By Zach Thummel
Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley played two games in the 16-team OSAA Class 5A state baseball playoffs, beating Crescent Valley/Kings Valley Charter, 8-3, in round one on May 26, and losing 6-4 to Ridgeview High School in the quarterfinals on May 29 at Traner Field in Hood River.
The No. 2-ranked Eagles (21-7), led by head coach Max Reitz, went back and forth with the No. 15 Raiders (16-12) early, but it was the Raiders who struck first in the top of the first, scoring off a bases-loaded walk. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI from senior Kingston McAdam that scored one. Tyson Harjo then raced home on a passed ball to give HRV a 2-1 lead.
The Raiders evened things up at 2-2 at the top of the second after a triple from junior Sterling Holland scored a run.
In the bottom of the third, McAdam hit a sacrifice fly ball, sending junior Davin Snyder home. Soon after, sophomore Tysen Baker came home on a passed ball, scoring another run, and then sophomore Elliott Dillingham hit a two-RBI triple, to make it 6-2 Eagles.
The Raiders added their final run of the day in the top of the fourth, making it 6-3. HRV sealed the deal, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the fifth behind an RBI single from Dillingham and an RBI double from senior Nick Tuttle to push the lead to 8-3.
“Dillingham really stepped up and had two big hits for us, driving in three runs,” said Reitz. “The triple was a back breaker for them.”
On the mound, sophomore Landen Pratt got the start, pitching five strikeouts in two innings. Senior Bodie Stuben picked up where Pratt left off, pitching four innings with six strikeouts, and senior Trevor Jacobs stepped in for Stuben in the seventh inning, closing the door with a strikeout.
Then, the Eagles played the Ridgeview Ravens (20-8) in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs on May 29 in Hood River.
The Ravens got on the board first, scoring one run in the top of the first to take the lead 1-0. HRV got on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI from Dillingham, sending Jacobs home to even the game at 1-1.
The Ravens added two runs in the top of the third inning to take back the lead at 3-1. HRV responded with a two RBI double from Stuben that evened the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third. McAdam then made his way home off a Pratt sacrifice to make the score 4-3 Eagles.
In the top of the fourth, the Ravens responded with three runs to take back the lead at 6-4. HRV was unable to respond the rest of the game, leaving runners stranded on first and third base in the bottom of the seventh in the Eagles final comeback effort.
Pratt got the start on the mound in the quarterfinals, too, going for three innings, with Harjo stepping in and pitching for part of the fourth. Stuben then finished the game for HRV with three innings pitched.
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