The Pacific University baseball team split a doubleheader with Willamette on Saturday afternoon at Santiam Christian High School in Adair Village, Ore.
The doubleheader was moved to Santiam Christian High School because of wet conditions in Salem to the host Bearcats' John Lewis Field.
The split in the doubleheader for the Boxers puts Pacific at 8-3 overall and 3-2 in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats move to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Game 1
Willamette scored four runs on just two hits en route to a 4-3 win over the Boxers in game one of the doubleheader.
Pacific took its first lead of the doubleheader in the top of the seventh when
Eli Wisdom (La Grande, Ore.) brought in pinchrunner
Dante Filippini (Three Forks, Mont.). Earlier in the in the inning,
Austin Amundson (Bothell, Wash.) singled up the middle with one out. The Boxers' called on Filipini to run for Amundson, who moved to third after a misplayed ball by the Bearcats. Later in the inning after a miscue by the Bearcats moved him to third.
Willamette regained the lead, scoring twice on a pair of bases loaded walks in its half of the seventh for a 3-2 lead. The Bearcats added to their lead in the eighth for a 4-2 lead when Janitz scored on a Boxers' wild pitch.
The Boxers mounted a threat in the ninth on a RBI ground out by
Josh Keithly (Mission Viejo, Calif.), scoring pinchrunner
Dustin Meyer (Silverton, Ore.). Earlier in the inning,
Ben Roquet (Edmonds, Wash.) started the inning with a walk. Then, the Boxers called on Meyer, who advanced around the bases on a wild pitch and ground out, respectively. The Boxers got the tying run aboard when
Shane Suyama (Beaverton, Ore.) came off the bench with a single with two out before a ground out ended the threat.
Game 2
Spencer Backstrom (Bellingham, Wash.) struck out the last five batters and
Kurtis Kloke (San Bernandino, Calif.) hit a two out, solo home run in the top of the 11
th in the nightcap for the 5-4 win.
Backsrom, who entered the game in the bottom of the seventh, shut down Willamette with eight strikeouts – including five straight to end the game. In the top of the seventh, the Boxers had rallied to tie the game at 4, scoring a pair on a two-RBI single by Suyama. Earlier in the inning,
Joey Galeno (Auburn, Wash.) and Keithly reached on a hit by pitch and walk to start the inning.
Luke Peevyhouse (Phoenix, Ariz.) moved the duo to second and third on a sacrifice bunt to set the stage for the hit by Suyama.
Each team had a chance to score in the 10
th with the Boxers' threat ending in a double play and Backstrom getting back-to-back strikeouts with the winning run at second.
With two out in the 11
th and a 1-0 pitch to the Boxers' pre-season All-American Kloke, he hit a ball over the left-field fence for what proved to be the difference. Holding a one-run lead, Backstrom ended the game with three more strikeouts to finish the game with eight and his first win of the season.
For the season, Backstrom has struck out 24 in 13.1 innings in six appearances for a 1-0 record and four saves to his credit.
The series will be decided on Sunday in a 4 p.m. tilt to be played at Roy Helser Field on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville.
