After going on a seven game win streak to end regular season play, head coach Keith Wallin and his Bruin boys varsity baseball team finished their 2024 regular season campaign 3rd in the 3A-5 Far West League and 8th in the state, earning themselves a first round bye to start post-season play.
The #8 OSAA ranked 17-7 Bruin boys would draw the #9 OSAA ranked 19-4 Joseph/Enterprise Eagles, in Joseph, Oregon, Wednesday afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:00pm.
After completing the over 12 hour, 650 mile drive to the northeast corner of Oregon, the Bruin boys settled into their surroundings, and a confident Bruin boys team took the field late Wednesday afternoon, running into into a fresh and rested Eagle team that offensively pushed runs across the plate early.
Coach Wallin sent ace right-hander, #13, Austin Dietrich to the mound for the Bruins, and the Eagle bats strung together hits in the early innings, building a four run lead, scoring twice in the bottom of first and then adding another run in the second and third innings.
Bruin bats were quiet early, staying scoreless through three before getting three runs across the plate in the top of the fourth to close the gap to just one run, making it 4-3 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. However, the Eagles would rally, getting those three runs back in their half of the fourth, making the score 7-3 going into the fifth inning.
But the scrappy Bruins would tighten it up in the late innings, moving a runner across the plate in the top of the 5th while holding the Eagles scoreless in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, as they piled up six runs in the sixth and seventh innings, to put away the Joseph/Enterprise Eagles, insuring a happy 13 hour ride home with a come from behind 8-16 win to advance themselves into the next round of the playoffs.
Freshman Owen Austin, #4, had a two run home-run and senior Camron Hendrix, #24, went 2 for 3, with a home-run, scoring three times with two runs batted in as the Bruins offense racked up 16 runs off of 18 hits, coming back twice from four run deficits to advance to the next round.
The Bruins will now face the 16-11, #16 OSAA ranked North Valley Knights, coming off of a six game win streak including defeating the #1 OSAA ranked Douglas Trojans, in Winston, Wednesday afternoon.
The 18-7 Bruin boys, now on an eight game win streak of their own, will host a very confident North Valley Knights team Friday afternoon, at Brookings-Harbor High School, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:30pm.
