McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Freshman Matt Robinson (Lafayette,
Calif./Campolindo) won both ends of a doubleheader as the Puget
Sound Loggers picked up a 5-3 win over Whitman and then used a
ninth-inning comeback to beat Pacific Lutheran, 8-5, on Sunday at
the Jim Doran Auto Classic in McMinnviile, Ore.
In the first game, the Loggers broke the scoreless tie with
Whitman in the bottom of the third as Dakota Resnik (Bellevue,
Wash./Newport) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Chaz
Kramer (Boulder, Colo./Silver Creek). The Loggers added
another run in the bottom of the fourth, using an RBI single
by Jason Powell (Redwood City, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) that
scored Will Mentor (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep) to give the
Loggers a 2-0 lead. Whitman answered back with three runs of
their own in the top of the fifth as Puget Sound had to play from
behind.
The Loggers evened thing up in the bottom of the sixth on a
sacrifice fly by Mentor that scored Matt Cox (Salem, Ore./South
Salem). Puget Sound took the lead in the bottom of the
eighth, using back-to-back RBIs from Mentor and Casey Coberly
(Boise, Idaho) as the Loggers picked up the 5-3 victory.
Robinson picked up the win, pitching one and one-third
innings of perfect baseball to improve to 2-0 on the year.
In the nightcap, the Lutes got on the board first when Brock
Gates hit a home run to left field in the bottom of the second to
give PLU the early 1-0 lead. Puget Sound evened it up in the
top of the third, using a sacrifice fly by Mark Rockey (Mountlake
Terrace, Wash./Univ. of New Mexico) to score Resnik.
PLU retook the lead in the bottom of the third frame as Dan
Johansen hit a sacrifice fly to center and then Ben Shively hit a
three-run home run that put the Lutes up 5-1. The Loggers
were able to tighten the gap in the next frame as Doug Cox (Kailua,
Hawai'i/Kalaheo) doubled in Mentor and then Kramer scored on a
passed ball as UPS got back within two, 5-3.
Neither team managed to get a run across until the top of the
ninth when the Lutes brought in Ryan Frost for the save
opportunity. With one out, Resnik doubled down the line to
score Doug Cox and get Puget Sound within one. Resnik then
advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice
fly by Jarvis Nohara (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Iolani) that tied the game
up at 5-5 but the Loggers weren't done there.
After Rockey and Matt Cox walked to put runners on first and
second, Mentor singled to left center to score pinch runner Andrew
Grady (Cave Creek, Ariz./Phoenix Country Day) from second.
Coberly then doubled to left center to score pinch runner
Nick Cherniske (Angel Fire, N.M./Col. of Santa Fe) and Matt Cox as
the Loggers put up five runs on three hits to pull past the
cross-town rival Lutes.
Robinson pitched a scoreless ninth inning to conclude a
three-inning, one-hit appearance to earn his second win of the day
and improve to 3-0 on the season.
The Loggers will head to Walla Walla, Wash. next weekend to open
up Northwest Conference play against Whitman. First pitch
with the Missionaries is set for 11:00 a.m. at Borleske Stadium.
