Columbia Basin defeated Blue Mountain at home in a pair of East Region games by scores of 8-3 and 4-2 to extend their winning streak to 5 games. Starters
Branson Rozier and
Joey Facilla both picked up wins in the effort.
GAME 1
Fresh off a double-header sweep in Yakima, the Hawks got a chance to climb all over a struggling Blue Mountain team and they did just that. Rozier turned in his best performance of the year on the mound, going 6 strong and allowing just 2 earned runs.
Diego Escandon kicked off the scoring in the 3rd with an RBI single to make it 1-0. Blue Mountain tied it up at 1 with a 2-out soft liner in the 4th. Third baseman
Caden Yesford turned in a big game going 3-3 including an RBI single in the 4th. An infield hit by
Cohen Sunich sparked a big 4-run 6th inning to break it open capped off by an RBI double from
Andrew Lehman to give the Hawks a 6-2 lead.
Rozier would eventually give way to
Sy Waldron who came on for the 3-inning save, allowing just 1 run on a wild pitch.
Yesford and Lehman went back to back with RBI singles in the 8th for a couple more insurance run, leading CBC to the 8-3 final.
GAME 2
Game 2 featured a pitcher's duel as Facilla rose to the occasion going 5 and a third, striking out 7 and allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs.
Blue struck first in the 3rd with one but Basin countered right back in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single from
Diego Martinez Griffin to knot it up at 1. The play of the game came in the 4th as Sunich connected on a 1-2 fastball and belted a 2-run home run to right field. In relief,
Tristan Dodds was able to steer the ship out of trouble in the 6th while preserving the 3-2 lead.
Keegan Randall was able to beat out a pinch hit ground ball in the 8th, allowing
JC Garza to score a big insurance run.
Andre Muneton came on in the 8th for two innings of scoreless relief to get Basin into the dugout in the 9th with the 4-2 final.
The wins push CBC to 10-8 in conference play now solely in 4th place and just a game back of 3rd. They will travel to Pendleton on Saturday for two more against the T-wolves starting at 1pm.
