Elks Score Sweet Series Sweep in Bend
The Elks and their fans look on as Bend bats at Vince Genna Stadium. (Brooks Juhasz)
Noah Wolf, director of media relations
noahwolf51 (at) gmail (dot) com
BEND, Ore. - The Elks notched their second-straight home sweep, taking down the Walla Walla Sweets this week at Vince Genna Stadium.
August 3, 2021 Elks Down Sweets in Smoke-Shortened Game Bend 9, Walla Walla 5 (6 innings)
The Elks got off to a hot start on Tuesday night, but that’s not what caused the smoke in the sky.
Wildfires in the area filled the Bend sky with smoke and the air quality depleted beyond playable conditions, causing the game to be called after six innings.
Bend’s hot offensive start was enough to propel them to victory over the Walla Walla Sweets, 9-5, in the series-opening game at Vince Genna Stadium.
The Elks (19-21, 9-7 second half) kicked off the game with four runs in the first inning. Gavin Rork (Seattle U.) led off the frame with a triple, and after the Elks put a couple more men on base, Collin Montez (Washington St.) smacked a two-run double. Peter Mendazona (U. Nevada) also had a run-scoring hit in the frame.
Walla Walla (14-29, 5-14) scored three runs in the next two frames to make it 4-3 Elks, but Bend would have an answer. Five runs scored for the Elks in the bottom of the third on three hits and two errors. Omar Veloz (Cal. St. Fullerton) had a two-run hit as part of a 2-for-3 day, and Sam Linscott (Lewis-Clark St.) clubbed an RBI double in the inning as well.
The Sweets would score two more in the fifth, but it would be too little, too late, as the Elks won 9-5 with the game called after five and a half innings.
August 4, 2021 Elks Clinch Season Series over Walla Walla Bend 10, Walla Walla 3
After the smoke cleared in Bend, the Elks found plenty of breathing room.
Walla Walla scored a run in the first inning Wednesday night, but it was practically all Elks from there, defeating the Sweets 10-3 at Vince Genna Stadium.
The Sweets (14-30, 5-15 second half) dropped their tenth-straight game, and four in a row to the Elks. Bend is 4-1 against Walla Walla this season, clinching both the series in Bend and the overall season series.
The Elks (20-21, 10-7) scored three runs on two hits in the first inning - Aidan Welch (Seattle U.) was the only player with an RBI hit in the inning.
Bend got three more in the third inning. Welch led off the frame with a double, and Sam Linscott (Lewis-Clark St.) drove him in with a single. The very next at-bat, Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.) smacked an opposite-field two-run home run for his first longball of the season.
The Elks offense continued its hot streak in the fifth inning, scoring two runs on three hits in the frame. Julian Kodama (Seattle U.) had a double, and Linscott singled in the inning as well. Bennett Thompson (U. Oregon) notched an RBI single in the frame.
Bend starter Jacob Kmatz had a season-high in strikeouts with eight in his six innings of work. The incoming freshman at Oregon State gave up just two runs (zero earned) on five hits to earn his second win in a row.
Bend would get two more in the seventh inning on a two-run double by Thompson as the Elks stretched their run total into double digits, winning 10-3.
August 5, 2021 Elks Notch Second-Straight Home Sweep Bend 12, Walla Walla 6
For the first five series that the Elks played at Vince Genna Stadium, the team was 0-5 in the final game of the series.
The last two? The Elks are 2-0.
Bend had another offensive explosion Thursday night against the Walla Walla Sweets, earning its second-straight sweep at home with a 12-6 victory.
For the second night in a row, Walla Walla (14-31, 5-16 second half) got out to an early lead, but the Elks got a run in the first inning for the fourth game in a row. Aidan Welch (Seattle U.) notched an RBI single to tie the game at one run apiece.
The Sweets again took the lead in the second inning, but it would once again be short-lived. Bend scored six runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-3 lead, and the Elks would not trail from then on. The first five men to come to the plate in the inning all reached base and scored. Collin Montez (Washington St.) had the biggest blow of the frame with a two-run double.
Doubles were plenty in the series finale in Bend. The Sweets smacked five two-baggers, the most the Elks have given up to an opponent in a game this season. Not to be outdone, the Bend offense also notched a single-game high with six doubles over the course of the game.
The Elks (21-21, 11-7) added to their lead with three more runs in the fourth inning. Three of their doubles - that's half the game total - were hit in that inning, with Welch, Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.) and Montez hitting three doubles in a row. Omar Veloz (Cal. St. Fullerton) also notched an RBI single in the inning.
While Bend's offense exploded, its defense was keeping Walla Walla quiet, thanks in large part to Reid Madariaga. The right-handed pitcher from Pierce College (Wash.) tossed three innings of scoreless baseball, racking up six punchouts and earning his first win of the summer.
After Bend added to its total on a two-run double from Chase Matheny (S.C. Upstate) in the seventh inning, Walla Walla scored a pair of inconsequential runs in the last two frames as the Elks cruised to victory, 12-6.
Performance of the series: Jacob Kmatz, an incoming freshman to Oregon St., tossed six innings of five-hit baseball on Wednesday night, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight Sweets and earning the win.
Player of the series: Aidan Welch (Seattle U.) went 5-for-12 over the course of the series, notching two multi-hit games. Welch had two doubles, two RBIs, and four runs scored.
Play of the series: With one out and one on in the bottom of the third on Wednesday, Greg Fuchs (Oregon St.) clobbered a two-run home run to the opposite field, his first of the summer. The Elks had a 6-1 lead at that point, going on to win 10-3.
Up next: The Elks welcome the Portland Pickles (23-18, 8-9) to Vince Genna Stadium for a three-game weekend series, beginning Friday night at 6:35. The Pickles took two of three from Bend just last weekend in the City of Roses.