REDDING, Calif. - The 2024 baseball season was underway this weekend as Simpson took on Eastern Oregon University on Saturday at 2 PM.

This was the first ever "opening day" on Simpson University's brand-new baseball field. 

The weather forecast created unique circumstances that pushed Saturday's scheduled doubleheader into an afternoon-night contest.

But the first game was halted in the seventh inning due to the heavy rain.

Eric Winchester returned as the Red Hawks' opening-day starter for the second year in a row as he looked to take on the Mountaineer lineup. 

Winchester had a solid outing as he threw 76 pitches for five complete innings. His final line was zero runs, seven strikeouts, one walk, and one hit batsman. 

The Red Hawks and Mountaineers had themselves a classic pitching duel through the first seven innings. 

Simpson drew first blood in the bottom half of the third inning when two-time All-Conference Honorable Mention Logan Gomes reached on an error. 

Newcomer Alex Tolbert made the Mountaineers pay as he hit a no-doubt two-run shot to give Simpson the 2-0 lead. 

Eastern Oregon looked to make some noise with a lead-off single to start the fifth inning. 

However, Winchester would shut the door on the Mountaineers as he would strike out the side to end his day. 

Eddie Avalos came into the sixth inning in relief of Winchester. 

A one-out walk and a balk issued by Avalos came back to bite the Red Hawks as an ensuing RBI double got EOU on the board, 2-1.

But the oncoming rain halted the game in the seventh after a Brady Meeds hit by pitch and Keelan Yagi single. 

The game picked back up the following day at 2 PM. 

The game resumed with the Red Hawks threatening in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third with one out. 

But the Mountaineers limited the damage as they allowed one run on an errant throw from the catcher on a back pick to third base.

Eastern Oregon answered back in the eighth with a run but the Red Hawks exploded in the bottom half with four runs. 

Back-to-back singles by Dominic Folks and Max Lopez followed by a huge RBI double by Micah Kele extended Simpson's lead. 

Brady Meeds contributed with a sac fly followed by a Logan Gomes RBI double to give Simpson a 7-2 lead as they headed into the ninth. 

A late Mountaineers rally came up short as Logan Boenker closed out the Red Hawks' first win of the year. 

Winchester picked up the win while Tolbert and Kele accounted for two hits each. 

Game 2 of the day featured Garrett Brogdon on the bump for the Red Hawks. 

Like the first game, this looked to be a pitcher's duel as EOU led 1-0 through the first four innings. 

A Kade Kupihea hit by pitch helped set up a big fifth inning followed by a Titus Sato single. A Folks walk followed by an Alex Tolbert hit by pitch platted a run. 

A Mountaineer error helped aid Simpson's rally as they kept the bases loaded. 

Kele made EOU pay as he singled to plate another Red Hawks run. 

But the Mountaineers answered back with three runs to take the 6-3 lead. 

Timely hitting in the sixth helped Simpson reclaim the lead. 

Another Kupihea hit by pitch to start the inning set up Titus Sato's RBI triple. Tolbert had a clutch two-out single to plate the fifth run of the game for Simpson. 

The Mountaineers scratched one across in the top of the seventh but the Red Hawks took its first lead of the game in the bottom half. 

Back-to-back singles by Brady Meeds and Kupihea helped set up a big inning. Sato would have a big team at bat by pushing across another run on a ground ball to the first baseman. 

Folks would have a huge single to score Kupihea to tie the game at seven followed by a Gomes single to set up a first and third situation. A wild pitch would allow pinch runner Andreyes Palacios to score the go-ahead run. 

However, the Mountaineers would answer back with a huge inning by putting up a crooked number to grab the 11-8 lead. 

The Red Hawks could not mount a late comeback and the Mountaineers took game two by the score of 11-8. 

Sato would have a team-high three hits followed by two-hit games by Kupihea, Tolbert, and Folks. 

Simpson will continue the series tomorrow against EOU in a doubleheader that will start at 10 AM.