HOOD RIVER — The Hood River Valley High School (HRVHS) baseball team went 1-2 in three Northwest Oregon Conference games last week: losing 6-5 at home to Wilsonville High School on May 12; losing 4-2 at Wilsonville on May 13; and winning 5-3 against Hillsboro High School on May 15.
The second-ranked (OSAA Class 5A) Eagles (17-6, 10-3 NWOC), led by head Coach Max Reitz, couldn’t find their groove against the Wildcats (16-8, 11-2 NWOC) at home.
“Ten walks and a hit batter were too much to overcome, although our guys deserve credit for battling and giving themselves a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh,” said Reitz. “Offensively, we just couldn’t get anything going with only five hits.”
Against Wilsonville on the road, it was much more of the same. The Wildcats outhit the Eagles 6-3 in a tight league match-up. “Unfortunately, it was a similar story in game two,” said Reitz. “Four walks and two hit batters gave them just enough opportunities to scrape across some runs. On offense, they again shut us down with just the three hits for us. Credit to Wilsonville’s pitching for a strong effort during this series.”
HRV returned home May 15 against the Spartans (11-8, 9-4 NWOC), where the weather impacted the game. Despite the conditions and the two-game stumble, the Eagles were able to rally to close out the week.
“This one was tough from the start, with the constant rain during the game and the emotional letdown coming off of Wednesday’s game,” said Reitz. “That being said, we demonstrated some resilience in the sixth after they tied it up late. Huge at-bats from Chaz Valentine and Maverick Hockett really fueled the winning rally. Hockett and [Nick] Tuttle really played well in the outfield to keep us in the game. Tuttle was also great at the plate with two hits. Finally, Harjo and Jacobs pitched really well in tough conditions and gave us a chance to win.”
Commented