Beaks Sweep Clark to Stamp 8-0 Baseball Start (Feb. 22)

 ALBANY– Deadlocked at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning (in a game scheduled for seven), Jake Lindstrom stood in with the bases loaded. The call was first for him to bunt – and the freshman whiffed. 

Roughly 10 seconds after the next pitch, he was getting swarmed by his cheering teammates, because the game was over, LB taking it 3-2.

“I knew he was gonna come at me, bases loaded. I was seeing it well all game, I was ready to hunt heater and put something in the air,” Lindstrom said.

After freshman outfielder Jackson Fera cranked a one-out triple to left, Clark decided to intentionally walk the next two batters. Lindstrom hit a single over the head of five CCC infielders.

Beyond the head-scratching managerial decisions made by the opponents at the end of the contest – it was an all-around team effort for Linn-Benton. Such team efforts have willed them to an 8-0 start in their try for a third straight NWAC baseball title.

Before Lindstrom stepped in for the heroics, freshman pitcher Cooper Yudishthu worked smoothly through five scoreless innings in his second start of the season. Yudishthu struck out six, only giving up three hits before sophomore Kellen Segel took the ball.

In the bottom of the seventh, holding onto a 2-0 lead, things got chaotic for Segel, who was pitching for the first time in over a year.

“(Segel) had a little injury last year; this is his third year he’s kind of an uncle on the team for us. He’s one of the most competitive kids I know, I really wanted to see him get out of it,” Head Coach Andy Peterson said.

A couple of hits and an error loaded the bases with two outs, and the Penguins scored all of their runs on a two-RBI single that also resulted in the last out of the inning (at third base, after the runs scored).

From there, freshman Jake Johnson pitched two perfect innings and picked up the win.

The Roadrunners hit 7-30 as a team, highlighted by a 3-4 day from designated-hitter Boston Caron. Chanz Flores and Mark Carpenter each picked up an RBI in the game before Lindstrom’s; both the corner infielders also had a hit.

In a stretch of the season where team dynamics are still being felt out, several bats have started scorching hot. Six Roadrunners are batting over .280 through the first week of baseball: Nick Biagi (.412), Carpenter (.389), Flores (.333), Noah Scharer (.290), Bryant Starr (.286) and Tyson McGrorty (.286). 

Peterson said  with so many first-year players on the team, it’s been nice to see some questions get answered. 

“They play well together already. Everyone’s starting to play their roles, they’re getting excited when they’re getting bunts down, they root for each other, things like that. Everyone’s played, about the same amount,” he said.

Now twice through the all-freshman pitching rotation of Lane Simonsen, Talon McGrorty, Emmett Starcher and Yudishthu, all have had (at least) one solid starting appearance. 

Even more freshman pitchers have headed the bullpen thus far: the trio of Dayne Castillo, Kyle Miller and Johnson have combined for 21.1 innings in relief  and have allowed zero runs.

The Roadrunners have started the season red-hot in all regards, not missing a beat from last year, despite a serious roster overhaul. 

“A lot of times, this is the time of year pitchers aren’t fully healthy, hitters don’t have their timing down quite yet, it’s nice to start like this: the whole team is part of it,” Peterson said.

The team’s next action is a double-header on Friday, Feb. 27, at home against Chemeketa. First pitch is set for noon for the first game, and 3 p.m. for the second.

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