It became clear during the four-game losing streak that the Bend High baseball team needed to get back to the basics.

And not just the basics on the diamond.

“You start thinking you are pretty good and disregarding all the little things, and we kinda did that,” said Bend coach Quinn Clair. “We had to get back to doing the little things right. And when I’m talking about the little things I’m talking about being on time, wearing the right uniform, having all the right gear. We weren’t doing that for those games.”

And the little things showed up on the field as well in Bend’s 4-1 win over Summit Friday afternoon to win the series.

A walk and two bunts set the stage for senior shortstop Will Goodman to drive home the winning runs in the seventh inning with a bases-clearing double. Junior pitcher Cole Cooper threw a complete game and the defense in the field was stellar.

“We played really good baseball today,” Clair said. “As a coach, I’m really proud of the kids for being able to bounce back after that bad week, practicing hard and flipped the switch.”

Moments after Goodman roped a bases-loaded double into left-center field to drive home what proved to be the game-winning runs, a flock of Ridgeview baseball players arrived at Summit’s baseball field to watch the Lava Bears put the defending Intermountain Conference-champion Ravens back into first place.

Heading into the final week of IMC play, Ridgeview now holds the top spot (15-5 overall, 10-2 IMC), followed by Summit (15-6, 9-3) and Bend (15-8, 7-5).

The Lava Bears got back-to-back brilliant pitching performances against the Storm. Summit took the first game with a 10-0 win on Tuesday as senior pitcher Alex Via was nearly unhittable. Then junior Marcio Silva went six innings of shutout ball while striking out seven batters in Bend’s 5-0 win to even the series on Wednesday.

On Friday, with the series on the line, Cooper followed Silva’s suit. The junior right-hander threw a complete game, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out three batters.

“Marcio Silva carved for us on Wednesday and really set the tone for us,” Clair said. “Cole came in today and just battled. We are going to have to ride those horses the rest of the way.”

With how he felt during his bullpen session before the game, the signs weren’t pointing to a strong outing for Cooper.

“I wasn’t feeling great,” Cooper said. “But I knew that I just had to keep grinding. Reset after failures or missed calls and just keep going.”

Cooper wasn’t the only pitcher dealing in Friday’s pitchers’ duel. Summit’s senior Carter Hess threw four innings and allowed only one run. Through six innings, both teams only managed one run.

Bend scored its first run on a bases-loaded walk by senior left fielder Lewis Knapp in the fourth inning, then Summit answered in the sixth inning when junior left fielder Jackson Parker hit an RBI triple to even the score in the sixth inning.

The game seemed destined for extra innings heading into the seventh inning, especially when Via came out of the bullpen for the Storm. Via had thrown a one-hitter over five innings earlier in the series.

But this time, the Lava Bears were ready to face one of the state’s top arms. With the outfield and infield playing in to protect and try to keep the game tied, Goodman came through with a big swing to lift the Lava Bears to victory.

“I’ve had so many at bats against him growing up,” Goodman said. “It has been a lot of fun playing against him and with him. I was just trying to go up there and compete. I was just excited to have the bat at that moment.”

Summit had been cruising through IMC play, having won nine straight conference games. After their first conference loss of the year, the Storm are now a game back of Ridgeview in the standings heading into the final series of IMC play.

The final week of IMC play begins on Tuesday. Bend High will play three games against Mountain View starting Tuesday and Friday’s game is scheduled for Vince Genna Stadium. Summit will play its three-game series against Caldera starting on Tuesday.

“We are as good as we want to be,” Goodman said. “We are mentally tough. When we bring the energy like we did the last two games, it shows.”