Mt. Hood baseball works on simplifying the scenario

Last weekend, Mt. Hood traveled to Blue Mountain and Walla Walla community colleges for a set of double headers, continuing the rapid-fire pace of games early in the season. The Saints took on the Timberwolves of Blue Mountain (in Pendleton) first, winning 2-1 before dropping the next game, 4-3, on Saturday. Then, against the Warriors in Washington state, they lost their next contest by the same 4-3 score, but closed out the weekend with a 6-3 victory. Three-hole hitter Bowen Ogata had another big weekend for Mt. Hood, going 9 for 14 at the dish with three runs, three runs batted in, and a couple of walks. The big starting catcher has hammered opposing pitching to the tune of a .536 average in 28 at-bats.

With so many close games, the tide could have turned and provided a clean sweep for the Saints, but there were a few factors that settled the .500 road trip. They set the table well by getting on base, but the big hit to drive runners in has largely eluded them. “We alleviated pressure on our opponents by not doing anything with runners on,” said head coach Bryan Donohue. LOBsters (a turn of phrase for players “Left On Base”) are a team’s own worst enemy on the field, as the responsibility to score rests in their own hands. In their biggest win of the weekend, Mt Hood cranked out 14 hits but only scored six times, a ratio that attests to the early struggles of driving runs in.

The team is working on aggressive at-bats, running through drills where the hitter must be selective, but not defensive. They’ve challenged themselves thus far, and Donohue is grateful for seeing areas of need at this stage. “We know how to shoot ourselves in the foot. Now we have to learn and adjust.” This is not only a game of inches, but of adjustments. Every pitch thrown provides an opportunity to alter the game plan, from game management, to baserunner, offense to defense. And while the Saints are sitting at 3-5 in preseason, outside-of-region play, Donohue has confidence in this team’s abilities moving forward: “We have full control over everything we need to do to improve.”

Advocate Staff