The Pacific University baseball team split a doubleheader with host Linfield, winning game one by a 5-1 margin and dropping game two by the score of 2-1, on Friday in McMinnville.
The Boxers (13-16, 8-12 NWC) held the Wildcats to four hits each in both of the games. Game one starter –
Casey Brown – went the distance allowing four hits and striking out three in the win to improve to 2-3. Offensively,
Joey Galeno had a RBI in each game; plus,
Dylan Wright had two hits and two RBI in game one for Pacific.
In game one, Pacific built a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a RBI single by
Derek Ridgway and a sacrifice fly by
Chase Anderson. Wright led off the inning with a single to left field, he moved to third on a double down the right-field line by Galeno. Then, Ridgway plated Wright for the first run and after a pop out, Anderson brought in Galeno on the sacrifice fly.
The Boxer defense helped out Brown in the fourth inning, when they turned a double play to erase a threat by the Wildcats. A Wright sacrifice fly extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning. Linfield ended the shutout bid with a RBI single in its half of the fifth.
Pacific got back on the score, scoring twice in the seventh on three hits including back-to-back RBI singles by Wright and Galeno. Again, the Boxers defense erased another Linfield threat with a double play in the bottom of the seventh.
In game two, a pair of solo home runs in the second and third was just enough offense to lead the Wildcats to a 2-1 win.
Pacific had a chance at an early lead before stranding the bases loaded in the second inning. Brady Redinger ended the scoreless game with a solo home run for a 1-0 lead in favor of the host Wildcats. Then, they added to their lead when Ryan Ross homered for a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
The Boxers got on the board on a RBI ground out by
Joey Galeno in the fifth inning, cutting the deficit to one. Pacific stranded a pair of base runners in the seventh, the Wildcats retired the final nine Boxers in order to come away with the win.
Linfield and Pacific meet Saturday at noon at Roy Helser Field to complete the three-game series.