Suyematsu Has Four Hits, But Loggers Sweep Series
Box ScoreFOREST GROVE – Starting pitcher
Nathan Suyematsu (So., Tualatin, Ore.) helped his own cause with three hits, but the effort was not enough as Puget Sound used another big inning to take a 9-4 win over Pacific and sweep the Northwest Conference baseball series from the Boxers at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
Suyematsu went 4 for 5 at the plate, all singles, to lead a 15-hit day for the Boxers, but Pacific also left 12 men on base as they dropped their sixth straight game.
Chris Zerio was the offensive catalyst for Puget Sound, finishing with 3 for 4 with a double and four RBIs. Puget Sound improved to 13-17, 11-10 NWC, while Pacific dropped to 11-21, 4-17 NWC.
Suyematsu opened the first with a single, moved to third on
Donnie Bradley's (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) bunt single and scored on
Walker Olis' (So., Burlington, Wash.) single to left.
The Loggers came back to take the lead in the top of the third. Alexander Sierra led off with a single and scored two batters later when Zerio singled to left. Connor Savage made it 2-1, reaching third on a double steal and scoring when the throw to put him out went down the left field line.
Nickolas Alarcio played add-on for the Loggers in the fifth, hitting a one-out single and scoring on Zerio's single to center field.
Puget Sound dealt the big blow in the sixth, rattling Suyematsu and reliever
Tyler Kotchik (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) for five runs. After the first two batters reached on walks, Christian Carter opened scoring when his squeeze bunt scored Addison Melzer. Two more walks loaded the bases for Savage, who scored a pair on his single to center field. Zerio added his third run-scoring hit when his double to left center field scored Alarcio and Savage.
The Loggers added one more in the seventh when Carter drew a two-out walk and scored on Alexander Sierra's double to left center field.
Pacific put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. Suyematsu led off with his fourth single of the game and scored on Bradley's triple down the right field line.
Justin Strayer (So., Ventura, Calif.) scored Bradley with a single to left center field and later scored himself on J.T. Francies' (So., Greeley, Colo.) sacrifice fly.
Suyematsu dropped to 2-3 with the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits with five walks and five strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Lucas Stone picked up his third win of the season, allowing one run on nine hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
Duerr finished with three hits while Bradley, Olis, and
Ryan Sohn (So., Ventura, Calif.) each had a pair of hits as the Boxers finished with 15 hits on the day.
Pacific will conclude it's NWC season on the road, playing a three-game series at Pacific Lutheran next Saturday and Sunday. Puget Sound will conclude the NWC season by hosting Willamette. The two teams will conclude the 2014 campaign with a three-game series at Pacific on May 3 and 4.
Â
