Drifters Break Franchise Wins Record with 11-2 Win vs Bend
(Photo by Ella Poor)
By Dillon Zamperin
SPRINGFIELD — In the fifth season of Springfield Drifters’ baseball, the 2026 team set a new franchise record with 23 wins after defeating the Bend Elks (19-33, 18-24) 11-2 on Monday night.
After tying the franchise win record in 2025, the Drifters (23-29, 20-23) have already made significant improvements in their second season under Head Coach Jeff Lyle, especially during the second half of the season.
“Tonight’s win was great [and] we set the record,” Assistant Coach Dom Graziano said. “Very proud of the guys and I’m very, very grateful to be welcomed here.”
Springfield’s strong second half continued in Monday night’s wire-to-wire win, seeing five runs score in the first inning. Following two hit-by-pitches and a groundout that scored three runs, redshirt sophomore Nick Gimino lined a ball out to right-center field for a two-RBI double.
After a difficult stretch at the plate before Monday’s game, the infielder from Oregon Tech capped his night by going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored.
“I feel great. Sticking to the approach matters no matter what day it is,” Gimino said.
The scoring continued into the second inning when Cooper Mullens scored on a double from Zach Story. Mullens, a redshirt junior second baseman at Michigan, doubled during his at-bat in the second and finished the game with three hits, one walk and three runs scored. Story, a junior third baseman from UC Davis, continued his hot streak at the plate, recording two RBIs, two hits and a hit by pitch, refusing to cool off.
Momentum carried into the third inning with a sacrifice fly from Hunter Meyer. The Drifters’ sophomore outfielder Cal State Fullerton remains one of the best hitters on the team in a complete all-around great game for Meyer. He recorded a single, scored a run and even threw a scoreless ninth inning, topping out at 89 MPH on the mound.
After a week of historics for the Drifters, one more record was broken on Monday night by Aiden Gebhard. With one out in the third, the graduate outfielder/left-handed pitcher from Northwest Nazarene took off for second, successfully stealing the bag and taking it out of the ground in the process.
Gebhard set a new franchise record with 31 steals, passing Jack Brooks’ record set last year. He also went 1-for-1 with a single, two walks and a run scored.
“It was exciting. You saw him kind of Rickey Henderson it out there, hold the bag up,” Graziano said. “It was a pretty cool moment, and luckily we had everyone in the dugout. His improvement over the season, even on the mound, showed why he needs to be in the lineup every day. I’m very happy for him and really pumped for him”
As the fourth inning rolled around, the Drifters’ offense refused to slow down. Three more runs were put on the board in the fourth, following singles to start the inning from Nolan Miller, Story and Chase Nye. All three would come around to score to bring the lead up to 10 less than halfway through the game.
Springfield’s offense would put another run across the board for the fifth straight inning after Nye drove in Mullens on a single. The Bushnell University senior shortstop finished a fantastic game going 2-for-3 with two hit-by-pitches, two singles and two RBIs.
Seven of the nine Drifters starters recorded at least one hit in the blowout victory. Additionally, Springfield kept the basepaths occupied with runners reaching base in every inning and totaled 14 hits on the night.
“Dean [Stiles] spoke of passing the baton with the pitchers, and I think the hitters have the same mindset,” Graziano said. “It’s not just nine different guys at one time. It’s one lineup that’s trying to beat you.”
Linfield University senior Matthew Tacheny took the mound for the Drifters and pitched four scoreless innings to start the game. The right-hander, in just his second appearance of the season and first start, threw 57 pitches while striking out one.
“He was very good on his first pitch strikes and just getting guys ahead in counts and getting guys out,” Graziano said. “Him to go four for us tonight was big.”
The next four innings were taken by Blake Freese, Evan Chan and Drew Miller, who allowed a combined two runs. Freese took the first 1.2 innings while Chan completed the next 1.1 and Miller pitched the next frame. Meyer took the final inning, throwing up a zero to finish the game.
The Drifters will look to win another series on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday is Back to School Night and Hope Project Backpack Giveaway. Get ready for the school year thanks to our friends at The Hope Project! Students in attendance will receive a backpack along with other goodies to help them gear up for the fall.
Tickets are available online at driftersbaseball.com. The game will be streamed on the Springfield Drifters’ YouTube Channel or on the WCL Live App for free.