KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Celebrating the seven senior student-athletes on the 2024 Oregon Tech baseball team, the Hustlin’ Owls capped a record-setting regular-season with 6-1 and 11-1 wins over Corban at Steen Sports Park.
OIT (34-16, 18-6 CCC) set a school record with their 34th win of the season, with the club heading into the postseason riding a 5-game win streak.
Head coach Jacob Garsez recognized the contributions of senior pitchers Patrick Arman, Cody Dubray, Collin Brougham and Ryan Poling, outfielders Matthew Lehrbach and Kage Southern, along with infielder Kellen Mendez.
“We have seven future leaders in this group. We certainly look forward to following their futures, but we are not done and look forward to their contribution as we battle through playoffs.”
After Dubray earned a victory in Game 1 on Saturday, the three senior arms set the tone in today’s opener. Arman dominated the Warriors (9-38, 4-20) lineup, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out six in earning his 22nd career win – tops in OIT history. Brougham fanned a pair in the eighth inning and Poling worked around a walk to close out the win.
Matthew Ortiz opened the scoring on the first pitch of the bottom of the first, hitting his second leadoff home run of the season. Tech added single runs in the fifth and sixth – as Brady Culp doubled in the fifth, with courtesy runner Dane Bradshaw scoring on a Riley Cronin infield single, while an inning later, a dropped 2-out fly ball allowed Kyle Norton to score from first base.
The Owls doubled their lead in the seventh, as Patrick Barry laced a 2-run triple into the right field corner and Ka’ala Tam followed with an RBI single.
Cronin was 2-for-4 in the victory for Tech, while Ryan Clay plated Corban’s lone run with an eighth inning RBI single.
OIT rode a stellar pitching performance from Isaac Hill in Game 2, as the freshman tossed six innings of 2-hit ball, allowing just one run and striking out six.
The Owls broke a 1-1 tie with a 5-run fifth inning outburst, as Tyler Horner broke the deadlock with an RBI single, followed by a long 3-run homer from Julien Jones.
In the sixth, Southern had his second extra-base hit of the game, delivering an RBI triple, while in the seventh, Tech ended the game due to the 10-run rule following a Chase Hedani RBI single and a Lehrbach walk-off RBI single off the right field wall.
Barry was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Bradshaw was 2-for-4 and Southern finished 2-for-3 in the victory.
OIT turns their focus to the upcoming Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. The 4-team tournament is set for next Saturday-Monday at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho – with the Owls meeting British Columbia on Saturday at 1 p.m. in their first-round game.