Oasis baseball, softball teams take down Incline

In its first year of postseason eligibility in the 2A, the Oasis Academy baseball team opened the season with a sweep.

The Bighorns defeated Incline, 5-2, on March 5 before holding off the Highlanders, 17-13, in Saturday’s first game at the city-county fields. Oasis dropped the series finale, 11-7.

Oasis travels to Sierra Lutheran for a doubleheader Saturday.

Despite collecting only three hits and driving in no runs, Oasis Academy broke open a scoreless affair with a five-run third inning in the series opener.

Juniors Zachary Budner and sophomores Kayden White and Trevor Barrenchea each had one hit as the Bighorns took advantage of two errors and five walks to win the season opener.

Sophomore Ryder McNabb picked up the win, pitching three innings, as he allowed a pair of hits but struck out two. Sophomore Matthew Bird allowed a run, walk and hit in three innings, while Budner allowed a run and two hits in one inning.

Saturday’s first game was nothing like the teams’ first meeting as both totaled 24 hits.

Incline grabbed the lead early with two runs each in the first and second innings before Oasis Academy tied the game with three in the bottom half of the second. The Bighorns scored the next five runs before the Highlanders crossed the plate nine times in the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead, 13-12. Oasis Academy, though, retook the lead for good with three in the sixth and added two in the final inning.

Junior Josh Gusewelle led the team with three hits, including a double, and three RBIs, while Barrenchea, Budner, White and junior Fenn Mackedon each had two hits. McNabb drove in three, Budner and Mackedon each drove in two, and freshman Michael Casey, Bird and Barrenchea each had an RBI.

White picked up the win with a three-inning performance when he allowed four runs on six hits. Bird pitched 1 ⅓ innings, allowing a run on three hits, and Budner went 2 ⅔, striking out three but allowing six earned runs on five hits.

The Bighorns opened the scoring in the final game, leading 3-2 going into the third before Incline took the lead only for Oasis Academy to tie it at five and then take it back with two runs in the fourth. The Highlanders, though, scored the game’s final six runs.

McNabb led the team with two hits, including an RBI and double, and Mackedon and Budner each had a hit.

Bird took the loss, giving up five unearned runs on two hits while striking out two in three innings. Mackedon pitched 2 ⅔ innings, giving up four earned runs and issuing four walks. McNabb pitched one inning and allowed no runs.

SOFTBALL UNDEFEATED

The Bighorn softball team swept Incline in a three-game series to open the 2A season over the weekend.

Oasis, which defeated Mineral County four times in the previous week’s Hawthorne tournament, won last Thursday’s game against the Highlanders, 17-2, before repeating the mercy rule with wins of 19-4 and 24-2 on Saturday at the East Richards field.

Individual statistics were not available.

The Bighorns resume competition when they travel to Battle Mountain in two weeks.