Rockets win, end losing skid

FORT WAYNE — Any potential anniversary curse is no more.

The Portland Rockets got their first win of the season on Tuesday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in three innings and hanging on for a 6-4 victory against the Fort Wayne Blues at Carrington Field.

It snapped a four-game losing streak for the Rockets, who are playing in their 60th season.

Fort Wayne threatened in the bottom of the ninth with runners on base and one out, but the Rockets turned their fourth and final double play to end the game. 

Second baseman Carsten White threw to shortstop Zach Tanner to begin the twin killing, and Tanner fired over to Malave Bettinger at first.

Tanner led the Rocket offense with three hits. Jacob Morris and Elias Inskeep had two hits each, with Morris hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning for a Portland insurance run. 

The Rockets had a 14-8 edge in hits against the Blues.

Chandler Jacks scattered seven hits over six innings and walked one. Chase Ruiz came in to pitch the ninth to get the save.

Early lead lifts PG-14

A four-run first inning lifted PG-14 past Inman U-Loc 6-1 on Tuesday in Portland Junior League’s Willie Mays division.

Izzy McAbee led PG-14 with a triple and two RBIs, and Leighton Brown chipped in a double. Canyon Nichols drove in two runs on a single, and Nick Snow also had an RBI.

Gavin Byrum notched the only hit, a double, for Inman.



Optimist falls

Portland Optimist came up short in a 6-5 loss to Lions Club in their Willie Mays contest.

Dominick Bright tripled, singled and scored once for Optimist as his team’s only two hits. Max Klopfenstein drew three walks, while Shawn Harrell, Sam Wiggins and Haydon Ison had two walks apiece.

Alex Miller had two singles in the win for the Lions. Cole Carpenter, Eli Stockton, Aryon Montes and Chase Bragg all singled as well.