A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • TuEsDAY, MAY 17, 2022
SPORTS
BAKER BASEBALL AT LA GRANDE
BAKER SOFTBALL AT LA GRANDE
Bulldogs drop pair to Tigers
Baker battles but
comes up short
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker’s baseball team was
about two steps away from do-
ing something no other team
had done to La Grande in a
month.
Score a run.
Which, of course, is a prereq-
uisite to pulling off something
even more important.
Winning.
Baker should have scored the
run both times, Baker coach
Tim Smith said.
But it didn’t happen either
time.
“Disappointing,” Smith said
of the Bulldogs’ failure to ex-
ecute what he said is a pretty
simple play in both the first
and second innings of the sec-
ond game of a doubleheader
loss to the Tigers on Friday,
May 13, at La Grande.
The Tigers went on to win
4-0 after beating Baker 8-0 in
the first game.
La Grande improved to 23-1
overall and completed a perfect
12-0 mark in the Greater Ore-
gon League. The Tigers, ranked
fourth in Class 4A, have won
19 straight games and, more
impressively, haven’t given up a
single run in 12 straight games,
since a 7-5 win over Pendleton/
Griswold on April 13.
“It’s crazy,” Smith said of the
Tigers’ scoreless streak. “Ridic-
ulous. You just don’t see that.”
Baker never really threat-
ened to end the streak in the
first game Friday. The Bull-
dogs had just two baserunners
as La Grande pitcher Devin
Bell threw a no-hitter, striking
out 14.
Designated hitter Cody
Skidgel, batting cleanup, would
have been the first runner.
But he took a Bell fastball to
the cheek leading off the sec-
ond inning, and Smith had
to substitute Aldo Duran as
a pinch runner. Skidgel had
a goose egg on his cheek but
didn’t sustain a concussion, and
Smith said he hopes Skidgel
will be able to play in Baker’s
playoff game later this week at
the Baker Sports Complex.
“It didn’t help to lose your
number four hitter,” Smith said.
Hudson Spike drew the
GAME ONE
Baker 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
LG
1 0 0 2 5 0 x — 8
Carter and Logsdon. Bell and
Jorgensen.
GAME TWO
Baker 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
LG
0 0 1 0 0 3 x — 4
Capon and Logsdon. Schow,
Williams (6) and Jorgensen.
Robert Hilson/Contributed Photo
Baker’s Cody Skidgel hustles out of the batter’s box on his second dou-
ble of the afternoon on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Seaside.
only walk against Bell, lead-
ing off the fourth inning, but
he was stranded on second af-
ter advancing on Jaxon Logs-
don’s sacrifice.
Smith said Baker struggled
to adjust to Bell’s velocity. He
didn’t pitch against Baker in
La Grande’s 10-0, 16-0 dou-
bleheader sweep at Baker on
April 20.
The second game on Friday
was different — or at least it
could have been, Smith said.
Hayden Younger led off with
a single against La Grande’s
Jace Schow, who allowed only
one hit against the Bulldogs on
April 20.
Younger was thrown out try-
ing to steal second when Spike
struck out, and La Grande had
two outs.
But Logsdon and Logan
Capon followed with singles,
Logsdon advancing to third
on Capon’s hit, and Baker had
runners at the corners with
two outs.
That prompted Smith to call
for a play that he said Baker
has practiced.
Here’s how it’s supposed to
happen: The runner at first
races for second, with a goal
of drawing a throw from the
catcher and getting caught in a
rundown. As soon as the catch-
er’s throw passes the pitcher’s
mound, the runner at third
is supposed to sprint toward
home plate. So long as the run-
ner from third touches the
plate before the other runner is
tagged out, the run counts.
But Smith said Logsdon
broke for home a tad too late,
and Capon was tagged out just
before Logsdon’s foot touched
the plate, negating the run.
“We should have scored eas-
ily,” Smith said.
His frustration level rose
when the exact same scenario
played out in the very next in-
ning.
With two outs in the top of
the second, Silas Carter and
Connor Chastain drew consec-
utive walks. Carter stole second
and third to set up the same sit-
uation, with Baker runners at
the corners.
This time, Carter touched
home just after Chastain was
tagged out in the rundown.
Either of those two runs,
besides ending La Grande’s
month-long scoreless streak,
might have put pressure on the
Tigers, Smith said.
La Grande led just 1-0 after
five innings, before breaking
the game open with three runs
in the bottom of the sixth. Cole
Jorgensen led off with a dou-
ble, and a hit batter and walk
loaded the bases. La Grande
scored runs on a walk, error
and sacrifice fly.
Logsdon and Kai Ogan
both drew walks in the top
of the seventh, but both were
stranded as the game ended.
Despite the two losses, Smith
said he was generally satisfied
with Baker’s performance.
“I was happy with our day,”
he said. “We certainly have
momentum, I feel like, even
though we lost twice.”
Smith said Baker’s pitching
and defense were stellar, with
Carter throwing a complete
game in the first game, and
Capon doing the same in the
second game. Carter allowed
six hits, and Capon three.
Baker committed only one er-
ror in the first game, and three
in the second.
La Grande’s four runs in the
second game was the Tigers’
fewest since its only loss, 5-2 to
Dakota Ridge of Colorado on
March 23 in Arizona.
“Our pitching is spot on
right now,” Smith said. “And
we played better defensively
(compared with the April
20 doubleheader against La
Grande, when Baker commit-
ted seven errors).”
Baker, which completed its
regular season with a 14-11
record, and 8-4 in the Greater
Oregon League, likely will play
host to either Estacada or El-
mira. That game will most
likely be on Saturday, May 21,
Smith said. However, there is a
possibility that the game could
be Thursday, May 19, or Friday,
May 20.
The opponent, and game
time, will be decided Tuesday
night, May 17.
“Hopefully we can come out
and hit the ball,” Smith said.
“Offensively we’ve still got work
to do.”
BY IAN CRAWFORD
icrawford@bakercityherald.com
The Baker softball team
played excellent defense be-
hind pitcher Kaycee Cuzick
against league-leading La
Grande, but the Bulldogs
struggled on offense in a 2-0
loss in the first game of a
doubleheader Friday, May 13,
at La Grande.
The dam burst in the sec-
ond game as the Tigers, who
finished 11-1 in Greater Or-
egon League play and are
ranked second in the state,
scored 13 runs in the first in-
ning and went on to win 18-0
in three innings.
Baker, which dropped to
8-13 on the season and 2-10
in the GOL, could poten-
tially qualify for the Class 4A
playoffs. Coach Sonny Gu-
lick said he would learn the
Bulldogs’ fate Tuesday night,
May 17.
After losing to La Grande
8-1 and 22-1 in a double-
header on April 22 at the
Baker Sports Complex, the
Bulldogs were much more
competitive in the first game
at La Grande.
“Game one was a pitchers’
duel,” Gulick said. “Kaycee
had them off balance all day.
Defense was outstanding.
Our infield played almost
flawless and kept us in the
game behind Cuzick’s and
(Kaci) Anderson’s stellar
performance.”
Baker committed only
one error in a game that was
scoreless until La Grande’s
Carlee Strand led off the
fourth inning with a solo
home run.
La Grande pitcher Grace
Neer was dominant, getting
18 of the 21 outs on strike-
outs and allowing just two
hits, to Kaci Anderson and
Alexis Rupel.
Neer struck out the first 10
batters.
Cuzick was Baker’s first
baserunner, drawing a walk
— the only one Neer allowed
— with two outs in the top
of the fourth. Kaci Anderson
followed with a single that
GAME ONE
Baker 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
LG
0 0 0 1 1 0 x — 2
Cuzick and K. Anderson.
Neer and Anderson.
GAME TWO
Baker
0 0 0 — 0
La Grande 13 5 x — 18
Cuzick, Coley (1) and K. An-
derson. Strand and Ander-
son, Meyer (3).
advanced courtesy runner
Oakley Anderson to third.
But Neer ended the threat
with a strikeout.
Baker had another scor-
ing chance in the fifth in-
ning when Rupel singled
with one out, and Emrie Os-
born was hit by a pitch with
two outs, giving Baker two
baserunners. But another
Neer strikeout closed out
the inning.
Kaci Anderson also
reached base when she was
hit by a pitch with two outs
in the sixth, but Neer again
finished the inning with a
strikeout. She then struck out
the side in the seventh to end
the game.
The second game scarcely
resembled the first.
Baker committed multi-
ple errors early — and nine
in just two innings — and
La Grande batters took ad-
vantage.
“The hitters made adjust-
ments and figured Kaycee
out,” Gulick said. “That’s
what happens when batters
get enough opportunities to
see pitches. Defensive mis-
cues hindered our ability to
get out of the first inning.”
Brooklyn Rayl and Osborn
each had a hit for Baker.
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