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University of Puget Sound

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Brian Murphy // Candid Eye Photography
7
Winner Puget Sound PUGET SO 25-15
6
Whitworth WHITWORT 25-16
Winner
Puget Sound PUGET SO
25-15
7
Final
6
Whitworth WHITWORT
25-16
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Puget Sound PUGET SO 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 7 15 1
Whitworth WHITWORT 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 6 13 3

W: Robman, Zach (2-2) L: L. Stutesman (2-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alex Everett, Dir. Athletic Communications

Loggers Win in First Ever NWC Tournament Appearance

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The Puget Sound Loggers began their first postseason appearance in the NCAA Division III era with a dramatic 7-6 extra-inning victory over second-seeded Whitworth this afternoon. The win moves Puget Sound to 1-0 in Northwest Conference playoff action and sets up a showdown against top-seeded Pacific tomorrow at 1:00 p.m..

The Loggers struck first, plating two runs in the top of the first inning. Makana Murashige scored the game's opening run on a single by Ryan Spero. Moments later, Kahiau Teruya's groundout brought home another, giving Puget Sound an early 2-0 lead.

Whitworth clawed back with a two-run home run from Garcia in the fifth inning, cutting the deficit to 3-2. But the Loggers responded immediately. Drew Kamihara's RBI single in the sixth reestablished a two-run cushion at 4-2.

Puget Sound starter Brett Harvey pitched six solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. He handed the ball to Harley Eschliman, who maintained the lead until the seventh, when Whitworth capitalized on a defensive miscue to tie the game at 4-4.

Both teams traded zeros in the eighth and ninth, forcing extra innings. The Loggers broke through in the 10th, with Kamihara's hit-by-pitch pushing across the go-ahead run, followed by Murashige's sacrifice fly to make it 6-4. But Whitworth refused to go quietly, scoring twice in the bottom of the 10th to even the score again.

In the 11th, Puget Sound regained the lead. Gavin George, pinch-running for Matt Churchill, scored the decisive run on a sacrifice fly from Cody Hirano. Closer Zach Robman then shut down Whitworth in the bottom half, securing his second win of the season (2-2) with a clean 11th inning.

Spero finished with two hits, including a double, and an RBI, while Kamihara contributed three hits and two RBIs. The Loggers racked up 15 hits but left 13 runners on base. Despite three defensive errors, Puget Sound's resilience carried them through to a historical first-ever game in the postseason.

The Loggers will now face top-seeded Pacific at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow in Forest Grove, while Whitworth must battle Linfield in an elimination game at 10:00 a.m..

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