SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Matthew Ortiz doubled, tripled and drove in three in a Game 1 Oregon Tech win, but Bushnell took advantage of eight Hustlin’ Owl errors in Game 2, as the Cascade Conference rivals split a doubleheader at Hamlin Sports Complex.
OIT (29-16, 14-6 CCC) claimed a 4-2 victory in the opener, but the Beacons closed out their Senior Weekend with a 12-4 win in the nightcap to split the 4-game series. The loss drops Tech three games behind league-leading Lewis-Clark State with four games remaining in the regular-season.
Tech never trailed in Game 1, as Ortiz gave the Owls a 2-0 lead in the fourth with a 2-run double, with the junior extending the margin to 4-1 in the sixth with an RBI double and scoring on an error.
The offense was enough for a trio of OIT pitchers – as Isaac Hill grinded through five-plus innings, fanning five, to earn his second-straight win. Brian McClelland worked out of a sixth-inning bases-loaded jam and Riley Cronin got the final six outs for his second save.
Ortiz was 2-for-4 and Ka’ala Tam was 2-for-5 in the win for the Owls.
In Game 2, Ty Blakely gave the Owls a 3-1 lead in the second, roping a bases-clearing double. However, the momentum was short-lived, as the Beacons (25-20, 12-8) tied the game on a Jordan Wilson single in the bottom of the frame and broke the game open with a 7-run third – taking advantage of three errors and Wilson putting the exclamation point with a 2-run homer.
David Furman was 5-for-5 with three RBI and Wilson was 2-for-5 with three RBI for BU in the win. Tam was 2-for-5 in the loss for Tech, with Ryan Poling allowing just one earned run in five-plus innings of relief.
“For some teams, when you split on the road, it’s a success,” said OIT head coach Jacob Garsez. “For us, our expectation is to play with the discipline and attitude it takes to win. We did not do that this weekend – moments like this can be a blessing in disguise, if we choose to learn from it.”
The Owls return home next week for five games – a single game Tuesday vs. Simpson and a 4-game weekend series against Corban – part of Alumni Weekend.
