Gazette-Times

Baseball

PHILOMATH n The hits came in bunches, for both teams.

Josh Bitterman had two home runs and six RBIs on Friday to lead the host Philomath Warriors to a 15-5 Val-Co League baseball victory over Sweet Home in a game shortened to six innings by the 10-run rule.

Bitterman got the Warriors (8-3, 2-0) started with a two-run homer in the first and a three-run homer in the second.

Philomath, which finished with 14 hits, also had five doubles, two each by Trevor Motter and Derek Davis. Motter finished with a game-high four hits.

“We did hit the ball well today and we have been and it’s good to see,” PHS coach Terry Stephenson said. “All the kids seem to be coming around at the same time.”

Sweet Home, with 10 hits, got two doubles from Tyler Horner. Greg Sipe had two hits and three RBIs. JP Williams added two hits and two RBIs for the Huskies (4-3, 1-1).

Sipe, Sweet Home’s starting pitcher, wasn’t able to get through the second inning as Philomath pounded the ball early.

The Warriors led 7-0 before the Huskies got on the board with a Sipe RBI single in the third. Philomath got four more in the bottom of the inning.

Sweet Home got one back in the fifth, and the Huskies got three runs on three hits in the sixth, including a two-run single from Sipe.

Philomath ended the game with four in the bottom of the sixth.

The Warriors play a noon doubleheader at Illinois Valley today.

Philomath 15, Sweet Home 5 (6)

Sweet Home 001 013 n 5 10 0

Philomath 344 004 n 15 14 2

Sipe, Johnston (2), Williams (6) and Marchbanks. Sturner and Hill. WP: Sturner (2-2). LP: Sipe. HR: Bitterman 2 (PHS). 2B: Horner 2 (SH), Motter 2 (PHS), Davis 2 (PHS), Haynes (PHS).

Hits: Sweet Home10 (Horner 2, Williams 2, Sipe 2, Cota, Marchbanks, Johnston, Valloni), Philomath 14 (Motter 4, Bitterman 2, Sturner 2, Davis 2, Murphree, Haynes, Azizian, Stephenson)

RBIs: Sweet Home 5 (Sipe 3, Williams 2), Philomath 12 (Bitterman 6, Azizian 2, Haynes, Sturner, Davis, Stephenson)

Crescent Valley 5, West Albany 0

ALBANY — Logan Cooper scattered seven hits and Jake Likewise hit a 2-run homer in the first inning as the Raiders earned the Mid-Willamette Conference series win with the victory at Memorial Field.

Cooper struck out three, walked one and had just two flyball outs — one to catcher Kyle Larkin and the other to the outfield — while the CV defense turned three doubleplays in an error-free performance.

No West Albany runner advanced beyond second base.

Crescent Valley (5-6, 2-4) will face Dallas in next week’s MWC series.

Crescent Valley 5, West Albany 0

WEST ALBANY 000 000 0 — 0 7 3

CRESCENT VALLEY 221 000 x — 5 6 0

Burright and Miller. Logan Cooper and Larkin. WP: Cooper (1-0). LP: Burright. 2B: McCarthy (CV), Van Fudge (CV). HR: Likewise (CV).

Hits: WA 7 (Murphy, Lear-Konold, George, Irving 3, Lichtenthaler), CV 5 (Liebeskind, McCarthy 2, Likewise, Fudge, Stone)

RBIs: WA 0, CV (Likewise 2, Stone)

Corvallis 7, Lebanon 2

LEBANON — Aaron Corwin struck out nine and didn’t allow an earned run as Corvallis swept Lebanon in the Mid-Willamette Conference series.

Danny Alig and Kellen Sparkes had back-to-back solo home runs in the second inning to stake the Spartans (10-2, 6-0) to a lead they wouldn’t give up. Alig added a two-run double in the seventh to finish the scoring for CHS.

Alig went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Corwin scattered six hits, walked one and hit three batters in the complete-game effort.

Corvallis will play West Albany in next week’s MWC series.

Corvallis 7, Lebanon 2

CORVALLIS 020 102 2 — 7 8 4

LEBANON 000 001 1 — 2 6 2

Corwin and Zweber. Trask, Hiebert (6) and Marshall. WP: Corwin (4-0). LP: Trask. 2B: Martin (CHS), Alig (CHS), England (CHS), Peters (LHS). HR: Alig (CHS), Sparkes (CHS).

Hits: CHS 8 (Martin 2, Williams, Alig 3, Sparkes, England), Lebanon 6 (Duerr, Bitterman, Cramlet 2, Ryan, Peters)

RBIs: CHS 5 (Alig 3, Sparkes, England), LHS 0

Monroe 3, Crow 0

MONROE — Colton Hartshorn shut down Crow’s batters en route to the Mountain View North win.

Hartshorn struck out eight and gave up one hit with three walks and was headed to a complete-game shutout before turning his ankle while running the bases and sitting out the seventh.

Monroe (4-4, 3-0) coach Bill Crowson said Hartshorn’s approach was simple.

“He was working ahead and throwing strikes,” Crowson said. “He threw a good game.”

Adam Opoien had a home run for the Dragons.

Monroe hosts Lowell on Monday.

Monroe 3, Crow 0

CROW 000 000 0 n 0 1 3

MONROE 101 001 x n 3 8 1

Engle and Lay. Hartshorn, Arvin (7) and Bodi. WP: Hartshorn (2-0). LP: Engle. 2B: Olson (M), Chastain (C). HR: Opoien (M).

Hits: Crow 1 (Chastain), Monroe 8 (Olson, Opoien 2, Saito 2, Hartshorn 2, Hubbard).

RBIs: Monroe 3 (Opoien, Saito, Hubbard).