For Baker baseball, Saturday’s everything

Baker braced for Saturday’s crucial doubleheader against GOL rival Ontario by downing Grant Union 9-4 in a non-league game Wednesday at John Day.

The game against the Class 3A Prospectors was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed because Grant Union’s field was soggy.

Wednesday’s win, which was highlighted by Trace Richardson’s three-run homer in the seventh inning, gives the Bulldogs a measure of momentum they lacked after a disappointing split with La Grande in a doubleheader last week.

“We swung the bats pretty well,” Baker Coach Dan Blankenship said. “It was nice to see us hitting the ball hard.”

That doubleheader split left Baker and La Grande tied for second in the GOL with 6-4 records, one game behind Ontario.

Ontario swept Baker, by scores of 2-1 and 7-5, on April 23 at Ontario.

Those losses extended Baker’s losing streak to three games, the stretch coming after the Bulldogs were ranked second.

La Grande, at least on paper, has the easier matchup Saturday and thus the straighter road to clinching a playoff berth. The Tigers play host to last-place Mac-Hi in a doubleheader.

If Baker and La Grande both split or both are swept on Saturday, either scenario would leave them still tied for second and give Ontario the GOL title. In that case Baker and La Grande would play a single game next week (time and place to be determined) to decide which team gets the GOL’s second berth in the state playoffs.

If Baker and La Grande both sweep their opponents Saturday, then the two teams would be co-champions.

They would then play a single game next week to determine which team gets the GOL’s top-seed in the playoffs.

Baker can also win the GOL championship outright if the Bulldogs sweep Ontario and La Grande either splits with or is swept by Mac-Hi.

Baker would miss the playoffs altogether if it loses both games to Ontario, and La Grande either splits with or sweeps Mac-Hi.

Whatever else happens on Saturday, Baker certainly would prefer to start its day much as it did Wednesday in John Day, when the Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the first. Baker never relinquished its lead.

After Ty Everson walked and Matt Gorrell was hit by a pitch, Derek Blankenship and Dekker Smith each had RBI hits.

Baker scored three more runs in the fourth. Gorrell’s hit scored two of those runs.

Gorrell, who started on the mound and pitched the first two innings, blanked Grant Union. Reliever Coleman Lay allowed a single run in the third.

Grant Union added another run in the fifth off Everson, who pitched the final three innings.

But Richardson’s three-run shot in the seventh gave Baker a 9-2 lead and rendered Grant Union’s two runs in the last of the seventh meaningless.

Blankenship said the Bulldogs were solid in all facets of the game.

“Defensively we played very well,” he said.

Baker               3    0    0    3    0    0    3      —  9

Grant Union    0    0    1    0    1    0    2    —    4

WP – Gorrell.

Baker hits – Gorrell, Blankenship, Smith 2, Richardson 2, Barr.

GOL Baseball Playoff Scenarios

IF....

Baker and La Grande both split their doubleheaders Saturday, OR they both are swept,

THEN...

Baker and La Grande play a single game next week, the winner of which gets the league’s second playoff berth behind Ontario

IF....

Baker and La Grande both sweep their opponents on Saturday,

THEN...

Baker and La Grande are co-champions, and they play a single game next week to determine which team gets the GOL’s top seed in the playoffs and which gets the second seed. The top seed will host a playoff game on May 25, and the second seed will travel for a playoff game the same day

IF....

Baker sweeps Ontario AND La Grande either splits with OR is swept by Mac-Hi,

THEN...

Baker is GOL champion and top seed. La Grande and Ontario would be tied for second if La Grande splits, and Ontario would be alone in second if La Grande is swept by Mac-Hi

IF....

Baker is swept by Ontario, and La Grande either splits with or sweeps Mac-Hi,

THEN...

Baker will finish third and miss the playoffs