WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The Loggers split with Whitman in their first road conference games, pushing across 31 total runs in two games.
How it Happened
Game 1
After a scoreless top of the first inning, the Blues struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. The Loggers responded right back, as
Ryan Spero and
Cooper Allen both got on base via a walk to kick off the inning. A Person Crockett hit by pitch loaded the bases, and with two outs, the Loggers' bats came alive.
Ethan Nakamura singled to center to send two home, and a
Charlie Deggeller single loaded the bases yet again.
Matt Churchill came in clutch for the Loggers, sending across two more with single to left, making it 4-1.
Charlie Decker, who got the start on the mound, took care of the bottom of the second with ease. After the Loggers loaded the bases with two outs yet again, they couldn't quite take care of business. The Blues added two more in the bottom of the third, and a pitching duel took place in the fourth and fifth innings. Neither team recorded a hit for two straight innings, pushing the game to the top of the sixth still at 4-3.
The Loggers' bats came alive in the top of the sixth, as Lusac Brennan, Nakamura, and Deggeller all singled to load the bases with no outs. Churchill came in clutch yet again, hitting a grand slam to deep left field to put the Loggers up 8-3. The Blues responded with four runs of their own in the sixth, as it went back to a one-run ballgame with three to play.
Puget Sound added a run in the top of the seventh, but the Blues responded yet again with two in the bottom of the inning. With the game tied at nine apiece, an Allen double brought home two runs for the Loggers.
Armand Lettiere recorded a sac fly to make it 12-9, and a Crockett RBI single pushed Allen across the plate.
The Blues' final run came in the bottom of the eighth, but the Loggers continued to tack on the runs. Allen reached base yet again, this time via an error, sending
Kellen Krebs home. A Lettiere single made it 15-19, and a Crockett sac fly extended the Logger lead to six. Deggeller put the cherry on top, notching an RBI single to send two more across the plate.
The explosion of runs in the final two innings gave the Loggers the 18-10 victory, taking game one over the Blues.
Game 2
The second game was all Blues early, as the Loggers struggled to get on the base pads. Whitman kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, scoring three runs to give them an early lead. The Loggers responded with three runs of their own in the top of the third, as a Krebs HBP, a passed ball, and a bases-loaded walk scored three runs. The Loggers capped off their early scoring with another run added on in the top of the fourth, as a Deggeller double scored
Brock Makishima after his lead-off walk.
The Blues then piled on six runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to put the game nearly out of reach. Puget Sound wasn't done yet, though, as a Deggeller home run led off the top of the sixth inning. After a perfect bottom of the sixth by pitcher
Mason Seay, both teams came up empty in the seventh.
In the eighth, the Loggers made game two a ball game. They loaded the bases with two walks and a
Ryan Spero single, setting the stage with no outs. Crockett was then hit by a pitch,
Jim O'Brien walked to bring home a run, and a Deggeller single tied the knot. The Loggers had crawled back within four to make it a ball game. Whitman added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning, which proved to be the difference-maker.
In a last-ditch effort, the Loggers pulled within one in the final inning. A bases-loaded Crockett HBP sent a run across, and then O'Brien sent the lot home with a double to right field. This brought up the top of the order with two outs, with the Loggers just needing one swing of the bat to tie the game. Deggeller grounded out to second, though, as the Loggers drop game two, 14-13.
What Happens Next
The Loggers play two more games against the Blues tomorrow, March 16th. Game 1 will be the rubber match in Northwest Conference play, with a single non-conference game to follow.
