McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Linfield baseball team wrapped up the weekend with a series win over Eastern Oregon, completing a 16-3 seven-inning rout of the Mountaineers in the rubber match Sunday afternoon at Roy Helser Field.
A four-run first inning was all the Wildcats needed to win the game. Junior third baseman
Jackson Horner had another big day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with three runs scored and five RBI. He stepped up to the plate in the first inning with the bases loaded and drilled a bases-clearing double to left-center field to put the 'Cats on the board. Horner advanced to third on a
Branden Pasion infield single and then came around to score on an error by the Eastern Oregon shortstop.
The 'Cats tacked on three more runs in the third. Pasion brought in junior designated hitter
Cameron Skinner with a sacrifice fly to center. Senior catcher
Wyatt Smith then picked up his first hit of the season, a two-RBI single to left to cash in Horner and sophomore left fielder
Bodey Smith.
The Mountaineers kept pace in the fourth with a three-run inning of their own. They got on the board with a Carsten Manderbach RBI double to left and an Ethan Snodgrass two-run double to left center.
Linfield punched back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a Horner sac fly to right and a Pasion RBI fielder's choice. The 'Cats blew the game wide open with six more runs in the fifth. Skinner reached on a throwing error that scored two more runs.
Bodey Smith and Horner then ripped back-to-back RBI singles to put the 'Cats up by 10. A
Jacob Campos sac fly and a
Daniel Kahn RBI single put the cherry on top a disastrous inning for the visiting Mountaineers.
Sophomore second baseman
Mike LaVigne singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and scored the 16
th and final Linfield run later in the inning on a wild pitch.
LaVigne went 3 for 3 with a walk while scoring four times. Skinner finished 3 for 4 with four runs and an RBI while
Bodey Smith went 2 for 3 with two walks, three runs and an RBI.
Wyatt Smith also finished with a pair of hits.
Snodgrass led Eastern Oregon offensively, finishing 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI. Manderbach went 1 for 1 with a walk, a run and his RBI double.
It was a bullpen game for both pitching staffs as no player threw more than 2.1 innings. Freshman
Nick Alder earned the win in his first collegiate start. He tossed 1.2 innings, allowing no runs and no hits while walking two and striking out one. Fellow freshman
Spencer Burgess threw 1.1 scoreless innings while senior
Skyler Manelski closed the game by picking up the final two outs.
Eastern Oregon starter Davis Brown took the loss, going 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts. All four Mountaineer pitchers allowed at least two earned runs.
NEXT
Linfield improved to 2-1 to claim its first series win since the 2020 season. The 'Cats will hit the road next week, playing three games against Pomona-Pitzer on Feb. 11-13 in Claremont, California. They will open Northwest Conference play at home, hosting Puget Sound on Feb. 19-20 at Roy Helser Field.
