The Pioneer baseball team split Sunday's doubleheader against
the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, winning 3-2 (box score) in game one
before falling 9-2 (box score) in the
nightcap. Tucker Laurence threw a complete game to lead the
Pioneers to the victory in the first game.
In game one, the Pioneers scored two runs in the second inning.
TJ Witkowski (sophomore, Tooele, Utah) worked a one-out walk. Neal
Finch (junior, Boulder, Colo.) followed with a single. Chris
Estrella (senior, Henderson, Nevada) walked to load the bases. A
groundout to short by Mike Orr (senior, Boulder, Colo.) scored the
first run. A drag bunt by Ryan Kostecka (freshman, Napa, Calif.)
scored a second. Jordan Shibata (senior, Pearl City, Hawaii) walked
to reload the bases, but the Lutes got a strikeout to escape after
having given up just two runs.
The Pioneers scored their third run in the sixth. AJ Brown
(junior, Vancouver, Wash.) hit a one-out single. Neal Finch got his
second hit of the game, doubling down the left field line to drive
in Brown.
Pitcher Tucker Laurence (freshman, San Martin, Calif.) dominated
the first six innings, allowing just four hits, with no Lute making
it further than second base. The Lutes rallied against Laurence in
the seventh, rattling off four straight one-out singles, but
Laurence got the final two outs to hold on for a 3-2 victory,
giving the Pioneers their second Conference win of the season.
In game two, the Lutes scored four runs in the first inning,
putting the Pioneers behind early. The Lutes added two in the third
and one more in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead. The Pioneers scored
in the top of the sixth. Jordan Shibata was hit by a pitch to lead
off the inning. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Sam
Holman (freshman, Eugene, Ore.). After the Lutes added two more
runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-1 lead, Chris Estrella
singled, coming around to score on a single by Mike Orr. The Lutes
held on for a 9-2 victory.
AJ Brown had four hits in seven at-bats in the two games. Mike
Orr drove in two runs for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers improve to 4-12 (2-10 NWC). They will be back in
action at the Huston Sports Complex next Friday afternoon, March
21, when they open a four-game weekend series against the Whitworth
Pirates. First pitch is at 12 noon.
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