6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
BAKER BASEBALL OPENS GREATER OREGON LEAGUE PLAY AT HOME
BAKER TENNIS
Bulldog pitchers stifle Ontario
■ Baker hurlers Andrew Zellars, Cody Skidgel and Zander Arriaga combine to allow just 2 runs
By Corey Kirk
Bulldogs
fall at
Ontario
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
By Corey Kirk
Baker opened its Greater
Oregon League baseball
schedule with a 12-0, 9-2
doubleheader sweep of On-
tario Saturday, April 17 at the
Sports Complex.
A trio of Baker pitchers —
starters Andrew Zellars and
Cody Skidgel, and reliever
Zander Arriaga — combined
to limit the Tigers during the
twinbill as Baker improved its
overall record to 3-0.
Zellars allowed only one hit
and no runs in the opener.
Skidgel scattered seven hits
in the second game.
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
First game
The Bulldogs took a 3-0
lead after one inning and
never looked back.
Baker took advantage
of multiple Ontario walks,
something coach Tim Smith
emphasizes.
“We want to be disciplined
when we get free bases, we
want to run, execute hit and
runs and do that kind of
stuff,” Smith said. “It al-
lowed us to do that a little
more frequently in that fi rst
game. Their starter had some
trouble and I thought we took
advantage of that.”
Zellars, who tossed three in-
nings in Baker’s 14-10 season-
opening win at Grant Union
on April 14, had no such
problems in his 4.1 innings of
work against Ontario.
Zellars, a senior, struck out
eight.
“I’m very fastball domi-
nant,” Zellars said. “I know
that if I start off with my
fastball, and be able to locate
it well and be able to keep
people off balance with that,
and come in and bring in the
off-speed, being really good
changing up speeds, that’s
really all I focused on.”
Smith was impressed with
Zellars.
“You can see it as the
game went on, he had a lot of
confi dence,” Smith said. “He’s
a solid pitcher when he’s on
his game.”
After a scoreless second
inning, Baker exploded for
seven runs in the bottom of
the third to boost its lead to
10-0.
Again the Bulldogs ben-
efi ted from multiple walks
— Ontario pitchers had 13 in
the game.
Zellars said the big lead
gave him confi dence on the
mound.
“In terms of getting me
some insurance runs it was
awesome, big pressure comes
off your shoulders when you
see the numbers start to rise
and trying to keep a level
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Andrew Zellars allowed only one hit in 4.1 innings
against Ontario on Saturday, April 17.
Cody Skidgel scattered seven hits over 5.1 innings and
earned the win against Ontario in the second half of a
doubleheader on Saturday, April 17 at the Baker Sports
Complex. Skidgel also drove in a run.
ues this afternoon when the
sixth, when Arriaga relieved fi ve more in the sixth.
Bulldogs play host rival La
him with one out.
Connor Chastain went
Grande for a doubleheader,
“He (Skidgel) has really
2-for-3 with two RBIs, and
with the fi rst pitch set for 3
come around with his me-
Van Arsdall, Zellars, Wright
o’clock.
chanics so he can rely on that, and Skidgel each drove in a
Today’s games are the fi rst
knowing he can just throw
run.
the baseball,” Smith said.
Skidgel said the extra runs of the season for La Grande.
“It’s always the World
“I was kind of relaxed, don’t were welcome.
Series when you play La
want to get too wild and stuff
“It helps a lot, makes you
and keep my head clear,”
feel good about yourself, and Grande,” Smith said. “This
Skidgel said.
keeps your head up,” Skidgel momentum will carry us in,
we will have confi dence go-
Zellars said he was im-
said.
ing into La Grande.”
pressed with Skidgel’s ability
Arriaga struck out three
Zellars is excited about
to shrug off the home run,
in his 1.2 innings. In his two
saying his teammate took to relief stints he struck out fi ve the hot start the team has
had on the diamond, but he
heart what assistant coach
in two innings.
Al McCauley preaches in
Smith said he was pleased wants to remain grounded
with tougher opponents,
practice: that home runs are with Baker’s performance
including La Grande, slated
just accidents.
during its fi rst games at the
“It’s very big for him to
Sports Complex in almost two in the coming weeks.
“It’s really important for
keep a level head,” Zellars
years.
Second game
us to think we are going in
said of Skidgel. “It’s really
“This is a great start for
Skidgel was dominant
0-0, it’s a brand new ball
about wiping it off, having a
us, I’m happy for them, they
through three innings, but
game, and just go out there
short-term memory and then played great,” Smith said.
unlike in the opener, Ontario’s just going back to war.”
and hit the ball well, do well
Playing host to La Grande on defense and have a good
starter, Nick Esplin, was also
Baker extended its lead
Baker’s homestand contin- time,” Zellars said.
solid, keeping Baker off the
with a run in the fi fth and
scoreboard.
“I knew that he (Esplin)
was their ace, I was kind of
surprised he didn’t throw
game one,” Smith said.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead
with a pair of runs in the top
of the fourth — their only
runs of the day.
Esplin did the damage, tak-
ing a Skidgel pitch over the
wall in right-center.
“We missed a spot, and
he (Esplin) turned on it and
drove it well,” Smith said.
But Baker responded im-
mediately with three runs in
the bottom of the fourth.
Skidgel then settled in,
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
shutting out the Tigers in the
fi fth and continuing into the Cody Skidgel slides safely during Baker’s sweep of Ontario on Saturday, April 17.
head and don’t do too much,”
Zellars said.
Baker plated two more
runs in the fourth.
Arriaga replaced Zellars
in the fi fth inning and shut
out the Tigers, and the game
ended by 10-run mercy rule
after fi ve innings.
Although Ontario pitchers
gave Baker all those walks,
the Bulldogs took advantage
at the plate.
Arriaga went 2-for-3 with
two RBIs, and leadoff hitter
Hayden Younger also drove in
two runs on a double.
Mason Van Arsdall, Jake
Wright, Hudson Spike and
Silas Carter each had a hit.
The Baker girls
tennis doubles team of
junior Phoebe Wise and
sophomore Riley Shaw
had the Bulldogs’ lone
girls win in a match at
Ontario on Friday, April
16.
Wise and Shaw, who
played two matches,
defeated one of their op-
ponents in straight sets,
6-3, 7-5.
On the boys side of
the match, Baker sopho-
more Anthony Christo-
pher won one of his two
matches, 6-0, 6-3.
Two Baker boys
doubles teams also won.
Freshmen Noah Lien
and Weston Downing
won their pro set, 8-2,
and sophomore Davis
Macias and freshman
Karsten Cikanek pre-
vailed in straight sets,
6-0, 6-2.
“As a whole the kids
have improved since day
one, they’re really recep-
tive and they are really
a respectful group of
kids,” Baker coach Amy
Younger said.
Baker played host to
La Grande on Monday,
April 19, and the Bull-
dogs travel to Vale on
Wednesday.
Other results from
Friday’s match at On-
tario.
GIRLS SINGLES
• Sarah Plummer lost,
6-0, 6-1
GIRLS DOUBLES
• Phoebe Wise/Riley
Shaw lost, 6-3, 7-5
BOYS SINGLES
• Noah Lien lost, 6-0, 6-0
• Anthony Christopher
lost, 6-2, 6-2
• Karsten Cikanek lost,
6-1, 6-2
• Austin Hays lost, 6-4,
3-6, 7-5 (7-3)
BOYS DOUBLES
• Davis Macias/Austin
Hays lost, 6-0, 6-0
• Weston Downing/Noah
Lien lost, 8-2
• Anthony Christopher/
Karsten Cikanek lost, 8-2
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Blazers, without Lillard, lose to Charlotte Hornets
points and eight rebounds af-
ter missing three games with
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
an ankle injury, and Miles
Terry Rozier told coach
Bridges added 19 points,
James Borrego before Sunday including two highlight-reel
night’s game that the Char-
dunks, for the Hornets (28-
lotte Hornets needed a win
28).
over Portland, and that he
Rozier knew the Hornets
was available to play extra
needed a win as they fi ght
minutes, if needed.
to earn a top-six seed in the
Rozier broke loose with 34 playoffs and avoid a play-in
points, 10 assists and eight
game situation.
rebounds in 39 minutes, and
“This was huge after losing
the Hornets rode a strong
the last four,” Rozier said.
fi rst quarter to a 109-101
Rozier, Washington and
win over the Trail Blazers,
Bridges were a combined 15
snapping a four-game losing of 31 from 3-point range as
streak and moving to .500.
Charlotte snapped a seven-
“He was great tonight,”
game losing streak against
Borrego said. “He came out
Portland.
and set the tone and was
Carmelo Anthony had six
making shots. It has to be one 3-pointers and 24 points for
of his fi nest performances as the Trail Blazers (32-24), who
a Hornet.”
played without star Damian
P.J. Washington had 23
Lillard for the second straight
By Steve Reed
AP Sports Writer
game due to a hamstring
injury. CJ McCollum scored
22 points.
The Hornets charged to
an early lead, building a 43-
18 lead in the fi rst quarter
behind 17 points on 7-of-8
shooting from Rozier. Rozier,
despite the focus of the Blaz-
ers defense, also had six as-
sists in the quarter, meaning
he either scored or assisted
on 31 of Charlotte’s 44 fi rst
quarter points.
As a team, Charlotte shot
77.3% in the opening quarter
with Rozier and Bridges
combining to go 6 of 6 from
3-point range.
“Those guys came out
fi ring,” Anthony said of the
Hornets. “They were locked
in. They are a scary team.
They played freely and play
spaced out. They play with a
lot of confi dence. They play
fast paced and you have to
match that pace or contain
that pace.”
“Their transitions kind
of really set the tone for the
quarter and their 3-point
shooting set the tone the rest
of the way,” Trail Blazers
coach Terry Stotts said.
Rozier is having to play
more point guard with
LaMelo Ball and Devonte
Graham out with injuries —
and he likes it.
“It’s unpredictable when
I’m on the ball as opposed
to when I’m off the ball and
teams can focus on me more,”
Rozier said.
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