By Jayson Jacoby

jjacoby@bakercityherald.com

The offensive famine that had plagued Baker’s baseball team recently turned into a feast of hits Friday at Ontario.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs they shared the bounty with the host Tigers.

The result of all the gluttony was the teams splitting a Greater Oregon League doubleheader that featured 50 runs.

Ontario won the opener 10-7. Baker exploded in the nightcap, winning 21-12.

“They’re a tough team to beat,” Baker coach Tim Smith said of Ontario. “I was really impressed with their approach at the plate.”

Not that he was unimpressed with his own players’ prowess with their bats.

Although Baker (7-6 overall, 2-2 GOL) lost the first game, the Bulldogs amassed nine hits, which is one more than they could manage in both games of a doubleheader split April 11 at La Grande.

“We got back to what I want us to be doing,” Smith said. “We swung the bats. We didn’t watch a lot of strikes go by.”

Neither did Ontario.

The Tigers, in fact, did more damage to Baker ace Trevor Bennett’s ERA than the rest of his opponents have done combined this season.

Ontario had eight hits in scoring 10 runs.

The loss was frustrating in part, Smith said, because Baker, which has scored two runs or fewer during most of Bennett’s starts, actually staked him to a 4-1 lead after the second inning.

“The first time we gave him run support he gave up more runs than he had all year combined,” Smith said.

Bennett still struck out nine Ontario batters and allowed just two walks.

“They earned their runs,” Smith said.

The score was tied at 5 after three innings. Ontario took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 9-5.

Smith said Baker had multiple chances to cut into the Tigers’ lead, including loading the bases twice.

Both times an Ontario outfielder made a diving catch, each of which probably prevented at least two runs, Smith said.

“I told the guys after the game, that’s just how the baseball falls,” he said. “We had three balls hit that, if they fall, it’s probably a different game. That’s the difference in a close ballgame.”

Baker also had two baserunners in the seventh but scored only one run.

The second game was Baker’s most dominating offensive performance of the year.

The Bulldogs collected 21 hits and scored in every inning.

Smith said he was particularly pleased that his players refused to pout after the disappointing loss in the first game.

“We really responded,” he said. “A half hour after the first game we’re right back up there scoring five runs in the top of the first. I was very, very happy with that.”

Baker followed its fast start with four more runs in the second to take a 9-0 lead.

Ontario didn’t go down meekly — the Tigers scored at least one run in every inning except the first — but Baker never gave the Tigers much of an opening.

Bryson Smith, Devon Davis and TJ Dunn had three hits each.

Seth Dixon drove in four runs and Bennett three.

GAME ONE

Baker 0 4 1 0 1 0 1 — 7

Ontario 1 4 0 4 0 1 x — 10

Bennett and Dixon. LP — Plumbtree.

Baker hits — Smith, Zemmer, Dixon 2, Dunn 2, Bowers, Bennett 3, Custer.

2B — Dixon 2, Custer. RBI — Smith, Zemmer 2, Bennett 2, Custer

GAME TWO

Baker 5 4 3 2 1 1 5 — 21

Ontario 0 1 2 3 1 1 4 — 12

Bowers, Pearce (4), Dunn (7) and Dixon. WP — Bowers.

Baker hits — Smith 3, Davis 3, Zemmer 2, Dixon, Dunn 3, Bowers, Plumley 2, Bennett 2, Custer 2, Pearce 2.

2B — Smith, Zemmer, Plumley, Bennett. RBI — Smith, Davis, 2, Zemmer 2, Dixon 4, Dunn, Bowers 2, Bennett 3, Custer, Pearce