The Pacific University baseball team swept a doubleheader from Lewis & Clark on a rainy Saturday, winning game one by an 11-9 margin and the nightcap, 5-2 in Forest Grove.
The Boxers (10-15, 6-11 NWC) started the day with a season-high 14 hits en route to 11 runs to take the first game of the twinbill.
Joey Galeno and
Von Ferguson each had three hits, two runs scored and two RBI to lead Pacific.
The Pioneers (5-12, 4-9) were led by Chandler Vieira, who had four RBI and two runs scored in the loss. Starting pitcher Nick Kennison went 4.2 innings, allowing 11 hits, nine runs (eight earned) in the loss to fall to 1-5.
Five-different pitchers were used by Pacific, including
Bryce Wlodarchak, who picked up the win after a two inning relief stint, allowing a hit, run (earned) and striking out one.
Cole Kanazawa pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit for his fifth save of the season.
Pacific built a 6-0 lead in the first two innings for the early lead. Galeno put the Boxers on the board in the bottom of the first with a solo home run. Then, Pacific scored five times on six hits in the second. In the inning, freshman
Aaron Alexander picked up his first college hit – a two-RBI triple to spark the offense.
A three-run third by the Pioneers cut the deficit to 6-3; then, the Boxers came back with a run on a RBI double by Ferguson, scoring Alexander who had walked with two out. Pacific made it an 8-3 game when they capitalized on a Pioneers error.
A four-run sixth inning by Lewis & Clark made it a one-run game, 9-8. Then, the Boxers picked up some insurance runs on a two-RBI pinch-hit double by
Trevor Quinn in the seventh.
The Pioneers managed to get the tying run to the plate against Kanazawa, who got three fly outs and a strikeout to preserve the win.
In the nightcap, it took a three-run eighth inning to complete the doubleheader sweep. With the game tied at 2, Alexander walked to begin the inning. Then, the freshman stole second and moved to third on a Ferguson sacrifice bunt.
Next,
Dustin Meyer walked to put runners on the corners for
Derek Legeza, who forced the Pioneers to make a play on a bunted ball which was misplayed and Alexander scored to put Pacific ahead 3-2.
Then,
Dylan Wright singled through the right side to score Meyer and move Legeza to third to make it a two-run game, 4-2, in favor of the Boxers. Next, a
Derek Ridgway fly ball scored Legeza from third for the third run of the inning.
Offensively, in the nightcap, Pacific had nine hits, including three from
Dylan Wright and two more from Ridgway, who also had two RBI. Four different players from Lewis & Clark had two hits in the loss.
Pacific starting pitcher
Casey Brown, who was not involved in the decision, went seven innings, scattering eight hits, two runs (both earned) and striking out seven. Kanazawa pitched the final two innings of two-hit relief to even his record at 3-3 on the season.
The Boxers and Pioneers each scored a run in the first for an early 1-1 tie. Lewis & Clark went ahead for the first time on the day, scoring a run in the second for a 2-1 lead.
Pacific tied the game in the fifth on a RBI single by Ridgway. Earlier in the inning, Legeza had singled to left field, then he moved to second when Galeno was hit by a pitch. Legeza came around to score on the RBI single by Ridgway.
After allowing back-to-back one out singles, Brown got a pair of strikeouts to keep the game tied in the sixth. Kanazawa pitched himself out of a jam when the Pioneers had runners on second and third, getting a strikeout to keep the game tied at 2.
With the late start to the doubleheader, the two coaches and umpires agreed to move Sunday's series finale from noon to 1 p.m. at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
