EPHRATA — Winter in the Columbia Basin had one more trick up its sleeve. Intended as a two-day tournament, a Friday snowstorm forced the 2026 Johnson-O'Brien Baseball Classic into a single-day format featuring five-inning games.

And despite opening temperatures around 35 degrees and a biting windchill on Saturday, the host Tigers ran into two sharp pitching performances they couldn't crack, droppping a 6-2 decision to St. Bernard's Academy of Eureka, California in their opener before being blanked 10-0 by the Orting Cardinals of western Washington.

St. Bernard's 6, Ephrata 2

The visiting Crusaders wasted no time, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the opening contest.

Ephrata responded in the bottom of the frame. Mitchell Johnson and Cooper Vasquez both reached base on St. Bernard's errors and Cale Fronsman's groundout RBI brought Johnson home and tied the score at 1-1.

Ephrata's second run in the bottom of the fourth came the hard way. Andrew Rowlands swatted a two-out single to left, then advanced to third when the Crusaders mishandled an infield grounder by Charles Poirrier. Dayne Holland entered to pinch run for Poirrier, attempted to steal second, and got caught in a rundown, but Rowlands was able to score before Holland was tagged out to end the inning.

St. Bernard's padded its lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth and held the Tigers scoreless in the bottom of the final frame.

On the mound for St. Bernard's was Luke Brunton, the reigning MVP of the Crusaders' Northern California league. The senior was sharp from the start, needing only 65 pitches to go the distance. Overcoming his team's three errors, Brunton limited Ephrata to two runs on five hits while striking out five.

Tiger pitchers Vasquez and Poirrier only gave up three hits combined, but the Crusaders took advantage of nine walks and 10 stolen bases to fuel their offense.

Afterward, Ephrata coach David Tempel said improving pitch command will be a priority.

"This gives us some really good data on the importance of getting ahead of batters and consistency around the zone," Tempel said. "Early games like this give us a chance to evaluate pitchers and structure plans to help our guys be as consistent as possible."

At the plate, Tempel felt positive by what he saw from Tiger batters — Kai Kaleohano, Clayton Wolther, Poirrier and Vasquez each produced a hit against a good pitcher, his lineup made contact, and they largely kept strikeouts in check.

"I liked the amount of bat-to-ball contact we had throughout the day," he said. "As we see more live arms in practice and in games, player timing and pitch selection will continue to improve."

Orting 10, Ephrata 0

Ephrata couldn't find much success against Orting's Gabe Schrader Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals' right-hander allowed just two hits, no walks and no runs over five innings.

"He was consistently in and around the zone, which led to our guys being aggressive early in counts," Tempel said. "He did a really good job of mixing his looks. I liked our aggression, and our pitch selection will continue to improve."

Orting didn't waste time, either, sending nine batters to the plate in the first inning and scoring three runs before Ephrata recorded an out. Jayden Schoenbachler capped the Cardinals' scoring with a solo home run in the fifth, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk.

Control remained elusive for Tiger pitchers Cale Fronsman, Landen Stephens, Clayton Wolther and Caleb Froewiss, with the rotation allowing a combined 12 walks.

Both teams ran the bases well with a collective total of 17 stolen bases, something Tempel identified as a focus for practice this week.

"This is a great reminder of the importance of holding runners and controlling the running game," he said. "This will be a focus as we close out non-conference play and move into conference."

Kaleohano and Froewiss produced Ephrata's only hits. Kaleohano went 2-for-2 across both games, including a pinch-hit line drive against Orting that Tempel applauded.

"He had a great approach and was rewarded with a solid line drive in a pinch-hit opportunity," Tempel said.

The Tiger coach also praised Poirrier for his play in right field against St. Bernard's and an inning-ending catch-and-throw against Orting. Catcher Mitchell Johnson got a shout-out, too.

"Mitch Johnson was a wall behind the dish, especially in the second game," Tempel said. "We were also able to minimize errors throughout the day, and we'll need to continue to be solid defensively."

Ephrata travels to Pasco to face Sageview on Tuesday, March 17, first pitch at 4:30 p.m., then returns home to Johnson-O'Brien Stadium on Saturday, March 21 to host Aberdeen in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.