Baker’s offense didn’t do the Bulldog pitchers any favors Monday as Baker opened the Greater Oregon League baseball season by splitting a doubleheader at La Grande.

Fortunately Baker’s ace, Trevor Bennett, doesn’t need much help.

Bennett scattered seven hits in the opening game and struck out 11 La Grande batters as Baker took a 2-1 win.

Baker (6-5 overall, 1-1 GOL) struggled even more at the plate in the nightcap as the Tigers cruised to a 10-1 win.

“We have to produce more than four hits,” Baker coach Tim Smith said.

The Bulldogs managed just four hits in each game. All were singles.

Baker’s offense was similarly anemic during a spring break trip to Arizona, when the Bulldogs amassed three runs in three games, two of those losses in which Baker didn’t plate a single run.

When the team returned from vacation Smith emphasized aggressiveness, urging his players to not watch strikes.

He was encouraged by the results, as Baker averaged 9 runs in consecutive wins over Burns, Cascade and Nyssa.

But the offensive woes have since returned.

Baker lost 1-0 at Homedale, Idaho, on April 6, wasting Bennett’s dominant outing.

And now the Bulldogs have opened GOP play by scoring just three runs in two games.

Smith said some of the problems that plagued the team in Arizona resurfaced at La Grande, in particular a failure to swing at strikes in the second game.

Without Bennett on the mound to stifle the Tigers, Smith said the Bulldogs knew that two runs probably wouldn’t be enough.

“We needed to be more aggressive at the plate in that second game, and we weren’t,” he said.

Smith said he was impressed, though, that the Bulldogs, after falling behind 10-1, held La Grande scoreless the final two innings and avoided an early end by 10-run rule.

“We bowed up our backs a little, if you want to look at a bright side,” he said.

In particular he was pleased with relief pitcher Rab Bowers, who held La Grande scoreless over the final 2.2 innings.

Smith said Baker’s path to a playoff berth won’t get smoother in the short term. The Bulldogs travel to Ontario for a doubleheader Friday, with the first pitch set for 1 p.m. PDT.

“I knew La Grande would be solid, and Ontario will be as tough or tougher,” Smith said. “We need to give our pitchers better run support.”

GAME ONE

Baker 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 2

La Grande 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 1

Bennett and Dixon. WP — Bennett.

Baker hits — Zemmer, Dixon 2, Dowdy, Bennett. Baker RBI — Zemmer, Dixon.

GAME TWO

Baker 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1

La Grande 2 1 4 3 0 0 x — 10

Zemmer, Pearce (3), Bowers (4) and Dixon. LP — Zemmer.

Baker hits — Dunn, Davis 2, Pearce. Baker RBI — Davis.