LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Bushnell University baseball team opened Cascade Collegiate Conference play with a pair of wins over Eastern Oregon University, recording 32 runs on 35 hits in the Saturday sweep.
The Beacons (14-9, 2-0 CCC) finished with a school-record 19 hits in the opener and didn't slow down in game two, piling on 16 more to pick up a pair of wins in conference action.
Albert Jennings tallied seven hits on the day with five RBI to lead Bushnell at the plate.
Cade Crist, who hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the ninth in the opener, said, "It was a great effort all around from the guys today. Road wins don't come easy and we proved we could revel through the adversity all day."
Game 1: Bushnell 15, Eastern Oregon 13
Eastern got out to an early 5-0 lead in the opener and held Bushnell scoreless through the first three innings. The Beacons went on to score in every inning the rest of the way, starting with a five-run fourth to tie the game at 5-5.
The game was tied once again after five innings, this time at 8-8, before a two-run homer from
Kyle Casperson and an RBI-single by
Jordan Wilson made it an 11-8 advantage for the Beacons after seven. Eastern took back the lead with a five-run bottom half capped off with a grand slam to go up 13-11.
Nate Stevens tied the game at 13-13 with a two-run single in the eighth and
Cade Crist put the go-ahead runs on the board with a two-run shot over the fence in left center.
Casperson finished 5-for-6 with four RBI to lead the Beacons offensively. His five hits are a single-game school record. Jennings added three hits and
Liam Kerr went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI.
Colby Knutzen (1-2) got the win on the mound, giving up one run on one hit through the final 2.2 innings.
Game 2: Bushnell 17, Eastern Oregon 11
Bushnell struck first in game two with a five-run top of the first, highlighted by a two-run homer off the bat Wilson. The Beacons extended their lead to 14-1 following Jennings' second homer of the game in the sixth.
The Beacons were unable to put the game away as the Mountaineers used back-to-back four-run frames to make it a 14-9 score through eight innings. Singles from
Jacob Richardson and
Brandon Reed pushed the advantage back out to eight after and the Mounties put two runs on the board in the ninth for a 17-11 final score.
Jennings led the way with four hits, four runs scored and three RBI. His four hits included a double and two home runs.
Adam Sabatino (1-0) got the start, allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts through six innings of work.
Sabatino said, "It felt great to get the start today. Our offense put up a big number in the first which made my job easy as I was able to focus on filling up the zone and keep the momentum going."
Up Next: Bushnell and Eastern Oregon conclude the conference series with a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
