Owls Sleeping, Red Hawks Rising

By: Caleb Gonzalez

Source: Ariana West

The Simpson Baseball team showed commitment in the face of adversity. The team showed their fans just what the Red Hawks can do when they rally as a team.

On Jan. 31, the Simpson Men's Baseball team had its first home series of the 2022 season against the Oregon Tech Owls. It was game 2 of a 4-game series between the two teams, the Owls had claimed the first game 15-6 according to the Simpson Athletics page. Fans came to support but witnessed a very rough start for Simpson. By the 6th inning, Oregon Tech had a 6-0 lead against the Red Hawks.

Starting third baseman Logan Gomes, remembered a quiet dugout when the 6th inning began

“It was dead silent. No one was talking. We knew we had played badly, and we needed to play better.”

Simpson pitcher, Jackson Bennett, agreed.

“When you're down that big the first thing you have to do is stop the bleeding, stop them from scoring and don’t let the lead get wider,” Bennett said.

Simpson's first run came at the bottom of the sixth inning, ending the idea of a shutout, but the Owls managed to put 2 more runs on the board, making it 10-1. In the seventh inning, the Simpson Red Hawks ceased their momentum.

The seventh inning would see Simpson scoring 6 runs, making the score 10-7, while Micah Kele and Bennett Grigsby both would score a run. 8th inning saw Bennett pitching. Bennett would shut down the Oregon Tech offense as no runs were scored. The Simpson Red Hawks scored 4 more runs ending the 8th. Logan recalls

“This was the moment we knew momentum had shifted. It was all about getting the next guy up and doing our job.”

The 9th inning would see Bennett close out and end the incredible comeback.

The Red Hawks would end Game 2 with an 11-10 victory. Although the Redhawks probably wish they could’ve changed at the beginning of the game, they reminded all of us that it is not how you start, it’s how you finish. The Red Hawks showed resilience in the face of adversity, when their backs were against the wall, they kept on fighting, showing both the CalPac and fans that they can work as a team. This win is certainly a motivating factor and shows that the Red Hawks are a serious threat.