March 28, 2007

Fisher Pitches Lutes to 10-0 Win over Loggers

Line Score

Kael Fisher - fans nine in six innings

Kael Fisher struck out nine batters in six innings to lead Pacific Lutheran to a 10-0 whitewash of the Puget Sound Loggers in a non-conference baseball game played Wednesday afternoon at the PLU field.

Fisher, a senior from Everett who had pitched only 3 2/3 innings over four appearances this season, dominated the Loggers with a sharp-breaking slider. He allowed only three hits and walked none, though he did hit three UPS batters. The right-hander didn’t allow a base runner to get as far as third base, and he struck out the side in the sixth inning, his last of the game.

Trey Watt and Jeff Danforth finished up for the Lutes with Watt going two innings and Danforth working a perfect ninth. The only time that the Loggers got a runner as far as third was against Watt in the seventh inning. They loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter, but PLU second baseman Roger Guzman made a nice short-hop grab of Austin Kuehn’s hard-hit ball to end the inning.

While the Lute pitcher were limiting the Loggers to just three hits while combining to strike out 11, the PLU offense made the most of wildness on the part of Puget Sound pitching.

PLU scored a pair of runs in the first off of Zack Green, whose record fell to 1-2 with the loss. With two out, Green hit Jordan Post, then gave up a double to Tyler Green. Justin Whitehall then delivered a two-run single to give the Lutes all the runs they needed. An inning later, PLU added to its advantage when Kris Hansen doubled and eventually scored on Green’s balk. The Lutes added a run in the fifth when Roger Guzman led off with a double and later scored on Green’s sacrifice fly.

The hosts broke the game open in the sixth inning, scoring six runs – all of them coming with two outs – on just two hits. The Lutes loaded the bases against UPS left-hander Dusty Kauflin on two walks and a single by Roger Guzman, and Post drew another walk to drive in the first run. Kauflin then hit Tyler Green and Justin Whitehall with pitches to account for the next two runs. Justin Ingalls relieved Kauflin and promptly hit Logan Andrews with a pitch four the inning’s fourth run, and Kris Hansen finished the rally with a two-run single through the right side of the infield.

For the game, six Puget Sound pitchers combined to walk six batters and hit five more. Olsen, coming off an outstanding series against George Fox, had two of the Loggers' three hits in Wednesday's contest.

Guzman and Hansen both had a pair of hits for the Lutes, who also got three RBI from Whitehall and two RBI each from Green and Hansen.

The win, the third for the Lutes in as many games against the Loggers this season, gives the Lutes an 18-6 overall record. With the loss, their fifth in a row, the Loggers fall to 9-11-1.

Both teams return to action this weekend hosting Northwest Conference three-game series. George Fox visits Pacific Lutheran in a battle of the NWC’s top two teams, while Puget Sound plays host to Willamette. In both series, the teams play a Saturday doubleheader starting at noon and a Sunday game starting at noon.

- PLU -