For the second week in a row, the Bears earned a split against a Sacramento Valley League opponent when, after dropping the series opener 14-6 to visiting Willows on May 3, they bounced back on the road to beat the Honkers 4-1 in extra innings on May 6.
While no statistics were available from the loss, it was a resolute effort from the Bears to grind out a win over third place Willows.
Tied 0-0 after seven innings, Pierce, who managed just two hits to that point, sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the eighth and came away with four runs.
Brayden Hoebel got things started for the Bears by drawing a one-out walk, then advanced on a single by Ryan Travis bringing Kaden Davis to the plate.
Davis, Pierce’s clean-up hitter, came through with a single to right that drove in Hoebel and Travis.
Luke Myers accounted for the third hit of the inning, a double which plated Davis, then came around to score on an error.
Travis finished 2 for 4 with a double to lead Pierce, while Hoebel also doubled.
Yet, it was Hoebel’s work on the mound that was even more impressive, as he punched out seven, allowed just two hits, and kept the Honkers off the board for seven innings, before giving way to Myers, who closed out the final frame.
Pierce (9-14, 7-8) finished conference play as the fifth place team in the SVL and is awaiting the release of the Northern Section CIF Division IV playoff brackets, which were released on Wednesday, after the Pioneer Review print deadline.
Likely the No. 5 seed, the Bears should return to action on Friday in a first-round game. ■
