The Puget Sound baseball team traveled south to Oregon last weekend, Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, for their last set of away games against the Willamette Bearcats.
This game series was the last conference league set for the Loggers before they conclude their full season next week.
During the first game the Loggers and Willamette both attempted to take an early lead in the game. However, Willamette was the first team to score in the bottom of the first.
The Loggers soon caught up when sophomore Kaulana Smith (Kapolei, Hawaii) scored on a grounder from junior Addison Melzer (Portland, Ore.). It was during the top of the fourth inning where the Loggers really came together.
They took a 3-1 lead when freshman JB Eary (Las Vegas, Nev.) hit a single with the bases loaded, bringing home Smith and freshman Nick Funyak (Billings, Mont.). Willamette was able to tie the game and then pull away from the Loggers in the fifth inning, thanks to a six-run rally during.
In the top of the sixth inning the Loggers narrowed the score gap between themselves and Willamette by scoring two more runs, bringing the game 7-5 in Willamette’s favor.
Willamette continued to score more runs throughout the rest of the game, while the Loggers were held at just five runs. The game ended 12-5 with another loss for the Loggers.
On Sunday the Loggers finished out their series against Willamette with a doubleheader. The first game of the doubleheader was rough for the Loggers. Willamette again scored the first two runs in the game to take the early lead.
The game continued this way with Willamette staying one step ahead of the Loggers for its entirety. The Loggers scored several runs in the top of the ninth, but it still was not enough and Willamette took the second game of the series 4-6.
It was the third and final game of the series where the Loggers came out strong against Willamette. Senior Nate Aguiar (Los Gatos, Calif.) threw a great game for the Loggers on the mound, earning his third win of the season.
During the game the Logger offense carried the team by the number of runs scored in comparison to Willamette.
The first runs earned during the game came in the third inning from the Loggers. Smith and sophomore Conner Savage (Bothell, Wash.) both scored to start the Loggers off for their rally; then junior Christian Carter (San Diego, Calif.) hit a homer that brought in three more Loggers to take the lead 5-0.
The Loggers added more runs in the fifth and sixth innings and two more in the eighth to take the 9-2 lead over Willamette. Even with the win in their sights the Loggers still scored more runs after their 9-2 lead.
In the top of the ninth they scored six more runs to secure the final win over Willamette in the series. Willamette only managed to score once in the final inning, bringing the final score 15-3.
Given that the team’s record stands at 16-22, including 11-13 in the NWC, the Loggers are mired in the middle of the pack in the conference. Still, it is encouraging to see the team continuing to play hard even as they can no longer achieve a winning season.
The Loggers will finish off their season with their final set of non-conference games next Saturday, May 4 against Whitman and Pacific.
PHOTO COURTESY/LOGGER ATHLETICS
