SALEM, Ore. - After dropping a close game in the opener, the
Puget Sound Loggers blasted past the Willamette Bearcats, 20-5, in
the second game of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader on
Friday afternoon in Salem, Ore.
In the opener, Willamette struck first on a three-run home run
by Michael Dearborn that game the Bearcats a 3-0 lead.
The Loggers got on the board in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice
fly by Will Mentor (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep) that scored Travis
Hernandez (Burlington, Wash./Burlington-Edison). Puget Sound
tied the game up in the seventh on a pair of RBI hits by David
Thirlby (Seattle, Wash./O'Dea) and Gregg Ringold (Los Altos Hills,
Calif./Harker School).
Three runs in the bottom of the seventh gave the Bearcats the
lead once again but junior Mark Rockey (Mountlake Terrace,
Wash./New Mexico) got the Loggers back within one
run with a two-run bomb to left field that also scored
Hernandez. Unfortunately for Puget Sound, that would be the
final scoring as Willamette took the 6-5 lead. Tim Fogarty
(Pacifica, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral) took the loss, allowing
six runs, only two earned, on four hits in six and two-third
innings pitched. Colin Clark got the win for Willamette,
allowing two runs on two hits in one innings pitched.
In the second game, the Loggers struck early and often.
After two quick outs in the top of the first, Rockey hit his second
home run of the afternoon for the 1-0 lead. Jason Powell
(Redwood City, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) hit a three-RBI double and
Andrew Grady (Cave Creek, Ariz./Phoenix Country Day) finished up
the five run inning with an RBI single to score Powell.
Freshman Matt Cox (Salem, Ore./South Salem) hit a three-run home
run in the top of the second to push the lead to 8-0.
Willamette added two runs in the bottom of the second but Puget
Sound didn't let up offensively, scoring three more runs in the
third before exploding for six runs in the sixth inning. Two
more runs in the seventh and one more in the ninth gave the Loggers
their eventual 20-5 victory. James Lane (Silverdale,
Wash./Avila College) got the win for Puget Sound, allowing five
runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings
pitched. Chris Togerson took the loss for Willamette,
allowing five runs on three hits with three walks in just
two-thirds innings pitched.
The Loggers and Bearcats will meet again on Saturday with a pair
of seven-inning games, beginning at Noon.
Box Scores: Game
One/Game
Two
