UCC baseball starts league play with a split at Chemeketa
SALEM — The Umpqua Community College baseball team didn’t let a slow start derail their first league doubleheader of the season on Thursday at Chemeketa Community College.
The Riverhawks struggled to get going offensively in a 6-1 loss to begin the South Region twin bill, but rallied to win 5-1 in the nightcap for their first league victory. The games were the first away from home for Umpqua (4-4, 1-1 South Region).
Tristan Schaefer led off Game 1 with a single and later scored on a base hit by Jeremiah Robbins to give Umpqua a 1-0 lead. Schaefer was 2-for-5 in the game, but the Riverhawks struggled to muster much more offensively the rest of the contest.
Chemeketa (5-3, 1-1) took a 2-1 advantage in the second inning on a two-run home run by Joey Genduso. The Storm added a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
UCC starting pitcher Logan Robinson allowed four runs on five hits in his first loss of the season. He struck out five and didn’t allow a walk, but beaned three batters.
The ‘Hawks struck first again in Game 2 with a sacrifice fly by John Porter Strother that scored Ryland Heckman in the second inning.
Chemeketa quickly evened the score on a passed ball in the home half of the second inning.
Umpqua’s pitchers Sam Coffman and Jordan Lennartson settled in from there and allowed only three hits over the final five innings and stranded six Chemeketa runners on base.
Coffman got his first win of the year, tossing five innings and allowing one run on three hits. Lennartson pitched the final two innings to pick up his first save.
Payton Smith, who missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury, drove in a pair of runs in the nightcap. Aidan O’Malley and Zane Bidwell also had an RBI in the win.
First Game
Umpqua;100;000;000;—;1;4;2
Chemeketa;020;002;20X;—;6;6;2
L. Robinson, Victoravich (7) and Robbins; Brenneman, Yost (7) and Hooper. W — Brenneman (1-0). L — L. Robinson (0-1). 2B — Cervantes (C). HR — Genduso (C).
Second Game
Umpqua;010;001;3;—;5;7;0
Chemeketa;010;000;0;—;1;4;2
Coffman, Lennartson (6) and Strother; Bolstad, Klee (5) and Dunn. W — Coffman (1-0). L — Klee (0-1). SV — Lennartson (1). 2B — Heckman (U), Bidwell (U). 3B — Kreisberg (C).
