Box Score

FOREST GROVE – Puget Sound once again used a big inning to earn the win Sunday as the Loggers scored four runs in the eighth inning to thwart a Pacific comeback attempt in a 9-4 win over the Boxers in Northwest Conference baseball action at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
 
Pacific trailed 5-1 after six-and-a-half innings when the Boxers rallied for three runs in the home half of the seventh on singles by Ryan Sohn (Jr., Ventura, Calif.) and Ben Duerr (Jr., Lebanon, Ore.) and a fielder's choice.  The Loggers, however, quickly closed the door in the top of the eighth as they scored four runs on just two hits.
 
Duerr and Sohn both went 2 for 4 to lead the Boxers at the plate.  Puget Sound designated Alex Sierra, who entered the game when Nick Funyak left with an injury, led the Loggers by going 3 for 4 with two runs,  Four other Loggers' batters finished with two hits apiece.
 
With the sweep, Puget Sound improves to 9-7, 7-2 NWC.  Pacific dropped to 2-11, 1-8 NWC.
 
Puget Sound opened scoring with three runs in the top of the third.  Funyak opened the frame with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cal Maramaru and scored on a single through the right side by Connor Savage.  Nickolas Alarcio followed with an infield single, advanced to second on a failed double steal attempt and scored when Chris Zerio reached on an error.  Zerio then scored on a double down the left field line by Nathan Backes.
 
The Boxers took one run back in the bottom of the third.  Sohn reached on a single through the right side, moved to second on a ground out and third on a Duerr single before scoring when Matt Hopp (Sr., Portland, Ore.) reached on an error.
 
The Loggers made it a 5-1 lead in the seventh, with runs scoring on RBI singles by Backes and Bobby Hosmer, before the Boxers made it a game again in the home half of the frame.  Donnie Bradley (Sr., Beaverton, Ore.) drew a leadoff walk, pinch hitter Austin Gallagher (Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) followed with a single and Fernando Careaga (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) loaded the bases when he reached on an error.  Sohn followed with a single that scored Bradley, Duerr singled to score Gallagher and Hopp reached on a fielder's choice that scored Careaga.
 
The Loggers' four eighth inning runs all came with two outs.  Sierra led off the inning with a single, Alarcio reached on a fielder's choice and Zerio was hit by a pitch to lead the bases.  Reliever Jonas Hanna (Fr., Portland, Ore.) then proceeded to hit the next two batters, driving in two runs, before Hosmer drove in a pair with his long single to right center field.
 
Merle Rowan-Kennedy earned the win for Puget Sound, allowing one unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work.  Nathan Suyematsu (Jr., Tualatin, Ore.) took the loss in his first start of the season, allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts in five innings.
 
Pacific will play a non-conference game at Concordia (Ore.) on Tuesday before returning to NWC play next weekend with a three-game series at Lewis & Clark.