The offensive adjustments made by HRV this season continue to pay off for the Eagles, who beat Pendleton for the third time in four days on Tuesday, routing the Buckaroos 11-5 in Pendleton and winning the season series.
Despite matching HRV in hits (10), the Bucks weren’t able to parlay those into runs while the Eagles came up big at the plate. Third baseman Kellan Duffy and shortstop Skyler Hunter continued their prolific scoring streaks on Tuesday with a two-run and a three-run homer, respectively, early in the game that pushed the Eagles out to a 5-0 lead at the end of the second inning.
HRV (13-3, 3-0 league) extended its lead to 9-0 over Pendleton (9-7, 0-3 league) in the top of the third inning thanks to four back-to-back hits. The hit parade started with Isaiah Enriquez, who took advantage of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation to send one to center that plated Duffy. Next, Montana Kurahara stepped up to the plate and smacked a pitch to right field that sent Adam Cameron home. Morgan Williams then hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Dallas Buckley to score and the barrage of hits came full circle after Hunter reached first on a fielder’s choice that brought Enriquez back to home plate.
Pendleton finally answered in the bottom of the fifth, stringing a few hits together and plating three runners. The Bucks narrowed their deficit to four runs in the next inning, scoring on a single and a wild pitch. Pendleton nearly scored a third run in the inning after Pendleton’s Gage Correa tagged up at third base on a fly out and tried to advance home, but Cameron tagged him out at the plate on a throw from Buckley.
The Eagles rounded out scoring in the top of the seventh with Hunter once again getting a hit for HRV, sending Williams home on a line-drive double. Patrick Harvey finished things off with a line-drive double to left field, with Hunter scoring the final run of the evening for either team.
HRV had quite the committee on the mound Tuesday, with Enriquez, Duffy, and Hunter all seeing time. Enriquez started the game and pitched the majority of it, striking out five and giving up six hits and three earned runs in four innings and change. Duffy came in to relieve Enriquez partway through the fifth and struck out two and gave up three hits and two earned runs. Hunter closed out the game, striking out and giving up a hit in the bottom of the seventh.
No. 3 HRV travels to Hermiston this Saturday to play the No. 14 Bulldogs (9-6, 2-1 league) for a noon doubleheader and then hosts the Bulldogs Tuesday for a single game that starts at 4:30 p.m.
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