SALEM, Ore. – A fifth inning rally proved too much to overcome as the Puget Sound baseball team fell 12-5 at Willamette on Saturday. The Loggers (15-21, 10-12 NWC) led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth before Willamette (19-19, 12-10 NWC) scored six runs to seize the lead and momentum.

Willamette took the initial lead with just its second batter of the game as Austin Hagarty singled in Tyson Giza in the bottom of the first. The Loggers tied up the game in the second when Kaulana Smith scored on a groundout from Addison Melzer.

JB Eary gave the Loggers a 3-1 lead when he singled with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. Smith and Nick Funyak scored on the hit for the Loggers first lead of the game.

Willamette tied the game in the fifth on run-scoring singles from Giza and Hunter Gallant. With two on and two out in the inning, Matt Robinson struck out Tosh Semlacher but his pitch bounced away from the catcher and Semlacher ended up safely aboard on first to load the bases. Tiras Koon hit a grand slam in the next at-bat to cap the six-run rally.

Nate Backes' grounder scored one run in the top of the sixth and Lucas Stone drew a bases loaded walk to narrow the gap to 7-5. However, the Bearcats continued their hot streak at the plate. They scored two in the seventh, another one in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

Robinson was cruising before he ran into trouble in the fifth. He had allowed just three hits going into the fifth inning and ended the game with six strikeouts. However, he lasted just 4.2 innings and fell to 6-6 on the season.

The Loggers and Bearcats will wrap up their NWC seasons tomorrow in a doubleheader slated to begin at noon.