Refusal to Lose: Storm Rally Twice to Secure Road Sweep of Linn-Benton
Capitalizing on Chaos: Storm Punish Roadrunner Errors in Doubleheader Sweep
ALBANY, Ore. — The Chemeketa Storm displayed championship-level resilience on Saturday, traveling to Dick McClain Field to secure a gritty doubleheader sweep over the Linn-Benton Roadrunners. Through 16 innings of high-stakes baseball, the Storm combined clutch hitting with lockdown relief pitching to improve their conference record to 17-15.
Game 1: The Sixth Inning Surge
The opening contest was a classic come-from-behind victory as the Storm overcame an early 3-0 deficit to win 4-3. Chemeketa's offense was held quiet until the top of the sixth inning, where they exploded for four runs to seize the lead for good.
-
The Rally: Lance Kreisberg ignited the comeback with an RBI double to left field, scoring E. Blackhawk.
-
Maintaining Pressure: N. Crawford followed with an RBI single, and W. Hooper leveled the game with a base hit to center.
-
The Winning Edge: A critical error by the Roadrunners allowed B. Hubble to cross the plate for the go-ahead unearned run.
On the mound, Ja. Klee earned the win with a stellar 7.0-inning performance, allowing only one earned run while navigating through eight hits. M. Eaton provided a scoreless eighth, and Kreisberg moved from the designated hitter spot to the mound in the ninth, striking out two to earn the save.
Game 2: Offense and Perseverance
The nightcap was an emotional roller coaster that saw the Storm battle back from multiple deficits to edge out the Roadrunners 9-8. Despite Linn-Benton racking up 14 hits, Chemeketa capitalized on six Roadrunner errors and a massive afternoon from J. Genduso.
-
Genduso's Big Day: The right fielder was nearly unstoppable, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double and two runs scored.
-
The Turning Point: Down 6-3 in the third inning, Joe Vaccaro delivered the hit of the game—a bases-clearing 3-RBI double that tied the contest at 6-6.
-
Clutch Relief: After a difficult first inning for the starter, T. Rock stabilized the game with 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, and A. Yost secured the win by throwing the final three frames.
Chemeketa took the final lead in the sixth inning when N. Crawford reached on an error to drive in C. Leming, followed by B. Hinsdale reaching on another miscue to bring home Crawford. The Storm defense then locked down the 9-8 lead to finalize the sweep.
Doubleheader Statistical Snapshot
| Category | Game 1 (W, 4-3) | Game 2 (W, 9-8) |
| Total Hits | 7 | 13 |
| Winning Pitcher | Ja. Klee (1-0) | A. Yost (1-0) |
| Top Performer | L. Kreisberg (RBI 2B, SV) | J. Genduso (4-5, 2 R) |
| Clutch Hit | W. Hooper (RBI Single) | J. Vaccaro (3-RBI 2B) |
With these two victories, Chemeketa moves to 25-18 overall on the season. The Storm will look to carry this momentum forward as they continue their push up the NWAC standings.
This two game sweep couple with the previous two wins over Linn-Benton has put Chemeketa in contention for a playoff position going into their last 4 game series at SWOC on 5/9/25 & 5/10/25.
