SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The Bushnell University baseball team won their series opener with (RV) Oregon Tech on Friday afternoon, splitting a double-header as both teams officially qualified for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament.
 
For the Beacons (24-19, 11-7) it will be their first trip to the post-season since the program relaunched in 2022. The Owls (28-15, 13-5) were the CCC champions last season, and both teams still have a mathematical chance to win the conference this year with six regular-season games remaining on the schedule.
 
Senior Daniel Furman (pictured), who has been with the Beacons from the beginning, and picked up the victory in game one, said, "We have worked hard for this. Since day one it has been a goal to make the post season and take it home from there. Hard work pays off but the work doesn't stop here."
 
Another third-year Beacon, Jordan Wilson said, "Getting the opportunity to play in the post season is a testament to the work we have put in every day. We have six more games to refine our process and put the best product of Beacon Baseball out on the field."
 
Game One: Bushnell 6, Oregon Tech 4
 
Wilson set the tone for the Beacons in the bottom of the first, blasting a three-run homer to left field. It was his 12th home run of the season, breaking Bushnell's single-season record.
 
OIT got two runs back over the next five innings, with Furman (3-1) allowing just one earned run over six innings of work to pick up the victory.
 
Holding just a one-run lead, Bushnell pulled away in the bottom of the sixth. A sacrifice fly from Chase Nye turned into two runs after a throwing error, and Cade Crist followed with a solo home run as the Beacons took back a 6-2 advantage.
 
In what would be a theme carrying throughout the evening, the Bushnell bullpen did it's job, closing out the game. Trevor Hammond went 2.1 innings, giving up one earned run on a solo homer in the top of the ninth, and Colby Knutzen came in to shut it down, retiring the only two batters he faced to snag his conference-leading seventh save of the season.
 
Game Two: Oregon Tech 7, Bushnell 5
 
Bushnell out-hit the Owls 10-9 in the night cap, but came out on the wrong side of things as they were unable to climb back from an early 6-0 deficit.
 
Oregon Tech scored three in the second and three in third on starter Taiga Yamane (0-1), who was lifted after the Owls went up 7-2 with one out in the fourth.
 
The Beacon relievers were incredible once again, as Max Chapman threw 4.2 scoreless innings and Marques Brown tossed a scoreless top of the ninth.
 
The Beacons slowly tried to climb back into the game, scoring single runs in three different innings, including a towering home run to dead center field by Albert Jennings in the fifth and a no-doubt blast by Crist for his second on the day in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The CCC ERA leader, Bronson Chapple (8-2), got the victory for OIT, striking out eight batters over seven innings. Tim Williams grabbed his fifth save of the season as he pitched the final two innings.
 
Up Next: Bushnell hosts Oregon Tech for two more CCC games on Saturday in the final home games of the season. The Beacons will honor seven seniors during a pre-game ceremony at 10:40 am. "We are looking forward to honoring our seniors tomorrow," added Wilson, "and excited to see what we can accomplish moving forward."