via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
SURPRISE/PHOENIX, Ariz. – Oregon Tech completed the first weekend of the 2026 season with a split doubleheader sweep, topping Ottawa (Ariz.) in an afternoon match-up, 6-3, before dominating Nelson (Ariz.), 19-1.
The Hustlin’ Owls combined for 24 hits on the day and road a pair of quality starts to improve to 3-1 on the young season.
Noah Loew pitched Tech to a key series win against OUAZ (8-5), tossing five innings of one-run ball, striking out four. He was helped by an offense that stole 10 bases in the contest – including a school-record tying five from Cal Pickhardt.
Aiden Lundquist got the win in the late game, throwing five shutout innings, with the Owls building a 16-0 lead after four innings.
In the opener, the Owls got RBI singles from Pickhardt in the second and Jacob Cook in the third to take a 2-0 lead, but the Spirit (8-5) cut the margin to 2-1 in the third on a Camden Knutsen single and had a chance to tie the score, but Tech cut down a runner trying to score from second.
OIT extended the margin to 6-1 after six innings, as Cook drove in a fifth inning run with a sacrifice fly and both Pickhardt and Nick Gimino added sixth inning RBI singles.
OUAZ strung together five eighth inning hits to plate two runs, but Kaden Melzer fanned consecutive batters to end the threat.
Pickhardt finished 2-for-3, with his stolen base total equaling the mark first established by Kai Fong in 2017. Andrew Sharp added a 3-for-5 game and Dylan Edwards had a pair of hits in the win.
Under the lights, the Owls used a 15-hit attack to topple the NCCAA Warriors (3-8).
Cook opened the scoring with a first inning RBI double and Pickhardt added a 2-run knock, with Cook making it 6-0 in the second with a 2-run single.
Aiden Corkery and Logan Macy had RBI singles in the third to push the lead to 9-0, while the Owls batted around for seven fourth inning runs – capped by a 3-run homer from Logan Pontecorvo.
Lundquist worked around six hits in his OIT debut, striking out six. Corkery was 3-for-4 with three RBI, Macy was 2-for-4 with two RBI, with both Cook and Pickhardt going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
The Owls will have Sunday and Monday off, before meeting Benedictine Mesa in a Tuesday doubleheader.
