QUINCY--Visiting Butte College built a 5-1 lead and then held off a late charge from host Feather River to win the opener of the 2025 Golden Valley Conference baseball season, 5-3.

It was the first home game of the year for the Golden Eagles, played in front of 169 fans at the Eagles Nest. The two teams will head to Butte for the next two games in the series, a Saturday doubleheader that starts at 11 a.m.

Both teams are 10-5 overall heading into Saturday's games.

The Roadrunners scored in the first inning, the fourth, fifth and two in the sixth to build a 5-1 lead. They chased Golden Eagle starter Tanner Hail, who pitched 5.1 innings and allowed only four hits and two earned runs, but a pair of FRC errors helped the Butte cause. 

Feather River, who had nine hits in the game, rallied back in the ninth. Back-to-back hit batters created an RBI opportunity for Dylan Marx, and he responded with a base hit. Anthony Cepeda drove in another run on a sacrifice fly, but the comeback would end there. 

Marx had three hits on the day with the RBI and a stolen base. Cepeda drove in two runs and Toby Parry had a pair of hits. On the mound, Michael Hoefgen pitched a perfect final three innings without a run or hit, and he struck out four. 

Butte starting pitcher Jordan Riley was effective with seven solid innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out four.

The game was over in a tidy two hours and 13 minutes. Saturday's twinbill is set for 11 am, with the second game slated for 2 pm