack, as the Eagles rolled, 13-4.
HRV (13-4 overall, 8-0 IMC) was scheduled to host Pendleton (10-7, 6-2) on Tuesday in the final game of the series.
“Mason put us on his back and played his best baseball of the season,” Hood River Coach Max Reitz said of Spellecy and Webber’s gem against Crook County in Prineville. “It was great to start an important stretch of games with a crisp, workmanlike effort.”
Workmanlike from the standpoints of: HRV had 11 hits, led by Spellecy’s three and two apiece from von Lubken, Hough and Ryles Buckley; and Spellecy struck out six over the first four innings of the five-inning contest.
“The boys stayed focused on the task at hand and didn’t look ahead,” Reitz said.
Ahead (three days later) was defending IMC champion Pendleton, which like HRV, had started IMC play 6-0. In game No. 1, Von Lubken scattered five hits, all singles, and the HRV offensive provided the right-hander plenty of support. A big chunk came from Spellecy, who homered, and Buckley, who knocked in two runs. Hough added a double and that was more than enough for von Lubken, who struck out seven and walked two.
Hood River Valley fell behind 1-0 after two innings in game No. 2, but a five-run third produced the eventual game-winning run. HRV tacked on three more runs in the fourth and a pair in the fifth. All told, the Eagles scored at least once in each of the final five innings and received at least one hit from eight players.
“A great team effort,” Reitz said. “Hough and Spelly were huge at the plate for us.”
Hough was 3-for-3, including a double, and Spellecy was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Catcher Joe Reitz added three runs of his own and had three of HRV’s five stolen bases. Buckley knocked in four runs.
Hood River’s next three-game series begins Friday with a doubleheader at home against Redmond (10-9 overall, 3-5 IMC through
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