Senior Kyle Stewart used his baseball bat and his right arm to secure Joseph High School’s first win of the season.

Tied with Timberlake High School of Idaho in the March 21 Orofino Tournament, Stewart singled home a run in the extra inning. Minutes later, he took to the mound and pitched the final three outs to save a 4-3 victory. Stewart pitched twice more over the weekend, but the Eagles lost both games.

“I saw a lot of progress, from the John Day (Tourney) to now,” coach Tony Gross said. “We’re starting to hit the ball – just right at people. Soon, those will fall in for hits. We fielded cleanly, played a good solid defense. We’ve just about got our defense figured out. A couple more games, everything will be settled.”

The Eagles (1-5 overall record) battled in a low-scoring pitcher’s duel. Junior Gavin Baynes started, and he fanned seven hitters in just five innings. Out of the bullpen, senior K.C. Kunkle struck out two and earned the win. Stewart notched a strikeout in his inning

In the fifth, Joseph junior Will Garrett walked with the bases loaded to force in a run for a 2-1 lead. But Timberlake scored in the sixth. In the extra frame, junior Caleb DeBoie batted home a run. Stewart added another for insurance, and it proved necessary. Timberlake’s Jason Edwards doubled home a run in the bottom of the eighth and stood in scoring position, but Stewart squelched the late rally.

The next day, Joseph struggled to score. Bonners Ferry High School held an 11-2 lead when the game expired on its two-hour time limit. Later, Orofino blanked Joseph, 6-0. Senior Corby Makin started on the mound for the Eagles and pitched well, but as Gross put it, “the error monster came back.” Untimely miscues helped Orofino score in the first and third innings. Joseph totaled five errors.

For a while, the Eagles are sticking to the road with their first home game still two weeks away. Next, on March 29, they go to Colton, Wash.