BOX SCORE
PORTLAND, Ore. – Extra innings seem to be
the Lewis & Clark baseball teams cup of tea, with the Pioneers
picking up their second win of the season on Sunday afternoon, as
they took down the Pacific Boxers 9-8 after 11 innings of action.
The victory kept the Boxers from sweeping the three game Northwest
Conference series, sending them back to Forest Grove with the 2-1
series record.
The Pioneers improve to 2-5 on the season and 1-2 in conference
action. The Boxers slip to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in NWC play.
Pacific jumped all over the Pios early, running up a 4-0 lead
through the first four innings of action. The Boxers picked up one
run in the first inning, before Brandon Kon tacked on another in
the top of the second. Two more Boxer runs in the fourth inning,
courtesy of back-to-back hits seemingly kept the momentum in
Pacific's favor.
Rob Dittrick had been solid for the Boxers through the first three
innings of play, limiting the number of bases the Pioneers saw.
Something changed for Dittrick in the bottom of the fourth, as the
righty found himself in trouble after walking the bases loaded. A
two-out double down the left field line by junior Guiseppe Baffaro
opened the scoring for the Pioneers, bring home all three Pio base
runners. The Boxers changed pitchers following the Baffaro hit, but
it would not stop Michael Ball from driving in Baffaro with the
very next at bat to tie the game 4-4.
Sam Holman tacked on another run for the Pios in the fifth inning,
sending Nate Grisham across the plate on a fly out to right.
Down 5-4, Joey Pulito stepped up his game for the Boxers, driving
in Corby Makin with a double to right field. Jeramey Probert
followed Pulito's lead, scoring another Boxer run with a
ground out that moved the runners, putting his team up 6-4.
Now it was the Pioneers turn to answer back, this time posting
three runs in the bottom of the sixth, this time take a two run
advantage. Baffaro kicked things off with a lead off single, before
coming around to score on a Sami Morgan double. Junior Tucker
Laurence returned to his power hitting ways moments later, hitting
his first home run of the season, picking up Morgan to give the
Pios an 8-6 lead.
A wild pitch in the top of the seventh allowed the Boxers to score
a run and pull within one of the Pioneers. Down one run in the top
of the ninth, the Boxers did everything they could to earn the
tying run and the hard work paid off when Probert doubled to right
center with Michael Arakaki on first. Probert's knock sent
Arakaki flying around the bases and eventually sliding across the
plate to even things up 8-8.
Neither team was able to get anything going in the 10th inning,
while the Boxers could not manage a runner in the top of the 11th.
Holman earned the role of hero for the Pioneers in the bottom half
of the 11th, hitting the ball up the middle to drive in sophomore
Parker Dane, who was on second.
The Pioneers return to the diamond on Saturday, March 6 as they
travel to Salem for a double-header against Willamette.
