PORTLAND, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Baseball closed its first four-game conference counting series by splitting Sunday's doubleheader with Warner Pacific, earning a 2–2 series split. The Mountaineers rallied for an 8–6 win in game three before falling 5–1 in the series finale.
Game 3
After splitting Saturday's contests, the Mountaineers and Knights returned Sunday for another tightly contested matchup. The first five innings turned into a pitcher's duel, as neither team managed to push a run across despite putting runners on base in each frame.
Eastern Oregon finally broke through in the top of the sixth.
Greyson McDaniel opened the inning with a walk, followed by a
Lucas Smith single. A sacrifice fly brought McDaniel home for the first run of the game.
Mario Landeros then delivered a double to left-center field, driving in two runs to give the Mountaineers a 3–0 advantage.
Warner Pacific responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning, stringing together four hits to score four runs and take a 4–3 lead. The Knights added another run in the seventh after a leadoff single, capitalizing on passed balls and another base hit to extend the lead to two.
Eastern Oregon mounted its comeback in the top of the ninth.
Jaxon Logsdon reached after being hit by a pitch, and a Warner Pacific error allowed
Andrew Demianew to reach base. McDaniel followed with an RBI single, and later in the inning Smith doubled to drive in two runs, giving the Mountaineers a 6–5 lead.
Jason DeBone added insurance with a two-RBI single to center, pushing the lead to 8–5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Knights threatened late, collecting three consecutive two-out singles to score one run, but the Mountaineers recorded the final out to secure the 8–6 victory and leave two runners stranded.
Game 4
The series finale began as another defensive battle, with neither team scoring through the first four innings. Eastern Oregon produced two baserunners during the stretch, while Warner Pacific managed three.
The Knights broke the stalemate in the bottom of the fifth with a double followed by an RBI single to take a 1–0 lead. They added two more runs in the sixth using a walk and a pair of RBI singles to extend the lead to 3–0.
Warner Pacific kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard into the late innings and added two more runs in the eighth to stretch the lead to 5–0. Eastern Oregon made one final push in the ninth, loading the bases with an error, a walk, and a single. A sacrifice fly from
Afton Milton brought home the Mountaineers' lone run, but the Knights recorded a flyout and groundout to end the game and secure the 5–1 win.
Up Next
Eastern Oregon now sits at 7–16 overall and 4–9 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Mountaineers will continue conference action on March 21 with a doubleheader against British Columbia beginning at 12 p.m.
