Roadrunners Split Doubleheader with Lakers

ALBANY, Ore. - The Linn-Benton baseball team battled the elements and a tough Southwestern Oregon squad at Dick McClain Field, coming away with a loss and a win in two games. The Roadrunners (29-5, 20-5 NWAC South) dropped the first contest 6-3 to the Lakers (18-19, 10-15 NWAC South) then won a high scoring game two 15-9.

Game 1: The visitors came out hot, scoring 6 runs in the first two innings to take a commanding lead. Linn-Benton started their rally in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI triple from Bryant Starr that scored Seth Willy. 

Landon Lea would then hit an RBI single to score Starr and make it 6-2. The Roadrunners could not maintain the momentum, as they were unable to score again until the eighth inning as Starr earned another RBI with a single to score Aiden Hazen. That would be the final run for the hosts as they fell 6-3. The Roadrunners had 11 hits, but also left 12 runners on base in the defeat.

Game 2: The second contest saw a much different start, as the Roadrunners scored three in the bottom of the first as Jackson Fera reached base on a fielder's choice that scored Starr and a Laker error on the play allowed Chanz Flores to score as well. Emmett Stacher would then score Fera on an RBI single to make it 3-0. Linn-Benton then scored four more in the second inning as Starr reached base on an error that allowed Noah Scharer to score.

Starr would cross the plate on a sacrifice fly from Flores and Kellen Segel would then reach base and score on a wild pitch. Boston Caron capped off the inning with an RBI double that scored Fera to make it 7-0. The Lakers refused to go away, scoring four runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth inning to make a 7-6 Linn-Benton lead.

The Roadrunners would create some separation with an RBI triple from Fera in the sixth inning, followed by five more runs in the seventh. A Flores single scored Jack Lussier and then Fera reached base on a defensive error, allowing Flores to score. Kellen Segel would score on a passed ball, then Tyson McGrorty earned two RBIs with a double that scored Fera and Caron to make it 13-7.

The Lakers scored two runs in the eighth inning to get within striking distance, but an RBI triple from Segel that scored Starr in the bottom of the inning pushed the Roadrunner lead to 14-9. Segel would then score on a wild pitch to make the final 15-9 in favor of the hosts. Pitcher Dayne Castillo picked up the win in relief.

Linn-Benton will now travel to Coos Bay to finish the four game series against the Lakers on Saturday, April 18. First pitch for those contests is scheduled for 1:00PM and 4:00PM, with the first contest scheduled for nine innings and the second for seven innings.