Butte and Feather River Split Doubleheader as Roadrunners Take Conference Lead

The Butte College Roadrunners entered Saturday's home doubleheader against Feather River with a 10-5 record, fresh off a 5-3 victory in Quincy on Friday behind a strong seven-inning outing from Jordan Riley. The teams split the twin bill, with Feather River taking Game 1 and Butte responding with a dominant Game 2 win to move into a tie for first place in the Golden Valley Conference.

Game 1: Feather River 7, Butte 4

The Roadrunners fell behind early in the opener, surrendering single runs in the first and fourth innings and two in the second to trail 4-0.

Butte began its comeback attempt in the fifth when Ryan Pearson was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. A walk by Carter Imbach put two runners on, and Aidan Robles advanced both with a sacrifice bunt. Pearson later scored on a wild pitch, and after walks to Riley Pimentel and Grant Sonke, Trent Van Nuys worked a bases-loaded walk to force in another run. Another wild pitch brought home Butte's third run of the inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

However, Feather River responded with three more runs to extend its lead. The Roadrunners' final bright spot came when Jason Olsen launched a solo home run, but it wasn't enough as Butte fell 7-4.

Game 2: Butte 8, Feather River 1

Both teams entered the second game having won on the road in the opening series of conference play. Feather River struck first in the first inning, scoring an unearned run after a pickoff attempt by Mason Ali went awry. But that was all the Golden Eagles would get.

In the third, Butte took control. Walks by Imbach and Drew Carrington set the stage, and Alonso Rivera's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Sonke then delivered a clutch two-run single to put Butte ahead for good.

The Roadrunners added to their lead in the sixth when Van Nuys singled and Jaden Thomson brought him home with an RBI hit. The offense exploded in the seventh, starting with a single by Payton Buttacavoli, followed by a walk to Rivera and a hit-by-pitch to Santos to load the bases. Sonke came through again with a two-run double, and Van Nuys followed with another double to drive in two more. An error from Feather River allowed Butte's eighth and final run to score.

Ali was dominant on the mound, tossing six strong innings, while Gino Marble closed the game with a three-inning save—his third of the season and second of the weekend.

Looking Ahead

With the split, Butte improves to 11-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play, tying for the conference lead. Feather River, also 11-6 and 1-2 in conference play, falls into a tie for last place. The Roadrunners will be back in action next weekend with a three-game series at home against College of the Siskiyous.