Saints looking to catch Lane in the standings

Mt. Hood squared off against Linn-Benton last Saturday and if you like offensive games, there was quite a leadoff game for you: extra innings, 11 innings, to be exact.

It was an interesting one, for sure, with a total of 28 hits between both ballclubs, and pitching almost nonexistent, before the Roadrunners finally edged the Saints, 9-8.

The Saints’ hitting was impressive and kept up with the standard of how they have been performing at the plate all year. Mt. Hood batters collected 12 hits and scored eight runs.

But Linn-Benton hacked away at the plate, too, and tallied an impressive 16 hits.

Of those 16 hits, two came in the clutch, in the top of the 11th inning. Logan Meadows led off with a double. Then came a crucial error by Saints third baseman Dru Fitz that allowed Meadows to advance to third and batter Alex O Rourke to make it to first.

Spencer DesBiens then singled to bring in Meadows with the go-ahead run for the Roadrunners.

Saints reliever Ian Turner then got the last two outs, but the damage was done.

Batting last at the scheduled doubleheader, played at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Mt. Hood had a chance to tie or win in the bottom of the 11th.

After Linn-Benton pitcher Tanner Galey retired the first two batters with strikeouts, he hit Saints batter Jason Garcia with a pitch, then did the same to Saints hitter Hunter Crenshaw just four pitches later.

Now things were getting interesting with runners on first and second for the Saints and two outs. But Mt. Hood’s Travis Copher struck out swinging, not able to connect and make some magic happen.

You would think 12 hits and eight runs would be enough to get a victory, but that wasn’t the case in this crazy game.

The second game was no less wild. Trailing 5-0, the Saints rallied for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, before Linn-Benton scored one in the sixth for a 6-6 tie.

That’s when the game was suspended, due to darkness. The two teams will resume play in the seventh inning on Wednesday in Gresham, said Saints head coach Bryan Donohue.

The conclusion with Linn-Benton could be critical, since the Saints (11-18 overall) are in third place in the South Region, at 8-7, and in the playoff hunt.

First, the Saints look to gain ground with a doubleheader today at Lane Community College against the Titans, who are second in the South at 11-5. The first game is at 2 p.m. and the second starts at 5 p.m.