Baseball waits out rain, sweeps Lewis & Clark to move to 8-1 in Northwest Conference play

Last weekend the Loggers battled against the struggling Lewis & Clark Pioneers, hoping to secure the top spot in the Northwest Conference.

In the first game of the series sophomore Matt Robinson (Lafayette, Calif.) took the mound hoping to continue the dominant pitching which has helped lift the Loggers to the top of the Northwest Conference, and he did just that. He held the Pioneers to just two runs through eight complete innings, lowering his ERA to 1.77, currently fifth in the conference among starting pitchers.

Robinson attributes his success this year to his time on the mound during his freshman year, stating that “he is learning how to be more efficient and mix pitches.” He appreciates the early season success, but knows that the team has a long way to go in order to continue their winning ways.

The Logger offensive attack was led by Casey Coberly (Boise, Idaho) who racked up two RBIs while freshman Jeff Walton (Carmichael, Calif.) drove in one run. Junior Matt Cox (Salem, Ore.), currently atop the Northwest Conference in batting average at .469, also added an RBI. Senior closer Cam Duvall (Lakewood, Wash.) threw one shutout inning to close out game and ensure the  6-2 victory in game one of the three game series.

Game two was an offensive breakout game for both squads. The Loggers found themselves down 8-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but a two run single by Dakota Resnik (Bellevue, Wash.) capped off a 3 run inning and put the Loggers within one going into the bottom of the ninth.

Duvall came in and threw another scoreless ninth to keep the Loggers at a one run deficit and record the win. In the bottom half of the inning, the Logger bats stayed hot. With nobody out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, freshman Addison Melzer (Portland, Ore.) stepped into the box as a pinch hitter. Melzer connected on a 0-1 pitch and drove the ball deep into the gap in left center, easily scoring two Logger base runners and ensuring the Logger victory.

Melzer wasn’t necessarily looking for the game winning hit, he simply hoped “to get a pitch [he] could drive into the outfield that would let [Kainoa Correa (Hilo, Hawai’i)] score on a sac-fly from third.” Even though he wasn’t necessarily looking for it, his two run double gave the Loggers their second win of the series at a score of 9-8.

The final game of the series, though not quite as dramatic as the previous, showed why the Loggers have found themselves at the top of the Northwest Conference.

Sophomore Nathan Aguiar (Los Gatos, Calif.) threw 6.1 solid innings, giving up only two unearned runs. Duvall finished out the game, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings to cap off his three appearances allowing zero runs.

Offensively, two of the Logger freshmen accounted for five of the seven Logger runs in the game. Designated hitter Tucker Barney (Boise, Idaho) finished the day with two RBIs, while catcher Christian Carter (San Diego, Calif.) drove in two runs and scored one himself. Chaz Kramer (Boulder, Colo.) and Andrew Grady (Cave Creek, Ariz.) tallied one RBI each to add to the 7-2 Logger victory.

With sole possession of first place, the Loggers look forward to facing the second place Linfield Wildcats next weekend in McMinnville, Oregon.

Duvall admits that there “isn’t an easy game left on the schedule, but the effectiveness of the bullpen will determine whether or not we can win a conference championship.”

If the team’s starting staff can keep their opponents from scoring early and the bats can keep putting up runs, the Loggers have a great chance at ending the season on top of the Northwest Conference.

[PHOTO COURTESY / DANIEL PENDLETON]