By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- Willamette University baseball players Wyatt Thames (Jr., OF, Elk Grove, CA/Huntington Beach HS/Biola University), Tassos Foster (Sr., 2B, Novato, CA/Novato HS), and Drew Baskin (Jr., SS, Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande HS) each belted a double on Sunday, April 7, but Pacific University defeated the Bearcats, 19-9, in the final game of their Northwest Conference series. The loss prevented Willamette from sweeping the series after winning the first two-games 23-6 and 15-2 on Saturday, April 6.
The Bearcats held a 2-0 lead after four innings on Sunday before the Boxers scored 18 runs in the bottom of the fifth. Willamette outscored the Boxers 7-1 during the remainder of the game, but couldn't overcome Pacific's big inning.
Willamette ended the weekend at 19-6 on the season and 12-6 in the NWC. The Bearcats hold first place with a .667 winning percentage in conference play. Whitman College holds second place at 9-5 with a .643 winning percentage, while Whitworth University is 6-5 with a .545 winning percentage. Pacific moved to 16-9 overall, 5-6 in the NWC.
Clint Walker (Grad., CF, Rocklin, CA/Rocklin HS) of WU scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning. He singled to center field to start the frame and stole second base. He went to third on a groundout by Baskin, and scored when Luke Piazza (Jr., 1B/LF, Simi Valley, CA/Royal HS/UC Davis) also grounded out.
Willamette added a run in the top of the fourth stanza, as Rocco Granucci (Jr., OF, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS) walked to open the inning, went to third on a single by Carl Lawson (Sr., OF, Whittier, CA/Lutheran HS/Cal Poly Pomona), and scored when Walker hit into an error by the third baseman.
Pacific's 18-run surge was an inning and a half later. The bottom of the fifth featured 13 hits and three walks by the Boxers plus three errors on the Bearcats. Three of Pacific's first six batters reached first base on errors. Key hits included a two-run single by Ty Yukumoto to bring in the first two runs, a two-run homer by Colyer, a two-run double by Colyer later in the inning, and a bases-clearing double by Jake Galagher.
The Bearcats battled to overcome the 18-2 deficit, but couldn't overcome the enormous lead. Even so, Willamette tallied two runs in the sixth, two runs in the seventh, one run in the eighth, and two runs in the ninth.
In the sixth inning, Walker received a walk with one out, went to third on Baskin's double, and scored on a wild pitch. Also in the sixth, Piazza hit an RBI single that scored Baskin. In the seventh, Thames drove in Baskin and Granucci with his double to center. During the eighth, Jeff Hoffman singled to center with one out and later scored on a wild pitch with two outs. In the ninth, Foster's double drove in Thames and sent Charlie Ferbet (Sr., INF, St. Louis, MO/De Smet Jesuit HS) to third. Ferbet reached home plate on a sacrifice fly by Hoffman.
After the big inning, the Boxers scored just once, on a sacrifice fly by Gallagher in the bottom of the seventh. Pacific finished the game with a 15-9 edge in hits.
Thames was 2 of 4 for Willamette with a double, one run, and two RBIs. Lawson went 2 of 5. Walker and Baskin each scored twice. For Pacific, Yukumoto was 3 of 6 with two runs and two RBI's and Dawson Tokishi was 3 of 4 with a double, three runs, and two RBIs. Colyer went 2 of 4 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBIs.
Willamette will return to action on Friday, April 12 at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CDT / 3 p.m. PDT. The teams will play two games on Saturday, April 13, starting at 12 p.m. CDT / 10 a.m. PDT. The Bearcat will close out the trip with a game at Concordia University Chicago on Sunday, April 14 at 12 p.m. CDT / 10 a.m. PDT.
