The Mt. Hood Community College baseball team stretched its winning streak to eight games Tuesday, sweeping a doubleheader from the Clackamas Community College Cougars 7-1, 7-1 at home.

Starting pitchers Shannon Wirth and Zach Bird were once again the deciding factor in the games, topping their combined 21 strikeouts against the Lane Titans last week by combining for 23 strikeouts on the way to two complete-game victories.

"Zach and Nate (Fogle, Saints single season strikeout record holder) are the best two pitchers I’ve ever played with,” said Wirth. “And Zach and I are just as good or better than Nate and I were last year."

In the first game, Wirth struck out 13 batters and walked one. "Shannon was electric," said head coach Gabe Sandy. "For him to come out and just be lights-out like he was, it just shows why he’s one of the top guys in the league."

The Cougars only run against Wirth was scored in the top of the fifth inning, when Clackamas second baseman Mike Vaselik was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a single by right fielder Matt Reimer. Wirth hit three batters in the game and said, "That was me trying to throw an inside fastball and just missing. My fastball was missing a little bit today but my breaking stuff was great and my splitter was right on."

The Saints responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs on five singles, a wild pitch and two Clackamas errors.

In the seven-inning nightcap, Bird struck out 10 batters and took a shutout into the sixth inning, when Cougar first baseman Robert Badilla singled home shortstop Lucas Pfaller. The run broke a streak of 26 2/3 scoreless innings for Bird, who had previously pitched three consecutive complete-game shutouts. Three shutouts is the Mt. Hood Community College record for a season, set in 1985 by Timber Mead. Bird came within just four outs from breaking that record.

"We were pretty disappointed for him, coming that close. But to throw 26 scoreless innings, any pitcher at any level anywhere will take that,” said Sandy.

"And after having our only two league losses come down at Clackamas, our main concern was to beat up on them for two games. And that’s what we did," he added.

Bird said, "It bothered me a little (not getting the shutout) but really, just like whenever I pitch, I just wanted to beat them."

The Saints played a rescheduled game against the Chemeketa Storm on Thursday but the results were unavailable at presstime.

They travel to Albany Saturday, taking on the Linn-Benton Roadrunners to finish a stretch of six games in five days. They return home to play a double header against Southwestern Oregon Community College Tuesday at 1 p.m.