McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Under overcast skies at Roy Helser Field, the Puget Sound Loggers (5-1) secured a 5-3 victory over Whitman (0-1) in a tightly contested Friday evening matchup. The Loggers capitalized on key extra-base hits and solid pitching to hold off a resilient Blues squad.  

Whitman struck first in the second inning with a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Mieszkowski, scoring Halen Otte after his leadoff double. Puget Sound answered in the third when Kahiau Teruya launched a two-run home run, bringing in Makana Murashige to give the Loggers a 2-1 lead.  

Whitman reclaimed the advantage in the sixth on a two-run homer by Brandon Ting, putting the Blues up 3-2. The Loggers responded in the bottom half of the inning, as Charlie Deggeller delivered a clutch two-run single to put Puget Sound back on top 4-3.  

The Loggers' bullpen held strong in the late innings, with Mitchell Holliday and Zach Robman combining for 2 1/3 shutout innings. Deggeller provided a key insurance run in the eighth with an RBI double that Cadence Ueyama home, sealing the 5-3 win.  

Deggeller finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Teruya added two RBIs on his early home run. Starting pitcher Decker (1-0) earned the win, striking out 10 over seven innings while allowing three earned runs. Whitman's Russell Petersen (0-1) took the loss, giving up four runs over 6 2/3 innings.  

Puget Sound looks to maintain its early-season momentum in its next matchup, this Sunday at Pacific Lutheran.