BAKER CITY HERALD • TuEsDAY, ApRIL 26, 2022 A7
SPORTS
BAKER SOFTBALL DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST LA GRANDE
BAKER TENNIS
Errors costly for Bulldogs in losses to La Grande Bulldogs
roll past
Mac-Hi
BY IAN CRAWFORD
icrawford@bakercityherald.com
The Baker softball team
seemed poised for a major
upset against top-ranked La
Grande on Friday, April 22,
at the Baker Sports Complex.
But the Bulldogs, trailing
just 2-1 after four innings in
the first game of a double-
header, couldn’t overcome
their defensive lapses and the
Tigers, who had won seven
straight games and scored at
least 13 runs in six of those,
went on to win 8-1.
La Grande dominated the
second game, winning 22-1
in four innings.
“La Grande is a good team
— you can’t give them any
extra opportunities,” Baker
coach Sonny Gulick said.
“We were unable to do that
on Friday. We gave them ex-
tra chances and they took ad-
vantage. We had our chances
and couldn’t capitalize.”
On a sunny but windy af-
ternoon, Baker stayed with the
Tigers despite committing four
errors in the first four innings.
Kaycee Cuzick, who gave up
just three hits over seven in-
nings, striking out nine and
walking none, pitched out of
multiple jams to keep Baker
close. All eight of La Grande’s
runs were unearned.
“Cuzick was great in the
circle,” Gulick said. “She had
great control the entire game
and kept the Tigers off bal-
ance. We will continue to
work on our fielding. It has
been an issue all season.”
Gulick said Baker catcher
Kaci Anderson “did a great
job behind the plate.”
La Grande scored the first
run, in the top of the first,
taking advantage of two
Baker errors.
But Cuzick struck out two
of the next three batters to
limit the damage.
Baker reciprocated in the
bottom of the first. Brooklyn
Rayl singled with one out, ad-
vanced to second on Makayla
Rabourne’s walk and to third
on a wild pitch. Rayl scored
on Cuzick’s groundout.
Rabourne later advanced
to third but she was left
stranded.
Baker City Herald
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
Baker first baseman Te’ygan Coley stretches to get the out against La Grande on Friday, April 22, 2022.
La Grande took a 2-1 lead
in the second inning, and
again the run was unearned,
resulting from an error.
La Grande pitcher Grace
Neer was also dominant in
the circle, allowing Baker
only one baserunner from
the second through fourth
innings. Neer had 15 strike-
outs and gave up just two
hits.
The Tigers broke the game
open in the top of the fifth,
again due largely to Baker
miscues.
Joscelin Hafer led off
with a single, and the Tigers
scored two runs following
an error.
With two outs, Baker
committed two more errors
and La Grande scored twice
to push its lead to 6-1.
Baker couldn’t muster a
rally in the final three in-
nings. Kaci Anderson sin-
gled with two outs in the
sixth, but she was the Bull-
dogs’ only baserunner in that
stretch.
La Grande added two in-
surance runs in the top of the
seventh as Baker committed
four more errors.
Game two
The Tigers took control
from the start, scoring four
runs in the first inning and
five more in the second.
Baker committed 11 errors
in the second game and La
Grande took full advantage.
Baker got one run back in
the bottom of the first. Kiley
Jo Aldrich singled with one
out, and Rabourne followed
with a double. Aldrich scored
on a wild pitch.
From there the game
turned into a hard lesson for
the Bulldogs, as La Grande,
already leading 9-1, added
three runs in the third and 10
more in the fourth, including
Neer’s three-run home run.
Gulick said Rayl and Kaci
Anderson had good days at
the plate.
“We just weren’t able to get
going as a team offensively,”
he said. “Moving forward we
need to minimize our errors
in the field and our strikeouts
at the plate.”
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
Baker third baseman Brooklyn Rayl makes a play against La Grande on
Friday, April 22, 2022.
Baker’s tennis teams dom-
inated Mac-Hi on Saturday,
April 23, at the Ash Grove
courts, winning seven of
eight matches.
In boys singles, Baker’s
Danny Cunningham beat
Connor Batchelor, 6-0, 6-1,
and Caleb Hills beat Bryan
Garcia in a pro set, 8-2.
Baker’s No. 1 boys dou-
bles team of Ethan Hills and
Jayden Yencopal, avenged
a loss on April 7 at Mil-
ton-Freewater to Jose Go-
mez and Sean Molina. The
Mac-Hi duo won the earlier
match, 7-6 (11-9) and 7-5.
But on Saturday at Baker,
Hills and Yencopal won in
straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
In girls matches, Baker’s
Sarah Plummer beat Avery
Lewis, 6-1, 6-3, Isabel Cun-
ningham topped Laura Go-
mez, 6-3, 7-5, and Campbell
Vanderwiele beat Nely Ville-
gas 8-0 in a pro set.
In girls doubles, Baker’s
team of Maya Smith and Ol-
ivia Jacoby beat Brailyn Al-
exander and Kaylee Bower,
6-1, 6-1.
Baker’s doubles team of
Tristen Tritt and Daphne
Thomas lost a pro set 8-4 to
Coral Quist and Marta Do-
mine.
Baker has another busy
week, with home matches set
for Monday, April 25, against
La Grande, then a visit to La
Grande on Tuesday, April 26,
and back to the Ash Grove
courts on Wednesday, April
27, starting at 4 p.m. against
Four Rivers of Ontario, and
Thursday, April 28, against
Nyssa, also starting at 4 p.m.
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