PENDLETON – The Hermiston Merchants Heat AAA team opened the Hodgen Distributing American Legion baseball tournament with a 9-1 win Friday against Dave’s Food Mart at Bob White Field.

Hermiston High School graduate and current BMCC Timberwolf Chris Murray allowed no runs and just four hits in four innings on the mound. It was just the second game this summer he has taken to the mound after nearly two years away from pitching.

“Oh boy,” Hermiston coach Dean Kegler said. “Chris was throwing hard, his ball was moving. He hasn’t thrown in over two years and to step out the way he did today was just phenomenal. He threw four really strong innings, which gives us an opportunity to use him later this weekend.”

“My arm felt real good and I was hitting my spots,” Murray said.

Dean Peters gave the Hermiston offense a jump start in the first inning, launching a Brad Winters pitch over the left field wall for a home run that also scored Hoss Veliz, who opened the inning with a single.

“That was definitely an emotional boost for the team,” Kegler said. “Defensively we were sound. I was pleased to see that happen and the team really swung the bats well.”

After Peters’ home run, Winters walked Kevin Skogley, who gave Hermiston a 3-0 lead when he scored on a single by Steve Henderson.

Murray’s defense helped him out in the first, turning a double play after a walk to Winters. Murray then fanned the next three batters.

“They are young and they are still developing,” Dave’s head coach Todd Kligel said. “They were a little intimidated having a college guy come out and throw.”

Jeremy Johnson got the first hit for Dave’s in the second inning after a walk to Jake Calvert, but Murray picked up a strikeout to end the inning. Johnson and Calvert both finished with three hits.

Pendleton did get on the board in the fifth when Adam Doherty singled and Winters reached on a fielder’s choice. A balk by relief pitcher Chris Anderson set up an RBI single by Jason Post.

Calvert doubled in the sixth and Johnson followed with a single but both runners were stranded. Dave’s looked to score in the seventh when a one-out single by Post was followed by two-out singles by Ely Anderson and Calvert, but Hermiston got out of the inning without allowing a run.

“In the later innings, they came alive and they showed signs of being a really good team,” Kligel said of Dave’s.

Hermiston was led at the plate by Chris Cordova, who was 3 for 3. Skogley was 2 for 3 and Henderson and Veliz were 2 for 4 while Peters was 2 for 5.

Sports editor Christopher Halsey can be reached at 1-800-522-0255 (ext. 1-223) or by e-mail at chalsey@eastoregonian.com.