McMINNVILLE, Ore. – In a tightly contested battle, Linfield (3-0) walked off with a 4-3 victory over Puget Sound (4-2) in an 11-inning showdown at Roy Helser Field on Friday afternoon. Despite a resilient effort from the Loggers, a solo home run by Linfield's Porter in the bottom of the 11th sealed the game.  

Puget Sound struck first in the opening frame when Drew Kamihara reached on an error and later scored, giving the Loggers an early 1-0 lead. Linfield responded in the third inning, tying the game on an RBI single from Nick Holm.  

After five scoreless frames, Puget Sound briefly reclaimed the lead in the seventh. Kellen Krebs was hit by a pitch, eventually coming around to score on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch taken by Kahiau Teruya. However, Linfield answered in the bottom of the inning when Hunter Klingelhoffer launched a two-run homer to left field, putting the Wildcats ahead 3-2.  

The Loggers showed resilience in the ninth, as Krebs doubled down the left-field line and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Kamihara to force extra innings. Both teams were held scoreless in the 10th, and then Linfield's Porter led off the 11th with a game-winning home run off Braden Blackwell.  

Brett Harvey (0-1) took the loss for Puget Sound despite a strong outing, tossing seven innings while allowing three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Ethan Rattie provided three innings of relief, surrendering just one hit.  

Offensively, the Loggers managed six hits, with Krebs going 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Kamihara contributed a hit, an RBI, and a stolen base. Linfield's pitching staff limited Puget Sound's scoring opportunities, as Zack Hampson (1-0) earned the win after just over two scoreless innings in relief.  

Puget Sound will look to bounce back as they play Whitman College at 5:00 p.m. this evening, hosted by Linfield.