TUESDAY
SPRINGFIELD – Drifters pitchers Tristan Ledbetter, Blake Stavros, and Cooper Mullens combined to secure a 2-1 victory over the Berries. It was the team’s first win since June 23. “After the road trip, that was huge. Our pitching staff came out tonight and gave up one (run),” coach Jeff Lyle said. “It took a lot of pressure off of our offense tonight, which is still a little bit struggling for that big hit, but to see it come late from Hansen and Mullens … was real big for us.” A junior from Umpqua Community College, Ledbetter had his second straight and his fourth game overall this season with one or fewer runs allowed and at least three innings pitched. He tied his career high in innings pitched for the Drifters and gave up only one run on two hits – both of which occurred in the second inning. “He’s just an absolute bulldog. He has a bulldog mentality, but I don’t know if his heart rate ever gets over 60,” Lyle said. “It’s a gift he has where he’s able to compete and stay level-headed.” Stavros, a Bushnell University pitcher, threw two hitless innings. Closer Michael Klein, a senior in the transfer portal, earned his fifth save of the year. In total, the Springfield pitching staff combined for just two hits allowed, its lowest of the season so far.
WEDNESDAY
SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters secured a series win by beating the Berries 2-1 for the second night in a row. It was the team’s first series win of the year. UC Santa Barbara outfielder Evan Thomas starred at the plate and the Drifters had another strong pitching staff performance. “The pitching staff has been super fun to watch over the last few games,” Lyle said. “It’s really exciting.” Thomas went 3-for-3 at the plate, including a clutch RBI double in the fifth inning that gave the Drifters a lead they did not give up. Thomas had two singles in the first three innings of the game and was hit by a pitch in the seventh, reaching base in all four plate appearances. He was named the Drifter of the Game. On the mound, redshirt junior right-hander Cooper Strawn from the University of Oregon had a career night, pitching a season-high six innings, allowing only one hit. Going along with the record-setting night, he struck out a career-high eight batters while giving up one run during the first inning.
THURSDAY
SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters earned their first series sweep of the season, beating the Berries 6-5. “It’s nice to see the task complet(ed). To have the series won already going into today and not take it for granted … it’s just fun to see,” Lyle said. “It goes way beyond the team that’s on the field. It’s just a top-to-bottom great team effort.” Fireworks lit up the scoreboard throughout the game and the sky after the win with more than 1,800 fans in attendance at Hamlin Sports Complex. All three wins in the series were one-run victories as the pitching and hitting came together each night for a 3-0 homestand. Springfield owns a 7-2 record all-time against Marion. The Drifters started the scoring right away, putting two runs on the board in the first inning. A leadoff walk from Evan Thomas was followed by a double from Cooper Mullens. Thomas scored on an RBI groundout from Nolan Miller while Mullens took home on a passed ball during the next at-bat. After the Berries tied the game in the second inning, the Drifters came out firing in the third, starting with a leadoff walk from Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos. Thomas came up next and hit a double to put both runners in scoring position. Following an RBI groundout from Mullens, Hunter Meyer hit a single to cushion the Drifters’ lead. A few batters later, Meyer came around to score on a two-out, two-RBI double from Colton Perez to give Springfield a four-run lead. Meyer went 2-for-3, scoring one run and driving in one. The Drifters offense totaled six runs on eight hits and six walks in the best offensive performance of the series. The six runs offensively were Springfield’s highest run total since June 26. “There’s kind of a party going on in the dugout. There’s a lot of energy,” Lyle said. “Their authenticity is starting to come out. If you’re authentic and have energy, it carries over for the guys that are on the bench, being infectious to the guys that are playing.”
FRIDAY
CORVALLIS – Three Springfield Drifters arms kept the series opener in Corvallis within reach, but the offense never capitalized on its opportunities in a 3-0 shutout loss to the Knights. Pitcher Kaden Harris started Springfield with five solid innings before Sonny Pena extended his scoreless streak to 11.1 innings in the sixth. Ezra James, making his Drifters debut, recorded six outs in the seventh and eighth. Despite the strong pitching, the offense stranded 10 runners on base. Corvallis pushed across the opening run in the third inning when a single sprang high over the right side of the infield to score a runner from second. The Knights extended their lead in the next inning with two ground-rule doubles, putting the Drifters in a 2-0 hole. “We faced a really good arm with an electric fastball up to 99,” Lyle said. “We had a tough time getting anything started.”
SATURDAY
CORVALLIS – The Knights put the game away with six runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to secure a series win with a 16-5 victory over the Drifters. Solid offensive performances from Hunter Meyer (3-for-3, R, 3B) and Preston Armstrong (2-for-3, RBI, BB) stood out for the Drifters. The Knights came out swinging, pushing across three runs with four singles in the bottom of the first inning, aided by three walks.
SUNDAY
CORVALLIS – The Drifters’ offense cut deep into Corvallis’ seven-run lead in the sixth inning at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, but the five-run inning wasn’t enough to stave off the Knights’ series sweep. Late-inning relief efforts from Tristan Ledbetter and Drew Miller kept the game within reach, but the Drifters’ offense couldn’t land another punch after its two-out rally in the sixth inning that saw nine batters come to the plate. Aiden Gebhard’s bases-clearing double and Malosi Mata’afa Alferos’ second RBI of the night displayed crucial fight from a struggling offense, but Springfield still fell 9-6 in the end.
