BEND – The Pendleton baseball team buried the Mountain View Cougars with 15 runs on 15 hits to open their Saturday doubleheader with a 15-2 win in six innings.

But the Cougars battled in the second game, scoring on a controversial squeeze in the bottom of the eight inning to win 6-5.

Isaac Henslee continued his dominance of the IMC in the opener and although his five innings on the mound was longer than coach Greg Whitten wanted to throw his ace, Henslee threw just 70 pitches.

With two twinbills against The Dalles Wahtonka (12-10, 11-5 IMC) and Bend (16-5, 13-3 IMC) on the slate for the upcoming week, Whitten said his goal going into the three-game series was to start Logan Whitten, Dan Fisher and Henslee and pitch them two or three innings.

“I wanted to yank the pitchers early but I couldn’t,” Whitten said. “(Mountain View) hits the ball as well as anybody that we’ve played in our league. I’m really surprised that their record is what it is.”

Jake Talbot went to rope calves at the Prineville high school rodeo in the morning before the games, then hit a pair of doubles in the opener.

“He had a hell of a day so he can do that anytime,” Whitten said.

Dan Fisher was hit with the loss in the nightcap when the Bucks (15-5, 13-3 IMC) couldn’t score a runner from second in the eighth and the Cougars scored on a very close squeeze that went in favor of the home team.

Ryan Smith played well behind the plate in place of Dannon Baker, who is out indefinitely for academic reasons. Smith recorded a double in each game, as did senior shortstop Gabe Rowe.

The split puts Pendleton in a tie with Bend for first place with four games remaining. The two teams will meet in Pendleton on Saturday, May 16.

The Bucks will play at The Dalles Wahtonka on Tuesday while Bend will play Crook County.

PHS JV 6-11, MVHS JV 2-0 – In Bend, Jeff Eickstaedt struck out 12 and recorded a pair of hits in the Bucks’ 6-2 win to open their doubleheader with Mountain View Saturday.

Tyler Zyph then went the distance in the 11-0, five-inning nightcap. Daniel Lebsock recorded two hits in Game 1 and Levin Fox and Colby Haliewicz had a pair of hits in Game 2.