Cavaliers Put Boxers Away With Punishing Ninth Inning
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – Concordia broke open a bullpen game late Wednesday night, scoring six runs in the ninth inning to punctuate a 10-1 victory over Pacific in baseball action at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
The two teams combined to use 13 pitchers on the evening, but the Boxers (12-19) needed three hurlers to get through a top of the ninth that saw the Cavaliers score six runs on six hits.
Concordia opened scoring in the first inning to rattle Pacific starter
Craig Nesselhuf (Fr., Littleton, Colo.) in his first collegiate start. C.J. Watson started it off with a one-out single and would later score on a single by Nathan Douglas.
The Boxers countered with a two-out rally in the home half of the first.
Walker Olis (Fr., Burlington, Wash.) started it with a single to left center field. He then stole second and scored on a single through the infield by
Logan Moen (Sr., Brier, Wash.).
Concordia took the lead for good in the fourth when Douglas led off with a single and scored on a check swing single by Cole Buruse. The Cavaliers then added two in the fifth on a Douglas' single to right center field that scored Cole Shidaki and a Burgess triple that scored Jared Young.
Pacific had runners in scoring position in the fourth, sixth and eighth and had a runner on third in the eighth, but could not bring them around as the Boxers left 11 men on base for the evening.
Concordia started their six-run ninth inning by connecting for four straight hits off of reliever
Quin Moore (Jr., Bellingham, Wash.). Jordan Keeker led off with a double, Shidaki singled to center field and Young brought them both home with a triple to right. Christian Lichtenthaler added a single up the middle to score Young.
Nate Montgomery (Fr., Sherwood, Ore.) took the hill for Moore and proceeded to get the first two outs, but Buruse scored the fifth run of the frame with a sacrifice fly that scored Lichtenthaler. Blake Drake then followed with a deep double to left center field that scored Sheldon Austria and Ben Talbot.
Topher Mood (Jr., St. Helens, Ore.) was collared for his first loss as a Boxer, allowing one run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in two innings of work. Harrison McGhee improved to 2-2 on the season with the win for the Cavaliers, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out one in three innings of relief. Young and Douglas each went 3 for 5 with two RBIs to lead the Cavaliers offensively. Eight different players had one hit each for the Boxers.
Pacific returns to Northwest Conference action this weekend with a three-game series at Puget Sound. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday, both beginning at noon.
