UCC Baseball: Riverhawks sweep Big Bend to take season-opening series
The Umpqua Riverhawks beat Big Bend 7-2 and 3-2 in a nonleague doubleheader Sunday at Champion Car Wash Field to earn a series victory against the Vikings to start the 2026 season.
A pair of bunts helped the Riverhawks break Game 1 open in the eighth inning. Leading 3-2, Umpqua (3-1) scored a run on a sacrifice bunt by Jaxon Marble and plated two more on a suicide squeeze bunt by Aiden Metzker.
Metzker, a sophomore from Albany, stepped into the box with one out and runners at second and third base. As reliever Dayton Shimatsu delivered a pitch, both runners got a full head of steam, leaving Metzker with a make-or-break situation with just one thing on his mind.
“Just get this bunt down no matter where it’s pitched. Securing an RBI for my team,” Metzker said.
He laid down a perfect bunt that settled down between home and the mound. Third baseman Kason Bleckert fielded as Marble scored from third. The Vikings were unable to cover first in time to get Metzker out and in the confusion Shiloh Wilson continued his run from second and crossed home ahead of a late throw from Bleckert.
“We’ve been practicing that quite a bit,” Umpqua coach Jake Whisler said. “It was just a perfect bunt, perfect setup. Good wave by coach (Josh) Robbins there and it worked out just how we practiced it.”
Josh Jackson closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning. Ty Hellenthal earned the win in relief after allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in three innings.
Camden Hartsell was solid in the start for UCC with five scoreless frames. His counterpart, Karter Wilson, had four scoreless innings of work for Big Bend, but did not factor into the decision.
Taylor Davis had a pair of hits and two RBIs for Umpqua in the opener and added two more in the Game 2 victory.
Davis had a triple to lead off the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Porter Strother to give the Riverhawks a 1-0 lead.
Tristan Schaefer drove in a run in the third to put UCC ahead 2-0, but the Vikings rallied in the fourth inning to tie the game against Umpqua starter Beau Ramsey.
Davis again came through for the Riverhawks with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth that put UCC back in front for good. Tristan Ledbetter and Joey Garboden pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to get the win and the save, respectively.
Davis finished the day 4-for-8 with three RBIs.
Umpqua took 3-of-4 against Big Bend (1-3) after dropping the season-opener 3-2 on Saturday.
“Offensively, I really enjoyed what we did this weekend. Really applied pressure consistently and that’s kind of our identity,” Whisler said. “We had some guys really step up on the mound. Some guys that had never thrown in college baseball before doing some things that were really, really good. Just really proud of our group. A lot to work on. A lot to get better at. But good first weekend and good bounce-back sweep today.”
Up next, the Umpqua Riverhawks will visit Southwestern Oregon Community College for the start of league play on Feb. 27 in Coos Bay.
First Game
Big Bend;000;002;000;—;2;6;2
Umpqua;000;010;24X;—;7;8;0
Wilson, Garcia (5), Relkoff (7), Shimatsu (8) and Kemker, Mayencourt; Hartsell, Hellenthal (6), Jackson (9) and Robbins. W — Hellenthal (1-0). L — Garcia (0-1). 2B — Kemker (BBCC). 3B — Robbins (UCC).
Second Game
Big Bend;000;200;0;—;2;5;1
Umpqua;101;100;0;—;3;4;0
Murase, Wright (3), Di Palma (4), Roberts (5) and Mayencourt; Ramsey, Ledbetter (4), Garboden (7) and Strother. W — Ledbetter (1-0). L — Di Palma (0-1). SV — Garboden (1). 3B — Davis (UCC).
