WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Oregon Tech received two good starts and two big rallies in the late inning helped the Hustlin’ Owls open the Cascade Conference game with 9-5 and 8-2 victories over Eastern Oregon at Muir Sports Complex.
After a week in which the venue was changed several times due to scheduling conflicts, OIT (15-9, 2-0 CCC) bounced back from an early deficit in Game 1 while controlling the nightcap from the start.
“Good start to the conference game,” said OIT head coach Jacob Garsez. “Our offense was tough today, but we’d like to see us string together more quality bats in the middle innings. Our defense played really well and we fought well on the hill.”
Patrick Arman earned the Game 1 win by throwing six strong innings, allowing three runs with six hits and keeping five.
The Mountaineers (1-16, 0-2) took a 3-0 lead in game two, including a brace from Danny Burns that produced a big run. Tech tied it in his next at bat as Ian Peters hit a pair home and Julien Jones added an RBI single, with the visitors finally taking the lead in the fifth – when Griffin Thissell scored from third-place due to a throwing error.
OIT extended the lead to 5-3 on a sixth inning Alonzo Vergara RBI double and broke it with a 4-run ninth topped by a 2-run Ka’ala Tam single.
Jones finished 2-for-2 with two stolen bases – he set a school record by being hit by a pitch three times. Both Bryce Petrilla and Tyler Horner added two hits to the win.
Tech didn’t lag behind in Game 2, scoring twice against EOU starter Shane Sinclair in the first inning — when Matthew Ortiz lifted a sacrificial fly and Vergara lined an RBI single. The lead was 3-1 in the eighth before OIT overran four insurance runs — including RBI singles from Tam and Horner — with Sean Tobin adding a ninth inning RBI single.
Lalo Barraza continued his stellar season, earning his fifth win in the league – throwing five innings with three hits. Korrey Siracusa was 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, with Vergara and Brodie Marino each adding two hits.
Sinclair accepted defeat for the Mounties — despite conceding just one deserved run in seven innings.
The two teams will end the weekend series tomorrow with a double header at 12 noon.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/XFF6BAIZQ5FB5EXSK5LG5UVWGM.jpg?resize=390&w=390 "High School Sports Roundup (March 21) – Baltimore Sun")
