SALEM, ORE. -- Brett Brunner and Dylan Stanford combined to hold Willamette University to one run and five hits, as visiting Pacific Lutheran University won a Northwest Conference baseball game, 4-1, on Saturday, April 7 at John Lewis Field. PLU, which leads the NWC standings, is now 24-6 overall and 12-2 in the NWC. Willamette drops to 13-15 overall, 6-11 in NWC action.
Brunner, 5-2 on the season, went eight innings, giving up one earned run on five hits and three walks while striking out six. Stanford came on with no outs in the ninth inning after Brunner hit Willamettes Grant Yamaguchi (Sr., 1B, Aiea, HI/Mid Pacific Institute) to lead off the inning. Stanford got Matt Rasmussen (Sr., SS, Sandy, UT/Bingham HS) to ground into a double play, before striking out pinch hitter Colin Young (Jr., OF, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) to end the game.
Center fielder Ryan Thorne led the Lutes offensively, going 4 for 4 on the day. Also for Pacific Lutheran, Brandon Sales hit 2 for 4, including a solo home run in the fourth inning that gave PLU a 3-0 lead.
Kelly Gilmore (Sr., RF, Keizer, OR/McNary HS), Ty Eriksen (Sr., LF, Vancouver, WA/La Salle HS), David Tufo (So., 3B, San Bruno, CA/Burlingame HS) and Zach Kimball (Fr., C, Phoenix, AZ/Dobson HS) each went 1 for 3 on the day for Willamette.
Willamettes lone run came in the fifth inning. Tufo led things off with a double, then Kimball drove him home with a single to right field.
Jarrid Summers (So., RHP, Boise, ID/Boise HS) went the distance on the mound for Willamette, giving up four runs, three of which were earned, eight hits and two walks in nine innings of work. He struck out four PLU batters and dropped to 4-3 on the year.
Willamette returns to action on Tuesday, April 10, when they play Western Oregon University at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Ore. First pitch is tentatively set for 7 p.m. (PDT). The game time may be moved up to 6 p.m. (PDT). Check the Willamette athletics web site for further information.
