LA GRANDE — The Baker/Powder Valley baseball team opened the Greater Oregon League season in nerve-wracking fashion, as the Bulldogs split a doubleheader at La Grande on Wednesday, April 9, with both games decided by a single run.

La Grande won the opener 3-2 on Carter Seaquist’s walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Landon Hood, who opened the inning with single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.

The loss ended Baker’s four-game winning streak.

Baker led from the start in the nightcap, scoring all six of its runs in the first three innings. But the Bulldogs had to hold off a La Grande rally in the bottom of the seventh as the Tigers scored four runs to get within 6-5.

Logan Crawford, the second pitcher to relieve starter Jake McClaughry, who struck out nine and allowed only one run in six innings, got the final out on Jordan Tucker’s lineout to shortstop Jaxon Logsdon. Crawford threw only one pitch in earning the save.

“It was a great play by (Logsdon),” Baker coach Tim Smith said. “I thought it was going to be a single. I couldn’t believe he got to the ball.”

Baker is 6-4 overall, 1-1 in league play.

La Grande is 4-6, 1-1.

“I think we’re always happy with a split on the road, but it’s kind of frustrating when we had a sweep in our grasp,” Smith said, referring to the first game when the Bulldogs had multiple chances for RBIs.

“We just didn’t get that timely hit we needed,” he said.

Baker played “outstanding” defense, Smith said, with only one error in the first game and none in the second.

And the error was on a play when a baserunner might have interfered with the Baker fielder, Smith said.

“It was the only time we bobbled the ball all day,” he said. “Our pitching was outstanding. Those two phases, defense and pitching, we won the day hands down.”

Offensively, Baker was “hot and cold,” Smith said.

He was pleased with the Bulldogs’ response to the disappointing loss in the first game, with six runs in three innings in the second game.

But after that, he said, batters became a bit “complacent,” and weren’t as aggressive.

“We need to learn from that,” Smith said.

First game

Logsdon started on the mound and went five innings, allowing five hits and two runs.

Baker had seven hits but stranded several runners. The Bulldogs had just two RBIs, from Logsdon and Zane Morgan.

Talon Gyllenberg was 3 for 4.

La Grande pitcher Bryce Pennington went 6.2 innings, striking out five.

Baker scored both of its runs in the fourth inning.

Sage Joseph led off with a double and scored on Logsdon’s triple. Morgan then singled to drive in Logsdon and give Baker a 2-0 lead.

La Grande tied the score with two runs in the fifth, both with two outs.

Baker had baserunners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings but couldn’t get a key hit.

Second game

The Bulldogs took better advantage of scoring opportunities in the first three innings, as Aldo Duran was 2 for 2 with a double and two RBIs. Logsdon and Joseph also drove in a run.

Joseph led off the game with a walk and later scored on a passed ball.

In the second, Clay Stevens led off with a walk, Crawford was hit by a pitch, and Duran doubled to score Stevens. Logsdon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring Crawford home and give Baker a 3-0 lead.

With one out in the third, Stevens singled. Ethan Fletcher and Crawford drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Duran singled to score Stevens, and Joseph drove in a run with a single. Duran then scored on a passed ball and Baker led 6-0.

La Grande scored one run in the fourth.

The Tigers’ seventh-inning rally started with Pennington’s leadoff double. Hood singled and Pennington advanced to third. After an out, Darek McIlmoil singled to score a run, but a runner was out at second for the second out.

Hood stole home, and Marshall Begin tripled to drive in a run. Sovann Chab’s bunt single drove in another run to cut Baker’s lead to 6-5 before Crawford got the final out on Logsdon’s stellar play at shortstop.

Up next

Baker returns to the Sports Complex Friday, April 11, to play host to Weiser, Idaho, in a nonleague game at 3 p.m. It’s the start of an eight-game homestand.

The Bulldogs resume GOL play against Pendleton on April 18, a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.

“It’s always nice to play in front of the home fans,” Smith said.

He pointed out, though, that the Bulldogs finish the season with five of their last six regular season games on the road.