BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 A5
SPORTS
BAKER BASEBALL TRAVELS TO THE OREGON COAST
Bulldogs drop 3 games on road trip
Bulldogs lose first
game to Astoria
on walkoff double
At Astoria, Game 1
Baker 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 — 3
Astoria 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 — 4
Carter, Skidgel (7) and Logs-
don. Boudreau, Fromwiller
(6) and Palmberg.
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The Baker baseball team’s
hectic weekend started with a
heartbreaker.
And it didn’t get better.
The Bulldogs were one out
away from winning the first of
their three games on the Ore-
gon Coast, leading Astoria 3-2
in the bottom of the seventh
inning of the first game of a
doubleheader against the Fish-
ermen on Friday afternoon,
April 1.
On the previous play, with
runners at first and third,
Baker second baseman Cole
Hester caught Merrick Ben-
esch’s line drive and then threw
to first baseman Kai Ogan to
force out Connelly Fromwiller
for the double play.
But the next batter, Teague
Palmberg, hit a walkoff double
to give Astoria a 4-3 win.
“We played a good game,”
Baker coach Tim Smith said. “I Baker’s Jaxon Logsdon slides into second base against Seaside on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
thought when we took the lead
we were going to be in good
shape to win that game.”
Ultimately, though, Baker
made too many mistakes — the
Bulldogs committed five errors.
“We have to execute consis-
tently better,” Smith said. “We
have to make plays when our
pitchers are struggling, and
we’re just not doing it right
now.”
Smith said the Bulldogs
hit the ball better during the
coastal trip than they did
during a spring break journey
to Arizona, where Baker was
0-3-1.
“We certainly hit well
enough to stay in games,” he
said.
But Baker has struggled on
the mound and on defense
since returning from the desert.
First game at Astoria
The contest was mainly a
pitcher’s duel between Baker’s
Silas Carter and Astoria’s Niko
Boudreau.
After Astoria scored a sin-
gle run in the first, Carter held
the Fishermen scoreless for the
next five innings. He allowed
just two hits, striking out nine
and giving up five walks.
Boudreau, meanwhile,
struck out 11 batters with only
one walk.
Baker got on the board in the
fifth when Connor Chastain
scored on an error on Ogan’s
bunt.
The Bulldogs took a 3-1 lead
with two runs in the sixth.
Jaxon Logsdon led off with a
walk, and he advanced to sec-
ond on a passed ball and then
scored on an error.
After consecutive doubles
by Logan Capon and Carter,
Chastain scored Capon, who
was at third, on a groundout.
Smith said Carter had a
At Astoria, Game 2
Baker 0 2 5 0 0 — 7
Astoria 11 0 4 0 0 — 15
Chastain, Skidgel (1) and
Logsdon. Hawkins, Giles (2),
Benesch (2) and Palmberg.
At Seaside
Baker 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 2
Seaside 1 1 2 0 3 6 — 13
Capon, Smithson (5) and
Hester. Shulte, Tamamantez
(6) and Varozza.
Robert Hilson/Contributed Photo
At Seaside
On Saturday the Bulldogs
traveled a short distance south
along Highway 101 to Seaside
for a single game against the
Seagulls.
Baker struggled on offense
but starting pitcher Capon kept
the game close, as Seaside led
just 4-2 after three innings.
But the Seagulls scored nine
runs in the final two innings to
win 13-2.
Baker had six more errors in
the game, and two more big in-
nings again proved costly.
Baker actually outhit the
Seagulls, seven to six, but Sea-
side didn’t commit any errors,
and its pitchers yielded just two
walks compared to seven for
Baker.
Skidgel was 2 for 2 with an
RBI.
Smith said the Baker coaches
had a “heart to heart” talk with
the team after the loss to Sea-
Robert Hilson/Contributed Photo side, emphasizing the need for
Robert Hilson/Contributed Photo Baker’s Cody Skidgel rips a double against Seaside on Saturday,
players to assert themselves as
Logan Capon pitches against Seaside on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
leaders and hold their team-
April 2, 2022.
mates accountable to prevent
strong outing.
batters, walks and Baker errors. ledger, Smith said the Bulldogs Hester’s walk.
one or two mistakes from turn-
But three errors in the de-
Smith said the first inning
also have shown a propensity
Baker didn’t rely solely on
ing into a big inning for the op-
cisive seventh inning proved
exemplified the Bulldogs’
for rallying after some of their free passes to score five runs in ponent.
costly as the Fishermen rallied struggles, which he considers
worst innings.
the top of the third and briefly
“Things have to change,”
from the 3-1 deficit.
mental rather than physical.
The Bulldogs certainly made trim the Astoria lead to 11-7.
Smith said. “They have the
“We get our heads down
Friday’s second game against
After Cody Skidgel reached ability, they just have to stay in
Second game at Astoria
pretty quick,” he said.
Astoria more interesting than
on an error to start the inning, it mentally.”
Astoria didn’t need any
A couple of errors or other
might have seemed likely after Capon and Carter had back-to-
Baker fell to 4-6-1 on the
last-inning heroics in the sec-
miscues tend to lead to a flurry the 11-run first inning.
back singles to load the bases. season.
ond game of the doubleheader of similar mistakes, with the
Baker got on the scoreboard Chastain drew a walk to score
The Bulldogs open Greater
Friday evening.
result being a big inning for
in the top of the second with a Skidgel.
Oregon League play by trav-
The Fishermen scored 11
the opponent. Baker gave up
pair of runs. Hayden Younger
Thomas Smithson followed eling to Milton-Freewater on
runs in the first inning, starting three or more runs in five in-
drew a bases loaded walk to
with a two-run single.
Wednesday, April 6, for a dou-
Chastain scored on a passed bleheader against Mac-Hi. First
with five straight singles. Asto- nings during its three weekend score Capon, who led off the
ria scored runs in almost every games.
inning with a walk. Carter also ball, and Younger had a sacri- pitch is set for 2 p.m.
possible way, including on hit
On the positive side of the
drew a walk, and he scored on
Spurs top Blazers to strengthen play-in hopes
BY RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Kel-
don Johnson scored 28 points
and the San Antonio Spurs
defeated the short-handed
Portland Trail Blazers 113-
92 on Sunday night, April 2,
to strengthen their bid for a
play-in berth.
Coupled with the Los An-
geles Lakers’ loss to Denver,
San Antonio’s magic number
for clinching 10th place in the
Western Conference is two
games. The Spurs (33-45) also
hold the tiebreaker over the
Lakers (31-47) with a better
conference record.
“If we don’t win, it’s differ-
ent,” Johnson said. “As long as
we just take care of business
and not really focus on any-
fice fly to make it 11-7.
The Fishermen quickly
thwarted Baker’s rally, though,
scoring four runs in the bottom
of the third.
Astoria again took advantage
of Baker errors — three of the
Bulldogs’ four miscues were in
the third.
Neither team scored in the
final two innings.
Smithson was 3 for 3 with
two RBIs. Younger also drove
in two runs.
body else, just focus on our-
selves each and every game,
we’ll be fine.”
San Antonio won a two-
game weekend series with
Portland to complete a four-
game sweep of the Trail Blaz-
ers. It was the sixth win in
seven games for the resurgent
Spurs.
Portland has lost seven
straight as it limps to the close
of the season.
The Blazers struggled to
maintain any consistency of-
fensively without Damian Lil-
lard, Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Hart,
Eric Bledsoe, Anfernee Sim-
mons and several other injured
players.
“Beating someone four
times is tough no matter who
is out there,” said Spurs for-
ward Keita Bates-Diop, who
finished with 12 points. “He
obviously got into us at half-
time to stay focused and stay to
our principles.”
Keon Johnson and Ben Mc-
Lemore had 19 points each to
lead Portland.
San Antonio’s Zach Collins
had 18 points and 13 rebounds
for his first career double-dou-
ble. Tre Jones added 18 points.
The duo started in place of in-
jured starters Dejounte Murray
and Jakob Poeltl.
Collins finished 5 for 9 from
the field while playing a sea-
son-high 31 minutes after
missing the previous two sea-
sons with ankle and shoulder
injuries.
“He did an amazing job,”
Johnson said. “I’m glad to see
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is glad to see him playing well.
He brings that toughness to
the game. We needed some-
body else to step up and he
stepped up.”
As they did Friday, the Trail
Blazers took an early lead as
the Spurs struggled to adjust
without its missing starters.
The Blazers were 6 for 10 on
3-pointers in the second quar-
ter and shot 52% overall in the
period. Portland finished 16
for 44 on 3-pointers and shot
40% overall.
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