KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. –
Matthew Ortiz recorded back-to-back 4-hit games, spearheading an Oregon Tech offensive that tied an all-time school record for runs scored in the opener, as the Hustlin' Owls capped the regular-season with a doubleheader sweep of Simpson University at Steen Sports Park.
OIT (31-17) secured their third 30-win season in program history with the record-setting 25-7 victory in the opener, while completing the sweep with a 10-5 win in Game 2.
The 25 runs by Tech equaled the record established in a 2015 win at La Sierra, with OIT combining for 32 hits and 16 stolen bases in the two victories.
The Owls had four innings with 5-or-more runs in the opener – including a 5-run first inning, keyed by a 3-run home run from
Dane Bradshaw.
SU (18-22) returned the favor with a 5-run second, as Logan Gomez slugged a 2-run homer, his 12th of the season, to tie the game.
OIT trailed 7-6 in the third – but scored the final 19 runs of the contest. Ortiz keyed a 5-run third with a 2-run triple,
Bryce Petrilla lined a 2-run single in a 5-run fourth, while
Tyler Horner doubled in a run and both Matt Macias and
Justin Francis delivered pinch-hit 2-run doubles in a 9-run fifth.
Lalo Barraza tied a school record with his eighth win of the 2023 – retiring all nine batters he faced in relief. Ortiz was 4-for-4 with three RBI – finishing a homer away from the cycle. Horner, Bradshaw,
Julien Jones and
Chase Hedani each had two hits, with
Griffin Thissell scoring four runs.
Ortiz continued his onslaught in Game 2, leading off the first with a triple and scoring on an
Alonzo Vergara ground out – adding a second inning 2-run single to extend the OIT lead to 3-0.
The Redhawks tied the game in the third on a Max Lopez single, but the Owls regained the lead in the bottom of the inning – as Ortiz ripped an RBI single and Horner singled home a pair, part of a 5-run inning.
Brendan Talonen allowed just three hits in five innings for his fifth win of the season, as Ortiz finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and
Brodie Marino added two hits.
Tech will return to action next Saturday in the Cascade Conference Championships – at home vs. Lewis-Clark State if British Columbia drops a game tomorrow vs. Corban, or in Vancouver, B.C., against College of Idaho, if UBC completes a series sweep.
