March 29, 2008

Lutes Beat Bruins, Second Game Suspended by Darkness

Game One

Tyler Goarck - game-winning single in 11th

PARKLAND, Wash. – Pacific Lutheran rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the opener of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader with George Fox on Saturday before the second game was suspended by darkness with the Bruins leading 5-1 in the 8th inning.

The second game will resume at 11 a.m. Sunday with the Lutes batting. They had the bases loaded with no outs when the umpires suspended the game. The regularly scheduled pair of seven-inning games will follow the conclusion of the suspended contest.

PLU won the opener by rallying for a pair of runs in the bottom of the 11th inning of the opener. The Bruins had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning when Ryan Fobert hit a double to drive in Kyle Kuenzi, who had reached on a single and advanced to second on Matt Wyckoff’s sacrifice bunt.

Brandon Sales started the winning rally with a leadoff single, and after an out he raced around the bases to score on Kris Hansen’s double to left-centerfield. The hit was Hansen’s fourth and the RBI his second of the game. Ryan Aratani followed with a single to left field, but Todd Siler’s perfect throw to Fobert at home beat Hansen for the second out of the inning. Aratani advanced to second on the play, and he slid across home plate with the winning run on Tyler Goarck’s single. For Goarck, it was hit first at-bat in 20 days because of a foot injury.

The Lutes started the scoring in the first inning when Jordan Post hit a two-out double and scored on Hansen’s single. The Bruins got a run back in the second when Siler led off with a single and eventually scored on a passed ball. They took a 2-1 lead in the third when Fobert was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on Dan Winterstein’s single and scored on Siler’s base hit.

After a 66-minute rain delay, the second of two delays totaling about 90 minutes, PLU tied the score in the sixth. Post led off with a walk, advanced to third on Hansen’s base hit, and then scored when Aratani hit into a double play.

The score stayed 2-2 into the 11th before Goarck’s hit ended the contest.

Ian Opsal, the final of three PLU pitchers, improved his record to 2-1, giving up one run on two hits in two innings. Robert Bleecker started and went 5 1/3 innings before the long rain delay forced him out of the game. Bret Handy did a masterful job for the Lutes, giving up only one hit and one walk while striking out four in 3 2/3 innings.

Preston Langeliers, 0-2 this season, took the loss after giving up two runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Starting pitcher Nick Bratney had a strong outing, battling through the two rain delays to go 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while walking two and fanning four. Brady Rhodes threw a hitless inning for the Bruins.

Kuenzi, Fobert and Siler all had a pair of hits to lead the Bruins’ nine-hit attack. Hansen paced PLU’s 12-hit offense with his four safeties, while Takayoshi and Aratani both added a pair of hits.

- PLU -