UNION The Heppner Mustangs won a pair of one-run games on the first day of the Union Spring Bash Friday by identical 5-4 decisions.

Each game came down to the final inning, and in Game 2 against the host Union team, that final inning was in extra time.

Tied 4-4 after the regulation seven innings, Heppner (5-1) was able to push across a run in the top of the ninth behind some small-ball tactics. Sam Lemmon led off the frame with a single before moving around the entire diamond behind productive outs. She scored on a groundout to the right side from Maggie Collins to put the Mustangs ahead for good.

One base at a time was how Heppner took their entire day. Sidney Coster had three walks in the second game and the team totalled a trio of scoring sacrifices between the contests.

We were happy to do it, coach Petra Payne said. Its something weve struggled with but were very successful at (Friday).

Union (2-4) was only in the game because of two errors in the third inning by Heppner that contributed to all four Bobcat runs.

The early game against Colton also ended 5-4, but only after Colton mounted a rally in the seventh inning. Up by a pair, the Vikings (1-2) scored on a wild pitch before pitcher Bailey Bennett could get out of the jam. The game ended with two more Colton runners on base.

Bennett pitched 16 innings on the day between the two games and will start todays contest against Dayton as well, Payne said. That game starts at 2 p.m.

Bennett also hit a home run and a double both coming in the second game. Micha Hintz was the lone Mustang with multiple hits in the Colton game, finishing 2 for 3.

PILOT?ROCK 13, PINE?EAGLE?3 In Pilot Rock, the Rockets downed Pine Eagle 13-3 in five innings of a scheduled doubleheader, but thats all the teams were able to get in on a rainy day. Game 2 was called off because of weather and things were awfully wet in the first go-around as well, Rockets coach Darin Fitzpatrick said.

It was really wet and we had to change balls pretty often, he said. It can be hard to (pitch well) with wet balls, but (Ginni Harrison) did a great job.

Harrison struck out five batters while limiting Pine Eagle to three hits in the victory. Two of the Spartans runs were unearned, coming on Pilot Rock errors.

The Rockets offense was blasting with six of the nine starters in the lineup finishing with multiple hits. They were led by Britteny Taylor 2 for 3 with two doubles and Jessie Doherty 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

Pilot Rock scored eight runs in the second inning by stringing along hit after hit, eight total in the inning to go with three walks.

The Rockets season schedule is marked by blowouts. When they win, they win big, averaging almost nine runs better than their opponent. The same goes for the losses, though. When Pilot Rock loses, it is also outscored by an average of nine runs per game.

Its all about momentum, Fitzpatrick said. If you get the momentum early, it seems to carry through the game.