This week in LBCC Baseball

A minor setback was motivation for the LBCC baseball team this past week.

The Roadrunners hosted a pair of games on Thursday, April 18, at Dick McClain Field against Clackamas Community College before hitting the road for a doubleheader against the Cougars on Saturday, April 20. 

The two teams split games in the first half of the series in Albany, with Linn-Benton taking the first one 7-6 and Clackamas winning the second outing 2-1. 

In game one, LBCC Sophomore Cameron Ordway hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th to give the Roadrunners the victory in a back-and-forth affair. 

"I had a chance earlier a couple of innings ago," said Ordway, "and I knew I needed to do it for our team."

Linn-Benton had rallied back twice during the game after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning and 6-4 in the seventh. 

The day's second game saw the visitors come away with a hard-fought win in a closely contested matchup. 

Clackamas's Chase Keller doubled to right in the top of the eighth to bring in what would end up being the winning run. 

The loss ended the Roadrunner's impressive win streak of 19 games that had lasted for over a month. 

"Baseball takes a lot of weird bounces," said head coach Andy Peterson, "but to me, it seemed like they wanted it a little more than us today." 

The loss came as a shock, with the previous matchups between the two schools having been decisive 10-0 and 7-0 wins for Linn-Benton. 

However, the team quickly set their sights on the next meeting with Clackamas two days later on Saturday. 

"It's the best thing about playing so many games," said Peterson, "one day off to get our minds right and right back to it."

During the weekend in Clackamas, Linn-Benton responded by taking both games on the road. 

The Roadrunners came out swinging in game one, winning by a score of 13-0. The team recorded 11 hits through seven innings, with three coming off the bat of Aidan Dougherty. 

On the mound, pitcher Ethan Kleinschmit threw five strikeouts while only giving up two hits through five innings. 

The second game proved to be a much closer battle, with Linn-Benton winning 4-2. In the top of the eighth, with the game tied at 2-2, hits from Kace Naone and Kolten Lindstrom would bring in the deciding runs. 

Linn-Benton's Gabe Brabec threw for 12 strikeouts and only gave up five hits through six innings pitched. 

The wins improved the team's conference record to 25-3 and their overall record to 29-7. 

Linn-Benton now has the chance to win their seventh consecutive NWAC South Region title with a win in their next game against Southwestern Oregon. 

The opening pitch for their doubleheader at home against Southwestern Oregon is at 1 p.m. this Saturday.