Pitching Shuts Down Knight Offense In Road Split

Coming off of a tough go versus Blue Mountain Community College, the Vikes needed to kick it into gear to give themselves an opportunity to be in the playoff mix. 

BBCC traveled to Wenatchee Valley College to face off versus the top hitting team in the NWAC on Wednesday April 10th for a double header to begin the series. Hayden Schooler was handed the ball and was brilliant tossing 8 2/3 innings of two run baseball while striking out 9 and only walking one batter. With the Big Bend pitching stifling the Knights offense, BBCC needed to find a way to give Schooler the necessary run support. Opportunity after opportunity came and went with the Vikes unable to capitalize. Davis Chakos was able to get the Vikes on the board in the 9th inning to tie the score up at one a piece with a sacrifice fly. Going into the bottom of the 9th, Schooler managed to record the first two outs prior to giving up a two out double. With the winning run at second base, Schooler managed to jam the clean up hitter for the Knights but unfortunately the jam job was out of reach of the Viking infield resulting in a tough 2-1 walk off loss. 

After another emotional loss for the Vikes, Big Bend needed to saddle up and find a way to get game two. Garin Gurtler was handed the ball and dominated tossing 7 1/3 innings surrendering one unearned run and punching out 7 before Bryce Laforest and Nolan Soderstrom collected the remaining outs. With BBCC pitching dominating the day, the Viking offense needed to step up. An offensive explosion led by Rory Swanson who collected 3 hits along with driving in three led the Vikes to a 10-1 blow out in game two. Head Coach Chase Tunstall had this to say regarding the road split. 

"Our starting pitching was spectacular, today's performance is all you can ask out of your starting arms. Schooler and Gurtler have been brilliant all year and it was nice to see our defense play behind them. With the defensive struggles we have had this year, this was a step in the right direction. Our guys saw how good we can be when we are firing on all cylinders along with what happens if we do not execute. Game one was full of missed opportunities while game two was full of timely hitting, great pitching and solid defense. We hope to build off of a big win and get ready to take two on Saturday at our yard."

BBCC prepares for Wenatchee Valley Community College as they host the Knights on Wednesday April 13th for a double header at 1:00 and 4:00 at Viking Field. 

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