Prep Baseball: Freshman Rudy Vasquez pitches South Umpqua/Days Creek to 3A championship
EUGENE — Freshman Rudy Vasquez was on his game and he helped guide the South Umpqua/Days Creek baseball team to a 5-1 victory over Taft in the Class 3A baseball state championship game Saturday at PK Park.
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Vasquez went the distance for the Lancers and allowed just one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts. He out-dueled Taft senior Zack Hankins, who will play for the Oregon Ducks next year and ended his career with the third-most strikeouts in state history.
“Rudy was outstanding today,” said South Umpqua/Days Creek coach Steve Stebbins. “He mixed pitches well. He filled up the zone. He did a great job. I mean, you throw a complete-game and win in a state championship game as a freshman, that’s a hell of an effort.”
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Hankins hadn’t allowed an earned run all season, but gave up four against South Umpqua/Days Creek. The Lancers had just two hits against the lefty, but took advantage of four walks and four hit batters to push across runs.
Both teams scored in the third inning, but the Lancers broke open the tie game with four runs in the fourth. A bases-loaded walk to Brock Wells put South Umpqua in front and the Lancers stretched the lead with a two-out double by Camden Black.
Taft, which had lost just once all season, got two runners on base in the seventh inning, but Vasquez finished the night with a punchout.
“I’m so happy for the kids. They’ve been scrappy all year and have improved as the season’s gone along,” Stebbins said. “They’ve just worked and believed in each other and become a real tight-knit group and it’s just been fun to watch.”
It’s the first title for the Lancers since they won it all in 2022.
