NEWBERG, Ore. – Despite a game-tying home run from
Adam Eskil, Saints' baseball dropped two one-run games to Western Oregon on the road.
Game One
The Saints (10-17, 7-12 GNAC) got on the board first after
Zach Raczok's ground ball drove in Eskil with the bases loaded in the second inning.
Western Oregon's (15-8, 14-5) offense was held in check by
Aaron Shoup through the first 3.2 innings, only collecting one hit. Third baseman Nyles Nygaard squared up on a 1-2 count, knotting the game at 1-1 and started a two-out rally. The Wolves added two more runs on a RBI single from the shortstop Garrett Anderson to take a 3-1 lead.
Saint Martin's mounted a game-tying rally in the seventh inning that start with a single to center field from
Steven Sordahl, scoring Raczok and advancing
Kahi Hirano to second base. After a double steal and walk to load the bases with two outs, Eskil tied the game with a RBI single to left field.
Lead-off hitter Brock Pradere reached on a walk, and after a sacrifice bunt and stolen base, scored the eventual game-winning run on a single to center from Connor McCord in the bottom of the seventh.
Shoup pitched the first six innings for the Saints, controlling the Wolves' bats to a tune of three runs, two earned on six hits with three strikeouts.
Patrick Hoeper (1-1) picked up the loss after walking the only batter he faced in the ballgame.
Luke Hare relieved the final two scoreless innings, extending his scoreless streak to 10.1 innings, and dropped his ERA to 0.86.
Game Two
In a combined pitching effort between
Ryan Dorney and
Mickey Walker, the Saints held the Wolves to only three runs; however, it was one too many.
Dorney started the game strong, giving up one hit and striking out one in the first two innings before getting into a jam in the third. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, three-hitter McCord gave Western Oregon a 2-0 lead on a double to right field.
The Saints responded quickly, in the next half inning, after Sordahl knocked in
Alec Hagerman on a single up the middle to cut the score to 2-1.
Neither team could find any offense over the next few innings, and the Saints remained trailing by one with three outs left. Eskil led-off the seventh inning and on the first pitch, drove a ball to deep left field for his fourth home run and 21st RBI of the season to lock the game at 2-2.
Mickey Walker came in for relief in the fourth inning and had thrown four scoreless innings going into the eighth inning before a lead-off single put the game-winning run on the bases. Next batter, Crunkilton singled through the left side and after a fielding error by the Saints, the runner on first came all the way around to score the walk-off run.
Dorney pitched three innings, giving up two runs on four hits while Walker (2-4) threw 4+ innings, on five hits and one unearned run, while each struck out one.
Up Next: The Saints return home to host Central Washington in back-to-back doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and noon respectively.
