Coming off two losses Sunday by a 24-5 margin to Mound Time, the Columbia Gorge Hustlers found a way to respond just 24 hours later in a 7-4 league win over the Northwest Stars Monday in an American Legion baseball game played at Wilsonville High School.
With an opportunity to hit the field for the first time this season, Columbia Gorge Hustler head coach Chris Loyd was able to gauge and evaluate his group in its home opener Monday at Bob Williams Field. Even though the Hustlers fell by a 7-2 margin to Champion, the first-year coach said he liked what he saw from an offensive standpoint and continued his excitement about his pitching staff. In all, the Hustlers totaled five hits, received two walks and had his players reach on five Champion errors, but left six runners on base.
HOOD RIVER – This is it – A four-game season. After losing two games Friday night by scores of 4-1 and 9-0, The Dalles baseball team is mired in a streak of six losses in the past seven contests to fall into last place in the Columbia River Conference. With some rebound performances, some help and continued togetherness, there is still a chance to climb back into the postseason mix.
With a final chance to finish ahead of Pendleton in the standings, The Dalles notched seven hits and received four walks, but stranded eight runners on base, including the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a 4-2 loss to the Bucks Tuesday at Robert L. White Field in Pendleton. Down by two runs, the Hawks had the bottom of the order facing Pendleton reliever Kai Quinn. Ortega led off with a single to right field, and one out later, Johnny Miller hit a single to left field to put two runners on base. After a flyout to right made it two outs in the inning, Colin Noonan reached on a walk to load the bases for Kellen Mathisen. Mathisen and Quinn battled for six pitches. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, the Buckaroo righty got the called third strike for the final out to end the threat. TD led 1-0 through one inning, but Pendleton tied it at 1-apiece in the second, and then used a two-run fourth to jump ahead, 3-1. TD added a run in the fifth on an RBI single by Dawson Hoffman to score Cash Mathewson. With Miller on third base and Hoffman at first, Noonan bounced into a double play to end the inning. Ortega had two hits in three at-bats, and Colton Walker went 1 for 2 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Noonan went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run, and Daniel Peters added a hit and a walk. Bate tossed five innings of seven-hit ball with two strikeouts and five walks. He allowed four runs, two were earned. TD (8-10 overall, 2-4 league) heads to No. 4 Hood River Valley (15-4, 5-1) for a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Friday. The Eagles lost 9-1 Tuesday to Hermiston.
Pitching against an offense that that scored five or more runs in five of its nine games, The Dalles senior Bailey Ortega needed to be on his top game. He was and then some. Ortega scattered three hits and struck out three, and was supported by an errorless defense that turned two double plays and added several sterling plays in an 8-1 victory over La Salle Prep Thursday at Bob Williams Field in The Dalles.
No. 8-ranked Summit and The Dalles played close to the vest through the first three innings, but the Storm broke things open with a two-run fourth inning and then added four runs in the sixth to secure a 10-3 win Tuesday in a baseball contest played in Bend.
Boys’ hoops team has solid core in place for next year
