SOFTBALL

Friday 4/28 at Carroll College, 1:00 pm MT (G1 Livestats | G2 Livestats | Video Stream)
Friday 4/29 at Carroll College, 12:00 pm MT (G1 Livestats | G2 Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Bushnell softball team (11-33, 7-20 CCC) will close out the 2023 season this weekend in Montana, taking on Carroll College and looking to play the role of spoiler.
 
LAST WEEK: Taking on No. 8 College of Idaho (43-6, 25-5) in their final home weekend, the Beacons were never able to find the scoreboard in four shutout losses. Liz Hillier provided a big performance in the circle, however, throwing a complete-game five-hitter in game one of the series while striking out five in a 2-0 loss.
 
RECORDS WATCH: Heading into the final weekend, a few records and milestones are on the line for the Beacons. Maddi Steelman is sitting in a tie for the all-time triples record (9), and will look to end her junior season by claiming the record all for herself.
 
Miraculously, for a season so mired with bad weather, four Beacons all have a shot to break Bushnell's single-season record for games played. The record stands at 47 games (Jessica Garner, 2016). Hannah Tennant, Steelman, Ericka Allen, and Alyssa Ferreira have all played in every game this season (44).
 
CCC OUTLOOK: No.1-ranked Oregon Tech has clinched the regular-season title and will host the conference tournament. No. 4 Southern Oregon, No. 8 College of Idaho, No. 24 Eastern Oregon, and British Columbia have all qualified for the tournament and will be joined by either Northwest (12-15) or Carroll (10-17). NU plays Southern Oregon this weekend while the Saints face Bushnell.
 
Bushnell is currently ranked eighth in the CCC for fielding percentage (.943), ERA (6.50) and batting average (.256). Individually, Steelman ranks eighth in the CCC for home runs (5) and sixth for triples (4). Erika Allen is sixth in the conference for walks (20).
 
CARROLL: The Saints (16-26, 10-17 CCC) come into the weekend having lost nine of their last 11 games including eight straight conference contests. They sit two games behind Northwest for sixth-place and need to pull into a tie with the Eagles to claim the final playoff spot.
 
Carroll is currently ranked sixth in the CCC for hitting (.295) and pitching (6.21 ERA) and fourth for fielding (.965).
 
Kaitlin Ayers is hitting .398 to lead the Saints, along with 12 doubles, six home runs and 24 RBI. Jessica Nimmo (.380) leads the team with 46 hits. Abby Hanley leads the pitching staff with a 4-13 record and 5.49 ERA. She has 91 strikeouts in 108.1 innings.
 
Carroll College is 17-7 in the all-time series with the Beacons. The teams split their four game series last season with the Saints taking two-of-three conference games.
 

BASEBALL

Friday 4/28 vs Lewis-Clark State, 2:00 pm (G1 Livestats | G2 Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 4/29 vs Lewis-Clark State, 11:00 am (G1 Livestats | G2 Livestats | Video Stream)
 
Bushnell (22-22, 10-10 CCC) concludes the regular season this week, hosting Lewis-Clark State College with a spot in the conference tournament on the line.
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell dropped three of four games to the College of Idaho over the weekend. A 13-11 comeback victory on Sunday highlighted the weekend as the Beacons erased a late 9-2 deficit. The Beacons hit four home runs in the seventh with two off the bat off Jeff Fripp. Reece Carganilla drove in the game-winning run with a double in the top of the ninth.
 
Fripp finished the day with eight RBI on seven hits with three home runs, including two in one inning. Carganilla had an eight-hit day, batting 4-for-6 in both games, and Cayden Delozier tallied seven hits on the day.
 
CCC OUTLOOK: Oregon Tech (16-8), who is on its bye week, clinched a playoff berth last week. The University of British Columbia (13-7) is in second, looking for a sweep this weekend to earn the regular season title. The College of Idaho (11-9), LC State (11-9) and Bushnell (10-10) are battling for the final two spots with Corban (9-11) close behind.
 
The Beacons will likely need at least three wins this weekend to clinch a spot.
 
CCC RANKINGS: Bushnell is fourth in the conference in ERA with a 5.20-mark, trailing LC State, Oregon Tech and UBC. The Beacons rank fifth in the conference in batting average (.276) and are third in home runs (44).
 
The Beacons have two starters ranked among the top 10 in the conference in ERA, led by Adam Sabatino, who is seventh with a 4.23 mark through 11 starts. Ethan Sachs is eighth in the CCC with a 4.67 ERA. Colby Knutzen has three saves (3^rd) and a 2.75 ERA through 13 appearances. 
 
Cayden Delozier is second in the conference in batting average (.387) and fourth in on-base percentage (.481). He held a 10-game hit streak this season, tying Jeff Fripp's record from last year. Cade Crist is batting .301 on the year with nine home runs (3^rd).


LC STATE: The No. 16 Warriors (26-13, 11-9 CCC), last year's national runner-up, are in an unusual position entering the weekend. A 58-win powerhouse last season, the Warriors enter the final week of the regular season fighting for a spot in the conference postseason.
 
LC State swept Eastern Oregon in its last time out before a 10-day break. The Warriors then took on NCAA Division II Central Washington on Wednesday, falling 7-5.
 
The Warriors lead the CCC in ERA, holding a 4.56 mark on the season, and rank second in strikeouts. LC is also second in batting with a .315 average and a conference-leading 66 home runs. Outfielder Carter Booth leads the team in batting with a .363 (6^th) average. Nick Seamons ranks first in home runs with 14 on the year.  
 
Nine players have seen pitching starts for the Warriors this year. Trevin Hope leads the starters with a 2.39 ERA in seven starts, while Greg Blackman holds a team-best 1.87 ERA in 10 appearances as a reliever.
 
The Warriors swept the Beacons in their three-game series in Lewiston last season.
 

TRACK & FIELD

Friday 4/28 – Saturday 4/29 at OSU High Performance Meet (Livestats)
 
It's the penultimate weekend of the regular season for Bushnell Track & Field and over 30 athletes are scheduled to compete at the Oregon State High Performance Meet. The Bushnell record book is littered with performances from this very meet, and with perfect weather in the forecast, the teams are optimistic for a big weekend of qualifications and improvements.