HRV got off to a good start in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader in The Dalles in part due to the pitching of Patrick Harvey, who pitched the entire game, giving up four hits and striking out three batters over the course of five innings.
HRV got off to a good start in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader in The Dalles in part due to the pitching of Patrick Harvey, who pitched the entire game, giving up four hits and striking out three batters over the course of five innings.
The Hood River Valley High Eagles baseball team has enjoyed remarkable success this year at Traner Field where they’ve posted a sparkling 6-1 record. If their home cooking continues this week, the Eagles will very likely win their first ever Columbia River Conference championship Friday when they face the Pendleton Buckaroos.
After Friday’s contest, HRV meets the Hermiston Bulldogs in Hermiston May 12, followed by the CRC finale May 15 at home versus The Dalles Riverhawks. Winning the CRC title would provide coach Erich Harjo’s Eagles with an automatic Class 5A OSAA state playoff berth and a probable first round home game May 27.
“We’ve had high expectations since the beginning of the season,” said Harjo. “We have an experienced team (seven seniors) and we won lots of road playoff games last year. That experience is definitely going to be a benefit for us this season. We’ve worked hard on pitching and defense and those areas have definitely been the strength for our team. As long as we continue to pitch well and play good defense, then we’ll always have a chance to win. Even on days that we don’t hit as well, I still think we’ll be in position to have a chance to get a win by the end of the game.”
After splitting a doubleheader last Friday at The Dalles, the No. 9-ranked Eagles (14-7 overall, 6-2 CRC) now have an excellent opportunity to win the CRC title. An HRV win Tuesday against their arch rival The Dalles (results unavailable at press time) coupled with another potential home win Friday at 4:30 p.m. versus Pendleton (8-13, 4-4) would give the Eagles the title.
The Eagles had an impressive effort in Game 1 of a May 1 doubleheader versus The Dalles (10-11, 4-4), as they overpowered the Riverhawks in a 12-2 lopsided victory. The Dalles responded though in the nightcap, coming back to get a split with a 10-6 win.
“It’s very important to play well in a rivalry series like this,” said Harjo. “It was good that we went into the first game and hit the ball as well as we did and it helped take the pressure off our defense a little bit. Patrick Harvey (starting pitcher) did a really good job with his solid pitching performance.”
In Game 1, HRV jumped out in front 6-0 in the top of the first inning after sending 10 batters to the plate. A three-run triple by Riley Van Hoose (2 for 2, walk), an RBI triple by Chase Lariza (1 for 3) and a RBI triple by Kam Walker helped propel the Eagles to the early lead.
The Dalles came back in the bottom half of the first with two runs, trimming it to 6-2 after one inning. The Riverhawks failed to score for the remainder of the game. Pitcher Harvey had everything well under control on the mound, while the Eagles played error-free defense. Harvey tossed a four-hitter with three strikeouts while pitching the complete game.
HRV’s offense (11 total hits) continued to shine as the Eagles extended their lead to 7-2 in the second and then upped it to 10-2 in the third, highlighted by Skyler Hunter’s two-RBI triple. Kellan Duffy smashed a solo home run in the fourth that helped extend the Eagle lead to 12-2. Following a scoreless fifth, HRV earned the 10-run mercy rule win to end the contest after five innings.
Things didn’t go so well for the Eagles in Game 2. The two squads battled to a 1-1 deadlock after two innings. The Dalles then exploded for nine runs in the third to build a 10-1 advantage. The Riverhawks capitalized on six third-inning walks, two Eagle errors and scored on a wild pitch in the inning to take control on the scoreboard.
After two scoreless innings, the Eagles rallied in the sixth to get within striking distance. Eagle leadoff batter Skyler Hunter reached base after a catcher interference violation by The Dalles. Then four consecutive Eagle batters reached base on a free pass with walks. The Eagles scored a run on a passed ball, a bases-loaded walk, and they got one run across the plate on a Riverhawk error.
Playing for the first time since he sustained a fractured jaw April 25 versus Hermiston, Eagle senior Ryan Ward contributed to the comeback with a fielder’s choice RBI to help narrow the margin to 10-6. Ward had surgery on his jaw April 28 in Portland and he recovered quickly and was ready to play in Friday’s matchup in The Dalles.
“You just never know how somebody will react following surgery and then coming back so quickly, so I was really concerned about him and I was trying to keep my eye on him,” said Harjo. “I felt like he was feeling well enough to play. Ryan is such a tough kid and he’s a really good baseball player. He did a good job while pitching four innings and getting eight strikeouts. He’s pretty close to being 100-percent recovered now, though, and he really looked good at practice on Monday.”
HRV’s conference-best defense (4.19 runs allowed per game) stopped the The Dalles offense in the bottom half of the sixth. The Eagles had hoped to continue their comeback effort in the seventh, but they were unable to keep their momentum going. HRV failed to get a hit in the seventh and the only baserunner was Harvey, who reached base after getting hit by a pitch.
The Dalles outhit HRV 6-2 and the Eagles were victimized by three total errors. Chase Lariza (1 for 2, walk) and Duffy (1 for 2, single, two walks) were the only Eagles to get a hit in Game 2.
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