The Dalles Riverhawks freshman Nolan Donivan gets a hit during the Riverhawks baseball game versus Crook County May 4 at Quinton Street Ballpark. Photo by Mike Weber
The Dalles Riverhawks freshman Nolan Donivan gets a hit during the Riverhawks baseball game versus Crook County May 4 at Quinton Street Ballpark. Photo by Mike Weber
Nolan Donivan (#10 catches a ball for putout
The Dalles pitcher Riley Brock throws a pitch versus Crook County on May 4.
The Dalles sophomore Braden Schwartz runs towards third base in a baseball game versus Crook County May 4 at Quinton Street Ballpark.
The Dalles freshman Adrian Rodriguez slides safely into second base versus Crook County.
Following an 8-3 Intermountain Conference loss at home May 4 to a Crook County Cowboy squad that had an 0-9 record prior to the game, The Dalles High Riverhawks baseball team probably felt somewhat embarrassed.
Many Riverhawk players, including sophomore Braden Schwartz, said after that contest that they would come back and beat the Cowboys in the next meeting between the two teams. That’s exactly what they did. Three days later on Saturday, the Hawks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 5-4 win in Prineville.
“It was a nail biter in the bottom of the seventh when Crook County had the tying run at third base, which really made it an exciting game at the end,” said assistant coach Ed Ortega. “Our team never gave up though and we got a big win, led by Riley Brock, who pitched really well. It looked like they (Cowboys) were going to beat us again. Their pitcher was really good until the seventh inning and he actually got our first batter out and they were still up 4-1.”
The win solidified the Hawks’ position in the six-team IMC standings with the upcoming district playoffs looming May 17-21. The Dalles (3-4 IMC, 3-9 overall) remained tied for third place with the Redmond Panthers (3-4 IMC, 3-7), who they meet today at 4:30 p.m. in the final regular season home game at Quinton Street Ballpark.
The Dalles faced the Hood River Valley Eagles (6-2 IMC, 8-4) May 11 at home in the first of a three-game series with their Gorge-area rival (results came after the printed edition deadline). The Dalles concludes the regular season with 3 p.m. doubleheader May 14 versus the Eagles at Hood River Valley High School.
The Dalles will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent (likely Crook County or Ridgeview) in the IMC District quarterfinals at home May 17, tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The May 17 winner plays in the May 19 semifinals at the site of the higher seeded team.
It was a hard-earned win for sure for The Dalles on Saturday. Crook County took an early 1-0 lead before the Hawks knotted it with a run in the third. The Cowboys responded by scoring three runs in the fifth to take a 4-1 advantage. Following a scoreless sixth, the Cowboys were still in control of the game going into the seventh with the three-run lead.
But the Hawks scored three runs, including a game-tying RBI single by Brock, knotting it at 4-4. Riverhawk freshman Sam Shaver (1-for-2) singled, then Cowboy pitcher Tyson Martinez walked Luciano Alvarado and Nolan Donivan to load the bases. William Hoover was then hit by a pitch from Martinez which allowed Shaver to score the game-winning run and put The Dalles ahead 5-4. Brock scattered six hits, with two walks and a season-high 11 strikeouts in five innings, before being relieved by Schwartz in the sixth.
On May 5, the Riverhawks lost on the road at Redmond, 16-3. Redmond took control of the contest early with a 7-0 first inning lead. Sophomore Riley Brock (2-for-3, single, double), freshman William Lee (1-for-2, single) and sophomore Diego Gonzalez each drove in runs for the Riverhawks. The Dalles had four errors and Riverhawk pitchers issued six walks.
In the first game of the May 8 doubleheader at Crook County High, the Class 6A Bend Lava Bears (9-3) won 18-8 over The Dalles. The Riverhawks were led by the hot-hitting Schwartz (3-for-3, two singles, triple, three RBI) and sophomore Evan Baldy (2-for-3, single, triple, three RBI).
“We actually played better than indicated by the score,” said Ortega. “We hit the ball well and we made some good plays, but we also had a few errors (eight total) that cost us some runs.”
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