Elks Earn Fifth Walk-Off Win in Crazy Opener vs Portland
Elijah Jackson’s sac fly to right in the bottom of the ninth helped the Elks avoid blowing a seven-run lead and snap a three-game losing streak.
Bend, OR. - In a crazy four-hour rollercoaster ride, the Bend Elks came out on the winning end of the finish line with a 14-13 walk-off win over the Portland Pickles, who nearly upset the Elks with a seven-run comeback.
Bend (22-22, 19-21) led by seven at two different points in the game, jumping out to an early 8-1 lead charged by a five-run first inning. Once Portland (27-19, 22-15) shortened it to just a three-run game in the sixth, the Elks re-extended its advantage with four runs over the subsequent two frames giving the Elks a 12-5 cushion, seemingly putting the Pickles out of reach.
Shockingly the Pickles put together a monstrous six-run rally in the eighth on four RBI hits, including two doubles by Naighel Calderon and Dalton Mashore. With the momentum in Portland's favor, Jackson Jaha fed off of it with a leadoff triple in the ninth. The next batter, Kyler Stancato, slashed an RBI single to left field, and just like that, the Pickles had tied the game. To make matters even worse for the Elks, Jesse Pierce delivered a one-run single to score Stancato and give the Pickles their first lead of the game.
Despite the struggles from the bullpen, Bend's offense prevailed in the end by working its first three runs aboard in the bottom of the ninth. Hunter Komine came off the bench and worked an RBI walk to tie the game at 13-13. The final score's fate was now left in the hands of one of the Elks' leaders, Elijah Jackson. Even though he had gone 0-5 going into the at-bat, Jackson found a way to get the job done, delivering a sac fly to right field to plate Braeden Terry and give Elks fans a big sigh of relief.
Both teams had nearly the same production on offense, countered by similar setbacks on the mound. Bend had 15 total hits, with five players finishing with multi-hit games led by Beau Sylvester, who finished his summer with a season-high four hits. Braeden Terry recorded his fourth game three-hit game of the summer, headlined by a grand slam in the opening frame. Portland had 13 hits, with four players recording a multi-hit game led by Stancato, who went three for four with four RBI and two runs scored.
On the pitching side of things, Bend surrendered 13 earned runs and ten walks with seven strikeouts. Portland gave up ten earned runs and 12 walks with nine strikeouts. The difference between the two squads was that the Elks bullpen gave up 12 runs while the Pickles bullpen gave up just six. Kellan Oakes had a solid start in his return to Bend, going five innings of work, allowing just two hits and one run with four strikeouts. Ethan Krupp earned his second win of the summer for keeping it to just a one-run deficit heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Bend and Portland will duke it again Saturday night in game two as the Elks look to secure its second series win over the Pickles this summer. First Pitch is at 6:35 p.m. at Vince Genna Stadium.
