Baseball Recap: Pilot Rock Starts Season with Defeat at Home

Pilot Rock unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Umatilla Vikings on Tuesday. If the Rockets were looking for revenge after losing 13-3 to the Vikings when the teams met back in March of 2024, then they'll just have to keep looking.

Krister Litfin was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. Litfin was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

In other batting news, Deacon Gourlie was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Pilot Rock wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next game, a 20-5 loss against Riverside on the 21st. As for Umatilla, they have also already played their next contest, a 5-2 victory against Sherman on the 19th.