Outlaws baseball continues winning streak

The Outlaws started off with an 8-2 win at Elmira on Monday, May 5, and two days later shut out Junction City 10-0 at home in Sisters.

Freshman Ryan Funk got the Outlaws rolling in Monday's match-up against the Falcons.

Funk, with two outs, hit a single to score two runs for the Outlaws in the first inning. Sisters tacked on two runs in the second, and another in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

Ben Larson picked up a two-out base-hit line drive to score Jardon Weems in the fifth inning, and push the Outlaws to a 5-0 advantage.

Elmira answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 5-2.

The highlight of the sixth inning was Cody Kreminski's solo home run. The Outlaws scored one more run in the inning, and recorded the win.

Sisters scored eight runs on eight hits, and the Falcons scored two runs on four hits. Justin Harrer was the winning pitcher, and pushed his record to 6-0 for the season.

"Justin had a nice outing, and controlled his fast-ball at the corners," said Coach Steve Hodges. "Kreminski had two nice defensive plays for us at first base, and Alex Olivier made a nice running catch in the fifth inning."

Joey Morgan and Ben Larson were the hitting stars for the day with both players going 2/3 at the plate.

Two days later, the Outlaws blanked the Tigers 10-0 at home in Sisters. The game was called after five innings due to the ten-run rule.

Sisters scored one run in the first inning, and in the second, Funk once again had a big at-bat for the Outlaws. Ryan, with two outs, sent the ball into right center field for a two-RBI double.

The Outlaws added four runs in the fourth, and tacked on three more in the fifth to secure the win.

Joey Morgan tallied his sixth win on the mound, and remains undefeated on the season.

"Joey primarily had his fast-ball in command, and he got ahead early in the count," stated Hodges.

Morgan was a perfect 2/2 at the plate with two RBI. Joey batted in the two runs with a line-drive single in the fourth. Harrer went 3/3 at the plate and Ben Larson was 2/2. Jonathan Luz hit a double in the fifth for an RBI.

Hodges commented on freshman Ryan Funk and his contributions to the team.

"I am really impressed with Ryan's composure and ability to play at the varsity level as a freshman," said Hodges. "He contributes in a lot of areas; he hits for power, hits for average, and he is a great catcher. Our seniors have a lot of confidence in him when he catches."

Sisters scored 10 runs off of 11 hits, and committed one error. The Tigers had four hits and one error.

Morgan told The Nugget that the Outlaws are very happy with how the season is going thus far, but know they can play even better.

"Early in the season we weren't playing real sharp, but we are starting to come out of it through our play the last few games," stated Morgan. "Our main goal is to improve offensively. We need to get better at manufacturing runs, and hitting with runners in scoring position."

The Outlaws were to play at home against La Pine on Tuesday, May 13. Sisters will travel to La Pine on Friday, May 16, for their last league game of the season, and play at Ridgeview a day later in a non-league contest. The Outlaws are currently 12-0 in league, and 18-2 overall.