The North Bend baseball team came up big with four runs in the 10th inning to beat La Salle 9-5 in the Class 4A state quarterfinals Friday.

North Bend hosts Newport Tuesday for a trip to the state championship game.

There were heroes for the Bulldogs, but coach Brad Horning mainly chalked the victory up to a team effort.

“In a 10-inning ball game that kind of seesawed back and forth, we got contributions for our entire club,” he said. “It’s really nice when you can get something out of everybody and not have any dead spots.”

The game, which was played on FieldTurf at Wilsonville because LaSalle’s facility was unplayable, featured two ties and four lead changes as the two ball clubs took three extra innings to sort things out.

In the top of the 10th, North Bend was able to load the bases with one out. Sean Jany got things started for the Bulldogs with a lead-off single, and Bruce Ohlrich and Dalton Iveans followed with their own line-drive singles. Alex Clark then walked and Jany strolled home. A huge two-run double from Ethan Ottemiller put North Bend up by four.

“Those were all good at-bats,” said Horning. “We don’t just get one run, we got four. It provided a nice cushion.”

La Salle threatened in the bottom of the 10th, however.

The Falcons put runners on first and second with a lead-off walk and a base hit, all with no outs.

On a ground ball to third, though, Ohlrich gathered the ball, tagged third and made the throw to first, where Iveans dug it out of the dirt to complete the double play.

“That was a great play,” said Horning.

Pitcher Bryce Weidman then struck the next batter out to end the game.

Weidman took the mound in the fourth inning and went on to tally nine strikeouts. He replaced starter Kale Forrester, who had four strikeouts.

North Bend almost had the game won after the top of the fifth. With his team trailing 4-2, Ottemiller smacked a triple. Skyler Walton then took first when he was drilled by a pitch, and he advanced as Forrester walked to load the bases.

Weidman then walked to bring Ottemiller home, and Jany, stepping in as a pinch hitter, drove in a two-run single to put the Bulldogs up 5-4.

The Falcons came back to tie the game at five in the bottom of the fifth, though, and the game was scoreless until the 10th.

The Bulldogs had 13 hits in the game, and on the artificial surface base hits went a long way — literally.

“The ball got into the gaps and it would run to the fence,” said Horning. “Both teams played very, very well defensively, though.”

There were no home runs in the game, perhaps because dead center field at the Wilsonville ball park is a whopping 426 feet from home plate.  

Ottemiller did rack up two doubles and a triple during a 4-for-5 day at the plate, though, and both Ohlrich and Walton were 2-for-4.

La Salle smacked eight hits, as Mike Oborn, Joe O’Neill and Mychal Barrel all tallied doubles in the game.

North Bend advances to play Newport in the semifinals at home at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Clyde Allen Field.

The Cubs handed the Bulldogs one of their two losses — though that game was in Newport.

“We’ve seen them earlier in the year,” said Horning. “We’re just going to get some rest and then get after on Monday.”

Admission Tuesday is $7 for adults and $5 for students.

The winner Tuesday will face the winner of a game between Astoria and either Ontario or Sisters. Those two teams were rained out in their quarterfinal at Sisters on Friday and now are scheduled to play today.

The championship game will be held next Saturday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer as part of a tripleheader that also includes the finals for both Class 6Aand Class 5A.

Vikings eliminated

Astoria topped Siuslaw 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 4A state playoffs.

The Vikings grabbed the early lead with a run in the first. However, The Fishermen began a rally, scoring a run in the second, third and sixth innings and adding three more in the seventh.

Jordan Poyer pitched a four-hitter with eight strikeouts for Astoria.

Drew Rainwater hit a triple for the Vikings. Zach Laxague drove in one run for Siuslaw.

SOFTBALL

Panthers lose

Willamina knocked Gold Beach out of the running for the Class 3A state championship on Friday, shutting out the Panthers 4-0.

The Bulldogs scored all the runs in the fifth inning, starting with a two-run home run. The next two runs came after Gold Beach pitcher Molly Hockema walked two batters and gave up a two-run double.

Hockema walked eight and hit two while throwing 12 strikeouts.

The game ended the season for the Sunset Conference champion Panthers.

“We had a good season,” said Gold Beach coach Jerry Ross. “We will learn from this. We want to go a little farther next year but we shouldn’t be disappointed.”