March 21, 2009
Box Score
Spokane, Wash. - Despite putting up what seemed to be an untouchable seven runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Pacific baseball team gave up five runs in the top of the ninth to drop a 9-8 game to Gonzaga on Saturday, March 21.
With the loss, Pacific fell to 7-11 on the year, as the Bulldogs won their seventh-straight and improved to 13-15.
Senior RHP Cole Akins (Seattle, Wash.) put forth a dominant 99-pitch effort in his home state, as he went 8.0 innings into the game giving up only four earned runs. Akins (2-0, 3.91 ERA) faced the minimum number of batters through the first three innings when he had a no-hitter going. He was on top of the lead when the Tigers scored one run in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. That stretched all the way through the bottom of the fourth, when the Bulldogs but up two runs to take the lead 2-1.
Akins settled down from there, allowing only one more run to score in the fifth when Gonzaga moved up to 3-1 on the scoreboard. But when the Tigers mounted seven runs in the top of the sixth to take an 8-3 lead, the Tigers' starter improved back to the form he displayed through the first three innings of the game. He left after the eighth with an 8-4 lead, facing 34 batters with five strikeouts and 11 hits.
Akins, however, eventually finished the game without a decision, as sophomore RHP Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) gave up five runs in the bottom of the ninth the allow for Gonzaga to come out victoriously, 9-8 in the final frame of the game. Berolzheimer suffered his second loss of the season, as Gonzaga's hurler Andy Hunter gained his first win of the 2009 season.
During the sixth inning, something sparked the Tigers, who sent up the entire batting order to the plate and allowed all but two players to score. Sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) started off the inning when he reached on a fielding error from the Zags' starting pitcher, Ryan Carpenter. The next batter junior Jamie Niley (Elk Grove, Calif.) came up for his turn and grounded into a fielder's choice that put him safely at first, but resulted in a putout of Brown at second for the first out of the frame. Brown took off for third on the play, but the pitcher, Carpenter ran at him and Brown allowed himself to get into a pickoff, to put Niley over on second base during the out.
With Niley (2-for-5) on second, junior Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) drew a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second for Pacific, when reliever C.J. McClure came in to take over for Carpenter defensively. Against a new pitcher, junior Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.) took advantage of his runners in scoring position and kept the one-out rally alive with a single past shortstop to load the bases for senior Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.).
Oliveira (.296 average, 2-for-5) grounded right to the third baseman, Jason Chatwood on a 1-0 count, that would have been a routine fielder's choice for an out at home, if not a double play. However, Chatwood's throw towards his catcher went rogue, resulting in Niley beating out the tag to have the Tigers cut the lead at 3-2. On the errant throw, all of the baserunners executed head's up running, advancing one more base to score Walker (.303 average, 1-for-4) at home and tie the game 3-3, with Gorang (.302 average, 2-for-5) over to third and Oliveira up safely at second.
Gonzaga's head coach Mark Machtolf saw enough and pulled his reliever, replacing McClure with Reedy Berg. With one out, sophomore Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) grounded out to the second baseman, Evan Wells, whose only play was over at first. While that play should have been the third out without the error, all runs to score from there on out became unearned for Gonzaga's pitching staff, as Gorang was looking home the entire time and came around to score for Pacific to take the lead 4-3. Again Machtolf went to his bullpen when he brought in Jacob Hiatt.
From there, nothing could go wrong for the Tigers who sparked yet another two-out rally. Sophomore Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) came in to see Hiatt, and with a 2-1 count, singled up the middle to score Oliveira from third and boost Pacific's lead to 5-3. Senior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) fired off a double to score Longmire (.348 average, 2-for-5, 1 RBI), taking a 6-3 lead. And then, senior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) (.355 average, 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI) stepped up and crushed the first pitch he saw from Hiatt over the center field fence, bringing in two runs for Pacific's final run at 8-3.
Akins allowed one final run to score in the eighth before handing the ball over to Berolzheimer in the ninth.
Pacific tallied its first run in the opening inning, led off by a single up the middle from Oliveira. Martin came to the plate with a runner on and no outs, but hit into a fielder's choice to eliminate Oliveira at second base. With Longmire in the batter's box, Carpenter's first pitch carried out past the infield, as Longmire singled to move Martin over to second. McKeever (.339 average, 2-for-4, 1 RBI) next drew a five-pitch walk, as Carpenter struggled with his command early on. During Wideman's at-bat, a passed ball caused all three baserunners to advance, scoring Martin for a 1-0 Tiger lead in the top of the first inning.
The two teams will finish out the series on Sunday, March 22. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
