The Pacific University baseball team saw its eight-game winning streak end in a doubleheader loss to Whitworth, 5-4 in 12 innings and 9-1 on Saturday at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
The Boxers (12-5, 6-2 NWC) started the day with the Pirates pushing across the winning run to take game one of the doubleheader in the 12
th inning. The last 12-inning contest for Pacific was when they faced the Blues of Whitman in a 12-inning contest, last season on February 17. The Boxers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and rallied to score in the top of the eighth to force extra innings.
The Pirates (6-9, 3-2 NWC), who earlier in the week agreed to move the series to Forest Grove after inclement weather in Spokane, went back and forth with the Boxers in the first game of the day. Whitworth racked up 11 hits against three Pacific pitchers.
Pacific scored three runs on four hits in the first inning for an early 3-0 lead. Among the four hits were a RBI double by
Ryan Krout and a RBI single by
Trevor Quinn for the Boxers.
The Pirates got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the third, scoring three runs on five hits to tie the game at 3. Whitworth took its first lead of the day in the seventh inning, capitalizing on a Boxers' error. Then, Pacific answered in the eighth when pinch hitter
Eli Wisdom brought in pinch runner
Brandon Silowka from second on a RBI single down the right-field line. Earlier in the inning,
Ryan Krout got his second hit of the day with a single to center field and stole second base to move into scoring position.
The two teams each stranded a pair of base runners in the 10
th before the Pirates managed to score the winning run in the 12
th inning. In the inning, the first three batters reached base to load the bases before a game-winning sacrifice fly by Liam Fitzgerald ended the game in favor of a 4-3 win by the Pirates.
Ryan Krout,
Trevor Quinn and
Jacob Igawa each had two hits to lead a 12-hit effort for the Boxers.
Tyler Oscarson pitched the final inning, allowing the winning run for his first loss of the season to fall to 3-1.
The Pirates' Connor Gryydtal got the win to improve to 1-2, allowing two hits in two innings of relief. Four-different players for Whitworth had at least two hits.
The nightcap was controlled by Whitworth, who held the Boxers without a hit until the 9
th and offensively out hit the Boxers by an 11-2 margin in the win. Pirates' starter Matthew Young went the distance allowing just two hits – in the ninth inning – and striking out eight en route to the win. Tyler Bailey for Whitworth went 4-for-4 with a run scored and five RBI to lead the Pirates in the win.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series with the final game on Sunday at noon at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
