PORTLAND, Ore.—The Concordia baseball team capped the Cascade-Northwest Challenge in style with a 5-4 walk-off win over Pacific in the tournament’s final game Sunday.
Concordia improved to 6-4 with the win after going 3-0 at the tournament with wins over each of the three other schools.
Also on Sunday, Oregon Tech swept Puget Sound in a doubleheader between the two teams. The Owls beat the Loggers 7-2 in the first game, then 10-1 win in the second.
Next up, Concordia opens its conference schedule with a home series against Patten that begins Friday, March 2 at 6 p.m. The Cavaliers will then host the official grand opening of Hilken Community Stadium Saturday, March 3 before a doubleheader against Patten.
GAME 1—OREGON TECH 7, PUGET SOUND 2
Oregon Tech came back from an early two-run deficit with a five-run fifth inning that fueled its 7-2 win over Puget Sound.
The first five batters reached in the inning for Oregon Tech, while Ryan Hayden, the last of the first five, capped the scoring with a bases-clearing, three-run triple to center.
The Owls then solidified their lead with runs in the top of the sixth and seventh to go up 7-2.
The Loggers couldn’t do much after that and the score held for OIT’s first win of the day.
On the mound, Oregon Tech starter Hayden Wolfe picked up the win, while Codey Barrett came on in relief to earn the save. On the flip side, Puget Sound starter Nathan Aguilar received the loss.
GAME 2—OREGON TECH 10, PUGET SOUND 1
The next game between the two teams followed a similar script with Puget Sound opening the scoring in the first, but another big OIT inning leading the way for another Owls victory.
This time, though, the Owls’ big inning served to put the game away, as a six-run sixth inning turned a 4-1 game into a 10-1 game in a flash.
Once again, OIT strung several hits together to spark the big inning. After OIT’s lead-off batter struck out in the sixth, the next seven OIT batters reached, with three of them hitting doubles.
In the end, OIT starter Zack Earle earned the win, while Thomas Kizziar pitched the final three innings to pick up the save. Puget Sound starter Lucas Stone, meanwhile, received the loss.
GAME 3—CONCORDIA 5, PACIFIC 4
For the second straight day at the Cascade-Northwest Challenge, the nightcap provided the biggest drama.
Once again, the game involved the host Cavaliers, as they went into the bottom of the ninth tied 4-4 with Pacific.
Concordia came through again late, though, as Mike Dickman calmly hit a one-out double down the left field line to put the Cavs in a good position early in the inning. Calvin Nagy then followed with a walk after Dickman moved to third on a passed ball. After that, the Boxers took advantage of the free base by walking Jordan Keeker, bringing Sean Myrom to the plate. Now with all the pressure on his shoulders, Myrom hit a shallow fly ball to right that the right fielder dropped, allowing Dickman to score from third for a 5-4 victory.
The one run win gave the Cavs’ their second at the Cascade-Northwest Challenge and its third overall this season.
Earlier, the Cavs opened the scoring with a three run bottom of the second. Mike Cero started the rally with a one out triple to right center. Cero then scored on a passed ball for the games’ first run after Ryan Rodriguez reached an infield hit. The passed ball wouldn’t have mattered, though, as freshman Blake Drake smashed a ball to the wall in left center for another triple to score Rodriguez. Still with only one out, catcher Ben Talbot brought home Drake from third with an RBI ground out to short. The run capped the scoring for the Cavs in the inning with the team up 3-0.
However, Pacific struck next with its own three-run inning in the top of the fourth. Power hitting helped the Boxers as well, as Jared Van Hoon plated his team’s first run with a triple before Nate Rasmussen scored him with a double. Finally, Rasmussen scored off a single to right from Michael Arakaki.
Pacific then took a lead with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Cavs’ evened the game right away with its own run in the bottom of the fifth. Dickman came through with the run for the Cavs’ again after Keeker brought him home with a single to right.
Both teams traded threats after that, each putting runners on second and third once, but neither team managed a run until the Cavs’ rally in the ninth. The Boxers could have made good on its threat in the seventh, but for a successful pick off from the Cavs’ catcher Talbot. Talbot made the play with runners on second and third with one out, throwing behind the runner at third to let CU third baseman Carl Beckert run the man down for the tag out. The other runner advanced to third on the play, but the out gave the Cavs’ two in the inning and the next batter grounded out to end the threat.
Overall, Cero led the Cavs’ offense, going 3-for-4 in the game, while Dickman went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
On the mound, CU’s Jared Young picked up the win in relief, while Pacific’s Kyle Treadway received the loss.