Baseball has plenty of nuances that affect the outcome of games: A bad hop here; a wind-induced fielding error there; raised chalk that keeps a slow roller inside the lines; a bang-bang play at first base.

Visiting Pendleton ended Hood River Valley’s unbeaten run in the Intermountain Conference baseball race, edging the Eagles, 5-4, on May 3 in eight innings. Then two days later, in a re-scheduled contest, HRV split a doubleheader on the road at Redmond.

Hood River Valley’s baseball fortunes turned from good to average in a few days last week, as the Eagles were impressive to start but not so much to finish.

Hood River split two baseball games this past week — the Eagles received a stellar pitching performance in one, and they were on the opposite end of a pitching gem in the other.