By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications, (503) 370-6110
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Joey Faudskar (Sr., OF, Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle HS) and Ben Setlak (Jr., OF, Evergreen, CO/Evergreen HS) each recorded two hits as Willamette University built a 6-4 lead, but Occidental scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Bearcats, 7-6, on Friday, Feb. 7, in the season opener for both teams. The Tigers won the game on a two-run, walk-off homer by Antonio Andrade with two outs in the ninth.
The teams are scheduled to play two more games at Anderson Field on Saturday, Feb. 8 starting at 11 a.m. (PST).
Willamette recorded the game's first four runs, starting with a single tally in the top of the second inning. Layton Wagner (Fy., 3B/RHP, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) reached base on an error by the third baseman, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Setlak. Fischel drove in Wagner with a double to center field.
In the third inning, Faudskar opened the stanza with a single. He stole second base, went to third when the catcher made an errant throw, and scored on a throwing error by the center fielder. With the bases empty, Tyler Vandemark (Jr., LF, Modesto, CA/Joseph A. Gregori HS) singled and Justin Scanlon (Sr., 2B, San Jose, CA/Leigh HS/West Valley College) reached first base on an error.
Eric Waldichuk (So., 1B, San Diego, CA/University City HS) moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt toward first base. With two outs, Setlak provided WU with a two-run single, driving in Vandemark and Scanlon for a 4-0 lead.
Occidental pushed one run across the plate in the bottom of the third inning, and then neither team scored until the top of the seventh.
The seventh began with Faudskar reached first base on an error at third. He stole second base and then went to third on a throwing error by the Tigers' starting pitcher, Nolan McCarthy. With one out, Faudskar scored on a wild pitch, giving WU a 5-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Occidental scored twice. Caleb Reyes started the at bat with a double to right center. Ari Solomon walked, and Nolan Upchurch sacrifice bunted toward the mound. After Austin Twiss walked to load the bases, Preston Chong hit into a fielder's choice toward second. Twiss was thrown out on the play, but Solomon went to third and Reyes scored. Solomon earned the second run when he crossed the plate on a double-steal.
Setlak doubled to open the eighth inning and later scored to increase Willamette's lead to 6-3. He went to third when Fischel hit a fly out to right field, and went home on a single by Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Fy., DH/UT, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS). Occidental pulled within 6-4 by earning a run in the bottom of the stanza.
Devon Suske, the third pitcher of the game for the Tigers, went to mound at the start of the ninth inning. He struck out the side and went on to receive the pitching win.
Upchurch struck out to start the bottom of the ninth. Twiss followed with a bunt single, and Chong doubled down the left field line to place runners at the corners. Jake Frederickson drove in Twiss with a ground out to shortstop, while Twiss went to third, as the Tigers moved within 6-5. Andrade batted next and hit a two-run homer on the second pitch he faced.
Setlak was 2 of 3 for Willamette with a double, one run and two RBIs. Faudskar went 2 of 4 with a walk and scored twice. Fischel was 1 of 4 with a double and an RBI.
The Tigers outhit the Bearcats, 11-8, with Reyes going 2 of 4 with two runs and a double. Angelo Zorn also was 2 of 4. Chong went 2 for 5 with a double, one run and one RBI. Andrade was 1 for 3 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs. Occidental made seven errors on defense, while the Bearcats committed three errors.
WU starting pitcher Justin Miller (Jr./So., RHP, Poway, CA/Poway HS/Palomar CC) allowed seven hits and just one run in 6 innings. He struck out one batter and walked one batter. Trevor Burrows (So., LHP, Dayton, NV/Dayton HS) pitched one inning, and Pruitt Spritzer (Fy., RHP, Missouri City, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) tossed the final 1 1/3 innings. Spritzer fell to 0-1 with the loss.
