TACOMA, Wash. – A midgame surge powered Puget Sound past Whitman 10-6 this afternoon at Logger Field. A six-run sixth inning turned the tide, giving the Loggers (1-0) a lead they wouldn't relinquish in their season opener.
Trailing 2-0 after three innings, Puget Sound's offense came alive in the fifth.
Brock Makishima's RBI single got the Loggers on the board before
Cooper Allen laced a two-run single to give the home team a 3-2 lead.
Whitman responded with a four-run seventh, taking advantage of two walks and a defensive miscue to close the gap, but the Puget Sound bullpen locked down the final frames.
Zach Robman recorded the final eight outs, allowing no hits and striking out three to seal the win.
Allen finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, while center fielder
Drew Kamihara added a 3-for-4 game with two RBIs, a double, and two stolen bases. The Loggers tallied 15 hits, including a key two-run single from
Preston Crockett in the sixth that helped break the game open.
Whitman's Jack Bickerton and Halen Otte each homered in the loss, with Bickerton driving in two runs. Starting pitcher Wyatt Adams lasted five innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits while striking out seven.
Puget Sound starter
Brett Harvey earned the win, pitching 6.1 innings while allowing five earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Adams (0-1) took the loss for Whitman.
In the second game, Puget Sound fell to the Blues despite outhitting Whitman by a 13-7, stranding 17 runners in a frustrating 6-2 loss.
Whitman (8-5) used power and patience to put runs on the board, with their last two home runs proving to be the difference. The visitors plated two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, and three more in the sixth and seventh innings combined to put the game out of reach.
Puget Sound (7-6) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. Kamihara knocked in the first run with an RBI single before Hirano brought home another on a sacrifice fly. That, however, was all the Loggers could muster as they left an average of over two runners on base in nearly every inning.
Spero was a bright spot for the Loggers, going 4-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. Murashige added a pair of hits, and Kamihara reached base three times.
C. Decker (3-3) took the loss for the Loggers, allowing three earned runs over five innings. Puget Sound's bullpen issued four walks and hit two batters in relief.
The Loggers return to action tomorrow for another 12:00 p.m./3:00 p.m. doubleheader against the Blues.
