Pioneer LogLewis & Clark College’s Student-Run Newspaper

Final weekend of baseball against NWC no. 1 team

April 23, 2010

by Michael G. Richman

Pacific jumped out to an early lead and held off a late Lewis & Clark comeback to hand the Pioneer baseball team its eighth consecutive loss, 9-5, on Tuesday in Forest Grove.

After losing a 14-inning heartbreaker in their final home game of the season against George Fox on Sunday, LC (9-21) failed to bounce back in the mid-week game just two days later.
Pacific scored one in the first and another in the second, taking a 2-0 lead into the third. The Pioneers cut the lead in half in the top of the inning.

Zach Perez (’13) drew a walk to start the inning and then Geoff Wertz (’13) was hit by a pitch. Perez scored when Guiseppe Baffaro (’11) reached on a fielders’ choice and Wertz was thrown out at second base. Two groundouts ended the inning and the Pioneer scoring threat.

LC tied the score at two in the top of the fourth again thanks to early walks and a fielder’s choice. Tucker Laurence (’12) and Nate Grisham (’12) both drew walks to start the inning. Jim Bray (’10) hit a shot towards third and Grisham was thrown out at second. Tucker advanced to third and then stole home on the throw to tie the score. Bray was safe at second on the play.

With the score tied the home team responded. Pacific scored two in the bottom of the fourth, two more in fifth and tacked on another run in the sixth to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Pacific scored two more in the eighth to make the lead 9-2 heading into the final inning. LC, however, would not go down without a fight. After a fly out, Gianluca Giarizzo (’13) singled to spark the Pio comeback. Perez then drew his second walk of the game. Wertz singled to left bringing home Giarizzo. Baffaro followed with a single to load the bases. Michael Ball (’12) kept the rallying going with his own single to left, bringing home Perez and again loading the bases with one out. Andrew Frisina (’13) hit an RBI ground out to first to cut the lead to 9-5, but the next batter, Eliot Smith (’13), struck out looking to end the rally and the game for the Pios.

“George Fox has always been good; we’ve never beat them in the four years I’ve played,” said Sami Morgan (’10). “We need to not walk people, need to drive balls…they out-played us in the first game, we jumped to the lead in the second but let it slip and the third was a battle from the start, and a tough game to loose.”

Adam Rager (’11) was charged with the loss for the Pios, who have now lost eight straight heading into their final series of the season. LC plays its final three games of the year this weekend against NWC-leading Pacific Lutheran.

“They’re playing for the title.  They’re going to expect to sweep us, but we’d love to spoil their season,” Morgan said.