LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Baseball split its Saturday doubleheader with RV University of British Columbia, claiming an 11–8 victory in game one before falling 23–5 in game two.
Game 1
British Columbia struck first with a solo home run from Kansai Sugimoto, but Eastern Oregon answered immediately.
Jace Nagler led off the bottom of the first with a home run, and the Mounties followed with three straight hits to plate another run and take a 2–1 lead.
The Thunderbirds evened the score in the second on a two-out RBI single from Lou Fujiwara. Both teams were held in check over the next few innings before Eastern Oregon broke through in the fifth.
Andrew Demianew sparked the rally with a leadoff double, and
Alex Olague followed with an RBI single to give the Mounties the lead.
Jaxon Logsdon then extended the advantage with a two-run home run, making it 5–2.
Eastern Oregon created separation in the sixth, scoring five runs despite recording just two hits. With the bases loaded,
Jason DeBone was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, and
Carson Gerding added another on a fielder's choice. Two more hit-by-pitches kept the line moving before
Mario Landeros capped the inning with a two-RBI single, pushing the lead to 10–2.
UBC responded in the seventh, taking advantage of free bases to score twice and cut the deficit to 10–4. Olague added insurance with a solo home run later in the inning, while the Thunderbirds answered with a run of their own.
UBC made things interesting late with a three-run home run from Kellen Bourne, but Eastern Oregon held on to secure the 11–8 win.
Easton Corey (2–3) earned the victory, allowing just two runs over 6.0 innings while striking out six. Will Anderson (2–4) took the loss for UBC.
Game 2
Game two saw British Columbia's offense erupt early and often.
The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 7–1 lead in the first inning, highlighted by a leadoff home run from Oliver Clements and a string of RBI hits. Nagler provided the lone response for Eastern Oregon with his second leadoff home run of the day.
UBC added another run in the second, but the Mounties answered in the bottom half. Nagler delivered a two-RBI single, and Logsdon followed with a two-RBI double to cut the deficit to 8–4.
That would be as close as Eastern would get. British Columbia broke the game open over the remaining innings, scoring 15 runs on 16 hits while capitalizing on eight free bases. Josh Cote and Braeden Scott each added home runs as part of the offensive outburst.
The Mounties were limited to just one additional run, as UBC pulled away for a 23–5 victory.
James Brock (6–1) earned the win, striking out four over 4.0 innings, while Dylan Myttenar recorded his first save with 3.0 innings of relief.
Jace Schow (0–4) was charged with the loss for Eastern Oregon.
Up Next
Eastern Oregon and British Columbia will wrap up the series on Sunday, March 22, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
