UCC’s 12-2 win stuns Linn-Benton, Roadrunners rally to win South Region title

The Umpqua Riverhawks hosted the Linn-Benton Roadrunners for a NWAC South Region doubleheader on Thursday at Bill Gray Legion Stadium at Champion Car Wash Field and the day featured something unbelievable and something almost inevitable.

Umpqua stunned Linn-Benton with an improbable 12-run seventh inning in Game 1 to run away with a 12-2 run-rule victory, but the Roadrunners bounced back to win the nightcap 3-1 and clinch the program’s seventh consecutive league title.

Linn-Benton (28-10-1, 24-10 South Region) earned an automatic berth into the conference championship tournament as the South Region champs. Umpqua (24-20, 21-13) could still finish anywhere from second to fourth in the league standings, leaving its postseason fate up to its final doubleheader of the regular season on Saturday against LBCC.

The Roadrunners built a 2-0 lead in the opener with runs in the fourth and fifth innings off of UCC starter Sam Coffman. Eli Rolfe got the scoring started with a two-out single in the fourth. Andrew Demianew plated a run in the fifth on a two-out double.

LBCC starter Connor Mendez was rolling through the Riverhawks for nearly seven innings. The sophomore allowed just two hits through the sixth, striking out five and pitching around four walks. Mendez recorded the first two outs of the seventh before giving up a single to Carson Dunn and getting relieved by Seth Dreeszen.

The game went off the rails from that point. Dreeszen faced only two batters and threw only eight pitches, none of which found the strike zone. He was pulled with the bases loaded and Easton Corey took over.

Down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 7th, @Umpqua_Baseball erupts for 12 runs to stun Linn-Benton in a 12-2 run-rule victory! Watch @BidwellZane seal it with a walk-off, 3-run double. @joeykeeran on the call.@uccriverhawks pic.twitter.com/pDxMjHO3BD

— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) May 8, 2025

Corey was just as ineffective as Dreeszen, walking the next three batters to bring in three runs and give Umpqua a 3-2 advantage.

Wyatt Connally took over and walked the next two hitters to score two more runs and extend UCC’s lead to 5-2. An error allowed the inning to continue and Zane Bidwell capped off the scoring with a bases-clearing double that stretched the lead to 10 runs and ended the scheduled nine-inning contest early.

All told, the LBCC pitching staff issued nine walks in the seventh inning along with three hits and one error. UCC sent 15 hitters to the plate.

The wild finish gave Umpqua a four-game winning streak and kept its hopes of winning the South Region title alive, but Linn-Benton dug deep to finish the day on a high-note.

The Roadrunners snapped a five-game losing streak behind a solid outing from starting pitcher Jake Von Lubken. The sophomore went the distance allowing just one run on four hits over nine innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. He recorded all of his strikeouts in the final four innings, gaining momentum as the game went on.

Linn-Benton took a 3-1 lead on back-to-back two-out singles by Demianew and Bryan Starr in the seventh inning against Umpqua relief pitcher Tristan Ledbetter.

Umpqua and Linn-Benton finish out the regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Dick McLain Field in Albany.

First Game

Linn-Benton;000;110;0;—;2;5;1

Umpqua;000;000;(12);—;12;5;0

Mendez, Dreeszen (7), Corey (7), Connally (7) and Logan; Coffman, H. Robinson (7) and Robbins. W — H. Robinson (5-2). L — Dreeszen (1-2). 2B — Demianew (LBCC), Bidwell (UCC).

Second Game

Linn-Benton;000;001;200;—;3;8;1

Umpqua;000;100;000;—;1;4;2

Von Lubken and Hazen; Lennartson, Ledbetter (7), Harrison (8) and Robbins. W — Von Lubken (4-2). L — Ledbetter (2-1). 2B — Dodge (LBCC).