By Gerry Steele

gsteele@bakercityherald.com

Baker split a Greater Oregon League baseball doubleheader with La Grande Friday at the Baker Sports Complex.

Baker (5-3 in the GOL) won the first game 5-1 behind the three-hit pitching of Trevor Bennett.

La Grande took the second game 11-4.

“We still have our own destiny in our hands,” said Baker coach Tim Smith.

In Friday’s Game 1, Smith said Bennett was in control from the start. The Baker ace struck out nine Tigers.

Baker banged out eight hits in the game.

“We hit the ball pretty well,” Smith said.

“We finally gave Trevor some run support.”

Marcus Plumley had a solo home run for the Bulldogs. Brad Zemmer added a pair of RBIs.

In Game 2, Baker’s bats went silent. The Bulldogs managed just three hits off La Grande’s GT Blackman.

“The Blackman kid threw well,” Smith said.

“We hit the ball at people. They played well behind him and we did not play well behind our pitchers.”

Baker committed five errors in the game, and Smith said there were several other plays that could have been errors.

“Defense cost us game 2,” Smith said. “We didn’t make the plays we needed to make.”

Rab Bowers, the first of three Baker hurlers, took the loss.

Baker hosts Columbia, Idaho, in a single game today at 4 p.m.

Game 1

La Grande 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 1

Baker 0 0 0 3 2 0 x — 5

Bennett and Dixon. WP — Bennett.

Baker hits — Plumley, Dunn 2, Dixon, Zemmer, Dowdy, Yervasi 2. Baker RBI — Plummley, Dunn, Zemmer 2, Dowdy.

2B — Dunn, Yervasi. HR — Plumley.

Game 2

La Grande 2 0 0 1 3 4 1 — 11

Baker 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 — 4

Bowers, Custer (5), Zemmer (6) and Dixon. LP — Bowers.

Baker hits — Smith, Plumley, Zemmer. Baker RBI — Smith, Plumley.

2B — Zemmer.