March 21, 2007

Lutes Beat Loggers, 9-5, in Non-Conference Baseball

Line Score

Jordan Post - three-run triple

Trey Watt - his first collegiate victory

Pacific Lutheran broke a 5-5 deadlock with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, added two more in the eighth, and went on to defeat the visiting Puget Sound Loggers, 9-5, in a non-conference baseball game played Wednesday at the PLU Field.

With the victory, the second for the Lutes in as many games against the Loggers this season, PLU improves to 14-5 for the season. Puget Sound now has a 9-7-1 record.

Puget Sound, which out-hit the Lutes 12-8, got on the board in the first inning when Gregorio Beck doubled to drive in Austin Kuehn, who had reached on a single.

The Lutes took the lead in the second inning, scoring four runs on just two hits, highlighted by Jordan Post’s three-run triple. All four runs were unearned, however, as a Puget Sound throwing error kept the inning alive for PLU.

The hosts added another run in the third when Justin Whitehall, who was hit by a pitch leading off, eventually scored on a wild pitch.

All of the Lutes’ runs to that point had come against UPS starter Tim Fogarty. Relief pitcher Jarvin Nohara entered the game in the third and shut down the PLU bats, allowing the Loggers to get back into the game. Nohara ended up allowing just one hit and two walks in 3 2/3 effective innings of work.

With Nohara keeping the Lutes at bay, the Loggers tied the score with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Beck, who finished the day with three hits and three RBI, clubbed a two-run homer to account for the runs in the fifth inning. Tim Steggall had a run-scoring single and Joe Newland hit a sacrifice fly for the Loggers’ runs in the sixth.

Pacific Lutheran finally broke through in the seventh inning against losing pitcher Dusty Kauflin, the third of six Puget Sound hurlers. Tyler Green hit a leadoff double, moved up a base on Justin Whitehall’s sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a single by Logan Andrews. Tim Young followed with a base hit, and both runners moved up a base on a balk. Andrews then scored on a sacrifice fly by Geoff Gabler.

The Lutes added some insurance runs in the eighth inning when Whitehall hit a two-run double.

Trey Watt picked up his first pitching decision of the season for the Lutes, allowing two runs on two hits in two innings of relief. He entered the game in place of starter Jeff Caley, who allowed three runs on nine hits in five complete innings. Paul DiPietro and Kael Fisher both pitched a scoreless inning of relief for PLU.

Beck and Pete Marcek both had three hits for the Loggers, who also got a pair of hits from Kuehn and Newland. Andrew, who had a pair of singles, was the only PLU player to collect more than one hit.

Both teams return to action this weekend in Oregon against Northwest Conference opponents. Pacific Lutheran plays a three-game series against Lewis & Clark in Portland and Puget Sound does the same against George Fox in Newberg.

- PLU -