Bend Elks split final road trip, play rest of regular season at home starting Tuesday

Published 11:48 am Monday, July 28, 2025

Starting Tuesday, the final seven games of the Bend Elks’ regular season will be played at Vince Genna Stadium with the West Coast League postseason quickly approaching.

The past week, the Elks were on the road and split two three-game series in Washington. The Elks dropped two of three games against the Walla Walla Sweets with two of the three games – an 8-7 loss on Tuesday, a 6-5 loss on Wednesday followed by a 12-7 win on Thursday – being decided by one run.

They followed up the series loss to the Sweets by taking two of three games against the Cowlitz Black Bears. The Elks lost 8-4 on Friday, then won 6-4 on Saturday. On Sunday, they then won a wild game 16-10 in 10 innings, scoring eight runs in the top of the 10th inning to clinch the series.

It was a solid week on the mound for former Summit High pitcher Alex Via.

The soon-to-be freshman at the University of Portland had his best and longest outing of the season in Tuesday’ 8-7 loss to the Sweets. Via got the start, throwing five innings, and allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out seven Sweets batters. He then picked up his first save of the season in the Elks’ 6-4 win over the Black Bears.

Jace Miller, who signed with Oregon State this past week and was named the WCL’s Player of the Week, continued his tear at the plate. In five games last week, he tallied seven hits, scored seven runs and drew four walks. In Sunday’s series-clinching 16-10 win, Miller went 4-for-4 at the plate, drove home three runs and scored twice.

Miller now leads the WCL in batting average (.391). On the season he has 50 hits (16 going for extra bases including three home runs), 34 RBIs, 32 runs and nine stolen bases.

Starting Tuesday, the Elks will host the defending WLC champs, the Portland Pickles, for four games in three days with a double-header being played on Wednesday to make up for canceled games from earlier in the season.

The Elks will conclude their regular season with a three-game series against Cowlitz.

The Elks (25-21 overall) are still in good position to reach the postseason, currently in third place in the South Division behind the Pickles (35-8) and the Corvallis Knights (31-14).

— Bulletin staff report