Dixon finds a way to get it done vs. Oregon

DIXON – Oregon had traffic on the basepaths all game. Dixon didn’t – but it took advantage of its chances when it got runners on.

The Dukes were outhit 10-3 by the Hawks in their Big Northern Conference baseball game Thursday at Veterans Memorial Field but scored four runs after a two-out dropped third strike in the third inning to pull out a 5-3 victory.

“It just shows that we can change the game quick, as long as we’re focused and determined. As long as we stay in it, good stuff will come,” said Dre Diaz, who had a two-run double in the inning to give Dixon a 3-2 lead. “We took advantage of what was given to us. We got three guys on base with two outs and we just rallied. It was just put the ball in play, score as many runs as we can with the opportunity that we had.”

Oregon (8-9, 3-5 BNC) took the lead in the top of the third with RBI singles from Kade Girton and Gavin Morrow, but Dixon starter Jagger Kemp stranded two runners in scoring position to limit the damage.

The Dukes (10-3, 7-1) answered immediately. After Oregon starter Bryce Becker struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the inning, he hit Jake Whelan with a pitch and walked Brady Feit. Gage Helfrich then reached on a strike-three wild pitch to extend the inning.

Whelan scored on the wild pitch, and Diaz roped a double down the line in left field, driving in Feit and Helfrich for the lead. Jake Zepezauer followed with a single to drive in Diaz.

“If we keep putting ourselves in that position, we’ll be fine,” Eli Kirchhoff said. “Just play smart baseball, that’s what [coach Jason Burgess] has been telling us all year, since we got here Day 1: Just do the little things right, make the routine plays and play smart baseball. That mentality is the No. 1 thing.”

Oregon put runners on base in six of the seven innings but couldn’t cash in. The Hawks left 10 runners on base – seven in scoring position – and tacked on only one more run on a Landon Anderson two-out RBI single in the fifth.

“We just made little mental mistakes, baserunning, things like that, and we have to clean that up,” Girton said. “We’re just a few steps away from being a pretty good team. We’ve been within a couple of runs our last few games, we just can’t finish. But I believe that we’ll start doing that soon.”

Kemp allowed two runs and six hits in four innings for the Dukes, striking out six and walking three. Kirchhoff pitched the final three innings, giving up a run and four hits with a strikeout and no walks; he threw 26 of his 30 pitches for strikes, including all 10 in the top of the seventh.

“Just throw strikes, that’s the key. If I hit my spots, I know my fielders have got my back, everyone’s going to make a play when the ball gets hit to them,” Kirchhoff said. “I don’t have anything to worry about as long as I pump in strikes. I know we’re going to be good.”

Dixon’s defense did not make an error – both errors were on pickoff throws – to pick up the offense; the Dukes struck out 14 times and had just three base runners outside of the four-run inning. Feit scored the final run with a one-out single in the fifth, going to second on balk and stealing third before heading home when the throw went into left field.

“The whole team has that positive mentality,” Kirchhoff said. “We’ve had some bad games, some rough outings or innings, but the main thing is that everyone around here picks their teammates up. We just tell each other to flush it, move on to the next thing, keep thinking ‘I can make the next play.’ Gage and I talk about if we’re not having a great day at the plate, make sure no one on the other team has a great day at the plate. That’s the mentality our whole team has.”

Girton and Jackson Messenger each had two hits and reached base three times for the Hawks, and eight players had a hit. Becker struck out 11, walked one and hit two batters in 4⅓ innings of two-hit ball; he allowed four unearned runs. Nole Campos add three strikeouts without a walk in 1⅔ innings of relief, giving up just one hit and an unearned run.

“We outhit them 10-3, so that’s definitely a positive, and our fielding was pretty good, for the most part,” Girton said. “Just keep hitting the ball, walk fewer hitters and make fewer errors and we’ll get it done.”