KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. –
Matthew Ortiz lined a walk-off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning complete an 8-run comeback in Game 1 by Oregon Tech, as the Hustlin' Owls completed a doubleheader sweep of Western Oregon at Steen Sports Park.
OIT (7-7) rallied from 8-0 and 12-4 deficits to stun Western in the opener, 13-12, before
Bronson Chapple tossed six innings of 4-hit ball in a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
Tech scored six times in the final two innings to pull off the victory in Game 1 – pounding out a season-high 16 hits – while taking advantage of five walks and five hit-by-pitches in the Game 2 win.
The Wolves (3-7) dominated the first five innings of the opener – as A.J. Cortese doubled home a pair in the first and Zach Valdez cleared the bases with a fifth inning 3-run double, giving the Division II school the 8-0 lead.
The Owls cut the margin in half in the bottom of the fifth, as
Tyler Horner and
Alonzo Vergara each hit 2-run homers. Valdez answered in the sixth, lining a 2-run double to help the visitors regain a 12-4 lead.
OIT never quit – as in the sixth, an RBI double from
Korrey Siracusa, an RBI triple from Ortiz and a Horner RBI single cut the deficit to 12-7. In the eighth,
Julien Jones blasted a grand slam over the center field wall to get Tech within a run.
In the ninth,
Patrick Barry delivered a seeing-eye RBI single with one out to tie the score, with Ortiz picking up Barry from third with a line drive over the head of a drawn in outfield.
Riley Cronin pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second win, with
Brian McClelland tossing two-plus innings of shutout ball to keep Tech in the game. Ortiz, Jones and Barry were 3-for-5 for the Owls, with Siracusa, Horner and Vergara each logging two hits.
Game 2 belonged to Chapple, as the right-hander worked around four singles and a walk, striking out six. Western had just two runners in scoring position against the junior – as John Oleson lined an RBI single in the fourth.
OIT scored single runs in each of the first five innings – as Vergara lined a first inning RBI single, Siracusa plated a run with a second inning ground out,
Kyle Norton lifted a sacrifice fly in the third, Jones walked with the bases loaded in the fourth, with Barry capping the scoring with a fifth inning RBI single.
Six different Tech players had one hit in the victory - as the wins for the Owls were the first against WOU since 2002.
The two clubs close out the weekend series tomorrow with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
