A two-run home run by
Jordan Hara in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference as the Pacific University baseball team defeated Redlands, 8-6 in rainy conditions on Sunday afternoon in Redlands, California.
The Boxers (2-0) start the season with a pair of wins for just the second time since 2002.
Eli Wisdom went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and
Aaron Alexander,
Von Ferguson and
Ryan Krout each had two hits in the win for Pacific.
The Bulldogs (0-2) had 11 hits including three from Tony Rosario in the loss.
"A good start to the season with two road wins against a quality West Region team," said Pacific head coach
Brian Billings. "The bats came alive today and responded in a back and forth game. It was a big moment for
Jordan Hara, who hit a go-ahead 2-run home run in the ninth after they tied it up. We are looking forward to facing more strong opponents, next weekend in Tucson."
The back-and-forth contest saw each team plate three runs in the eighth to tie the game at six. In the top of the ninth, Wisdom recorded his third hit of the day with a one out double for the Boxers. Next, Hara, who was making just his second collegiate at bat, hit a 0-1 pitch from Bulldog reliever Cal Bridges just inside the left-field line for a home run.
The Bulldogs managed to get the winning run to the plate with one out before Boxers' reliever
Tyler Oscarson, who was the fourth pitcher on the day for Pacific, got a foul out and pop out to seal the win.
Pacific got on the board in the second inning when
Ryan Krout brought in Wisdom, who led off the inning with a triple to the gap in right-center field. The Bulldogs managed to tie the game at 1 in its half of the third inning. A RBI single by
Von Ferguson brought in
Dustin Meyer in the fifth inning, putting the visitors back in front by a 2-1 margin. Again, Redlands answered and took their first lead of the day with two runs coming in on a two-RBI double in the fifth for a 3-2 lead.
The Bulldogs nearly added to its lead in the sixth, stranding the bases loaded. The Boxers came back to tie the game in the seventh as
Aaron Alexander hit a two out triple to score Ferguson, who had singled earlier in the inning.
With the game tied at 3, the two teams each scored three runs in the eighth to set the stage for the late-game heroics by the Pacific freshman from Aiea, Hawaii.
Oscarson made his second appearance of the winning and also got his second win, pitching the final 1.2 innings for the Boxers. Bridges pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Bulldogs, allowing three hits in the loss to fall to 0-1.
Next, Pacific will travel to the Cactus Classic Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. While in Arizona, the Boxers will play four games in three days as action gets underway with a 10 a.m. contest against Piedmont on Friday, February 8.
