WADDELL, Ariz. – Mountaineers Baseball opened up the 2022 campaign Thursday afternoon playing its first of four games in the annual Coach Calderone Invitational hosted by Arizona Christian. Eastern Oregon played the host school in ACU to start the tournament but dropped an 18-3 contest.
How it Happened
• The Mountaineers (0-1) had a strong start to the game scoring three runs in the opening frame, but were held scoreless over the next eight innings.
• The Firestorm (3-0) tacked on multiple runs across four straight innings and five total to secure the win. They had 20 hits on the day and held the EOU bats to just four.
• Neither team had a clean game defensively, combining four seven errors in the nine-inning bout. ACU had three on the day, with two coming in the first inning, while EOU had four.
• In the first, a
Donovan Gonzalez two-out two-RBI single to center field got EOU on the board. He plated home
Ethan Snodgrass and
Austin Gerding on the hit.
• Leading 2-0 in the first, the Mounties tacked on one run No. 3 thanks to an error at first base by the Firestorm. The error scored Snodgrass and gave EOU a three-run edge.
• Starter
Jaydon Yancey kept the score at 3-0 going into the second inning. He got a leadoff strikeout before forcing a pop-up and a fly out. ACU got a pair of hits in the frame, but both runners were left stranded.
• The Firestorm cut the Mounties lead to two in the bottom of the second. A leadoff error by EOU got a runner on and ultimately to second. ACU then hit two groundouts to score the leadoff man.
• The score remained 3-1 until the bottom of the third when ACU tacked on two runs to tie the ballgame. A leadoff double, followed by a single and an error in the first three at bats scored the second Firestorm run.
• An RBI fielder's choice got the third run in for ACU and tied the contest. Eastern had a chance to retake the lead in the top of the fourth as a
Payton Hamilton double and a Kyle Lunny single got both on.
• Lunny was able to steal second, while Hamilton advanced to third on his single. In scoring position with one out, EOU was unable to bring them in as Gerding and
Brooks Dyer both struck out swinging.
• ACU's bats found their rhythm in the fourth. After scoring two runs in the third, the Firestorm tacked on three runs in three straight innings to lead 12-3 after the sixth inning.
• The Firestorm held EOU to just one hit after the fourth inning and it did not come until the top of the ninth.
• Yancey worked just three innings for the Mounties as they used four different bullpen pitchers.
Ben Bergonzine put in the most work with three innings pitched.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
•
Donovan Gonzalez was 1-4 with two RBIs.
•
Ethan Snodgrass scored a run and drew two walks.
•
Ben Bergonzine led the pitching staff with six strikeouts in three innings of work.
•
Jaydon Yancey fanned three batters.
For the Firestorm
• Oliver Frias had three RBIs and was 2-4 at the plate. He hit a home run and scored two runs.
• Justin Ramirez led the bats going 4-5 and scored two runs.
• Manny Villa also had three RBIs and batted 2-4 to go along with two runs scored.
• Randen Garrison racked up three RBIs going 2-5 at the plate with a run scored.
• Evan Massie pitched five complete in the start and picked up the win (1-0). He struck out a game-high seven batters.
By the Numbers
8 - EOU was held scoreless in eight innings after scoring three runs in the first.
6 -
Ben Bergonzine's six strikeouts are an EOU single-game career-high.
5 - Five players made their EOU debut in Thursday's contest.
9 - Eastern left nine runners stranded in the loss.
Up Next
• EOU is back on the diamond first thing tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. PT against Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).
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