The Dalles baseball is playoff bound

The No. 16-ranked Riverhawks (11-4 TVC, 13-13 overall) needed to get a road win in their final league game on May 16 over the No. 8-ranked Molalla High Indians to win the title. The Riverhawks never led in the game, trailing 3-0 after four innings and 3-1 after four and half frames. The Indians scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth before The Dalles closed with two runs in the seventh for a 5-3 final margin.

The Riverhawks outhit the Indians, 7-6, but The Dalles stranded 10 baserunners. The Riverhawks were led offensively by Will Booth (2-for-4), Avery Schwartz (2-for-4) and Finley Corbin (2-for-3, three RBI). Schwartz pitched a complete game with six strikeouts, three walks and three earned runs.

The Riverhawks had a rough start to last week’s three-games-in-five-days schedule as they lost 3-2 at home on May 12 to the No. 14-ranked Gladstone High Gladiators (10-5 TVC, 12-12 overall). The Riverhawks built a 2-1 lead after three innings, but did not score again. Following a scoreless fourth, Gladstone scored one run in the fifth and one in the sixth to get the victory.

Each team had three hits and the Riverhawks were led offensively by Booth (1-for-3), Sawyer Dray (1-for-3) and Trey Hodges (1-for-2). Starting pitcher Evan Ortega had five strikeouts, a walk and allowed one earned run. Reliever Hodges had a walk and one earned run in two innings.

Two days later on senior night at Quinton Street Ballpark, the Riverhawks won, 11-10, over the Estacada High Rangers (6-9 TVC, 13-12 overall). Seniors Booth, Corbin, Schwartz, Hodges, Agidius, Trace Larson and Dufur High’s Sonny Wilson were honored in a pregame ceremony for their contributions to the Riverhawks’ baseball program.

The seesaw game included six deadlocks and four lead changes. The game was knotted 4-4 after two innings and 5-5 after four. The Riverhawks took a 9-8 lead in the fifth, but the Rangers scored twice in the top of the seventh for a 10-9 advantage. The Riverhawks answered with a two-run, game-winning seventh inning rally — it marked their fourth win this year by one run.

Pitchers Hodges, Schwartz and Gunnar Bustos combined for six strikeouts, three walks and six earned runs. The Riverhawks outhit the Rangers ,13-9, and they were led offensively by Booth (1-for-2, two RBI), Dray (1-for-3, RBI), Schwartz (3-for-5, three RBI), Cody Agidius (2-for-4, RBI), Corbin (3-for-5, RBI) and Hodges (1-for-4, two RBI).

The Riverhawks play a nonleague playoff tune-up game May 21 at home versus the Junction City High Tigers (19-7).