Owls Split with Simpson, Headed to Post-Season Play
REDDING, Calif. — Oregon Tech took an 11-0 lead and then held off Simpson University Sunday to win the second game of a doubleheader winning 16-14, as the Owls clinched the final berth in the NAIA West Baseball regional tournament.
Simpson forced the Hustlin' Owls into a must-win situation in the second game when the Red Hawks won the opener, 7-6, scoring 4-runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win in walk-off.
Tech now will prepare to meet Concordia in the first game of the regional tournament Wednesday at Concordia's Hilken Community Stadium in Portland at 12 Noon. Corban, Menlo and the University of British Columbia will complete the tournament field.
Oregon Tech banged out 21 hits to win Sunday's second game, including three each by Dylan Rogers, Ryan Hayden and Tyler Conklin as the Hustlin' Owls completed regular season play 11-17 in league play, and 20-34 overall.
Alex Reynolds, Tyson Dahl, Aaron Bocchi, Ethan Schlecht, Spencer Reed and Jared Nelson all added two hits to the OIT offense.
Hayden, who hit two doubles, drove in five runs.
The Hustlin' Owls led, 12-1, when Simpson scored six times in the fifth inning and then held off Red Hawk rallies the rest of the game.
Five Tech errors helped Simpson, which ended league play 2-26, score nine unearned runs in the game after the Red Hawks had scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the opener, a game in which OIT held a 6-3 lead before the home team had its final at bat.
Bocchi had three OIT hits in the opener, while Tyson Dahl, Rogers and Schlecht all had two.
Rogers hit his team-leading sixth home run in the opener, and Bocchi hit his third.