Bulldogs split thriller at Pendleton, win 10-9 after late rally holds off Buckaroos

Baker/Powder Valley/Pine Eagle left Pendleton with a split that said as much about postseason staying power as it did about one road doubleheader. The Bulldogs dropped the opener 9-7 after digging out of a 7-1 hole, then held on for a 10-9 win over No. 8 Pendleton in a second game that nearly slipped away in the final inning.

The result ended Pendleton’s four-game winning streak and left Baker at 2-2 in Greater Oregon League play and 8-6 overall. More important for the weeks ahead, it showed that Baker High School can put runs on the board against one of the league’s top teams and also survive the kind of late pressure that usually decides district seeding and playoff runs.

In the first game, Baker never quit after falling behind early. Macey Morgan, Colbi Bachman, Kate Nilsen and Paityn Barr each had two hits, and Bachman added a home run as the Bulldogs worked back into the game before coming up short. That kind of recovery has already become part of Baker’s identity this month, from the 16-0 win over Umatilla in three innings to the 16-6 rout of La Grande in the league opener.

The second game was the sharper test. Baker led 10-3 after scoring four runs in the top of the sixth, then watched Pendleton pour in six runs in the bottom half to cut the margin to one. With the winning run in scoring position in the seventh, relief pitcher Reagan Ritter got Kelsi Primus to pop out to shortstop Colbi Bachman to end it.

The Bulldogs’ best answers came from the middle of the lineup and from the circle. Starter Raegan Gulick worked five innings and helped at the plate with two doubles and two RBIs. Ritter had a double and three RBIs, Grace Radabah went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Morgan added two hits. One week earlier, Ritter struck out 11 in a one-hitter against Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa, while Bachman and Nilsen both homered.

That mix of power, depth and late-inning nerve gives Baker a real case as a district threat. The split at Pendleton showed the Bulldogs can score in bunches, answer adversity, and, if they tighten the final two innings, force the rest of the Greater Oregon League to keep them in the conversation.