The Black Bears are on the road again, heading to Oregon’s capital to play the Marion Berries for the first time ever at Chemeketa CC. The Berries swept the Black Bears at David Story Field in their first matchup from June 10-12.
Cowlitz lost two of three against the Bend Elks, dropping the season series to 2-4 heading into their final series back at Vince Genna Stadium next week.
Game one was close until the end. Early scoring had the game at 4-3 Bend after three innings. Jarett Sabol hit an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game at four each. After a couple more scoreless innings, the Bears would blow it open in the eighth. Matt Priest hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, with the throw from Vinny Salvione going to the backstop and scoring two. Jeramiah Crain would extend the lead with a two-run double, scoring both Priest and Brayden Oram. Camden Oram, alongside Kieran Markusen, combined for 5.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Game two was the opposite, as the Black Bears had an early 3-0 lead before the Elks immediately responded with three in the third inning. Matt Dobson’s RBI single in the sixth would give them the lead, and some insurance in the eighth made it 6-3. Cowlitz only managed one run in the final seven innings, Liam Barrett’s RBI single not enough to spark a comeback.
It was a very wild Sunday rubber match, with 26 combined runs in 10 innings. More early scoring from both teams had the Elks up 7-3 after three innings. Cowlitz slowly clawed its way back. Barrett’s two-run HR in the fifth made it 7-5. Down two in the eighth, Crain hit an RBI single, with Indy Anderson’s fielder’s choice tying the game after Oram made his way home from third. Sabol gave the Bears the lead after another RBI single. Bend would tie things back up at eight with a Teddy Tokheim single, and the game would head to extra innings. Everything unraveled for Cowlitz in the 10th. Two errors, multiple walks, good clutch hitting and overall momentum on the Elks’ side saw eight runs cross the plate in the first extra frame, making it 16-8. The Bears scored two in the bottom half but had no chance, dropping game three.
Crain had another two-hit game Sunday, going 4-13 in the series and increasing his average to .333 with 7 RBI. Barrett hit his second HR on Sunday and walked four times, raising his walk total to 23 in 25 games. The Bears as a team walked 12 times in game three, but overall, there were 21 walks and 6 HBP in the finale between both teams. Sabol had two three-hit games in the series, finishing 6-14 with 3 RBI. Luke Kovac went 3-5 on Sunday in his second game with the Bears this season.
Don’t miss out on any of our exclusive promotions! Join the Black Bears on Friday, August 1, for the final Fibre Friday of the year, where all fans who present a Fibre FCU card at the ticket gate will get $5 off their admission into the ballpark! Saturday, August 2, is the Corby the Bear bobblehead giveaway! Head to the ballpark early and be a part of the first 500 fans through the gates to pick up your one-of-a-kind collectible presented by Dick Hannah Toyota. Sunday, August 3, is the final Kids in Free Sunday of the season, where all kids 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by a paid adult, thanks to our friends at PeaceHealth and The Daily News.
Marion is coming off a sweep against the Walla Walla Sweets at Borleske Stadium, with their offense as hot as it has been all season. They scored 44 runs in three games against the Sweets.
Game one was a 9-1 win, scoring five in the third and three in the fifth, never looking back. Things started to get crazy in game two. The Berries scored early and often, leading 17-1 after four innings. Two more in the sixth and four in the seventh made it 23-3. They took their foot off the gas just a bit and let the Sweets score four, winning 23-7. Seven Berries had two or more hits, Breckin Hadley going 5-6 and Paul Vazquez driving in 6 runs. Both teams would also combine for 13 errors, which led to Sweets starter Ben Reimers giving up 12 runs but only 5 ER. Game three was more offense for the Berries, but a bit closer. They scored nine in the second inning and were up 10-1. The Sweets made it 10-6, but Marion scored two in the seventh. A four-run response made it 12-10, but neither offense could muster up a run the rest of the game.
After this series, the Berries now have seven players hitting over .300 this season. They have a big three of Cade Goldstein, Andrew Mhoon and Paul Vazquez. Goldstein leads the team in runs (39), hits (45), walks (30) and doubles (12). Mhoon leads in AVG (.356) and triples (3). Vazquez leads in HR (5) and RBI (33).
After this series, the Black Bears play their final three games at David Story Field against the Yakima Valley Pippins. Cowlitz swept the Pippins on June 6-8 at Yakima County Stadium. The Berries play their final series of the season after this, and it’s a weird one. They play at home for two games against the Portland Pickles before going to Walker Stadium to play the third game, their last of the regular season.
The Black Bears-Berries series begins on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Chemeketa CC. Games two and three on Wednesday and Thursday will also begin at 6:35 p.m. For more information about upcoming games, stats, or tickets, follow us on social media: X (Twitter) (@CowlitzBBears), Facebook, and Instagram (@cowlitzblackbears). To watch, listen live, or view the 2025 promotional schedule, go to our website, cowlitzblackbears.com.