KEISER, Ore. – The Bushnell baseball team took care of business on Saturday, sweeping a road twin-bill from Corban University at Volcanoes Stadium, 3-2 and 4-2. Win the wins, Bushnell remains alone in first-place as the only undefeated team in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
"The Beacons found a way today," said head coach
Tommy Richards. "It wasn't always pretty and there are some adjustments to be made but I am proud of this group for staying the course and getting it done."
Bushnell had to fight from behind in both games on Saturday, on a day that featured 36 combined strikeouts by both teams in a pair of true pitching duels.
GAME ONE: Bushnell 3, Corban 2
Ethan Sachs (2-2) threw 8.1 innings, striking out five as went toe-to-toe with the Warriors all-conference starter Nate Martin (3-3). Martin went 7.2 innings and struck out nine Beacon batters in the loss.
Corban took an early lead with an RBI single in the first inning, but
Dylan Carson made sure the Bushnell winning streak would continue as he hit a pair of home runs to give Bushnell the win. A single shot in the fourth and a two-run bomb in the sixth, his fifth of the season, provide all of the offense the Beacons would need.
"These were some big wins for the Beacons today and we had to fight for them," said Sachs (pictured). "I love this team because we are never out of a ballgame. We are always one rally away from taking a lead."
Carson added, "Our pitching really held us in it today. We left some food on the plate when it came to offense, but baseball is a team game and now we reset and get ready to take two more games tomorrow."
Carson finished the game hitting 3-for-3 with his three RBI and two runs scored.
Brandon Reed added two hits and
Peyton Hino produced a double.
GAME TWO: Bushnell 4, Corban 2
Three Bushnell pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and allowed just two early runs on six hits to give Bushnell the victory in the night cap.
After single runs were scored by the Warriors in the first two innings, the Beacon hurlers went to work, allowing just one hit over the final seven innings.
Alec Gums threw five strikeouts in the first five innings of work while
Jahshua Yacapin (2-1) came on in relief to get the win, striking out five batters in three scoreless frames.
Colby Knutzen retired the side in the ninth with three straight strikeouts to earn his third save of the season.
Trailing 2-0, Bushnell came back in the top of the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on an infield error, followed by an RBI double from
Cade Crist.
Jameson Hussey added an insurance run in the eighth inning with an RBI single to score Crist.
Crist finished the game with two doubles while
Ethan Stacy went 3-for-4 for a double and a run.
Next:
The Beacons (18-9, 6-0 CCC) will look to continue their strong play with two more games against Corban (7-21, 1-5) on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 pm. The games were originally scheduled for 12:00 pm but have been pushed back to try an avoid a storm.
