PORTLAND, Ore.- The Portland Pilots spoiled Santa Clara’s chance at winning the WCC West Division as the Pilots took the first game of a three-game set, 7-6, on Friday afternoon at Pilot Stadium. The Broncos had to win their final three games of the season in order to have a chance at the crown, but Pilot hurler Sean Sargent had other ideas. Sargent went 8 1/3 innings, struck out 4 and held SCU to five runs on 10 hits as the Pilots improve to 12-42 overall, 6-33 in the WCC. Santa Clara drops to 25-29, 14-14 in the WCC.
“Today’s win was great,” said head coach Chris Sperry. “Sean pitched a beautiful game, considering how badly we’re beat up on the mound. He gave us an opportunity to get through this weekend. Playing a spoiler against a team that has a shot at first place can provide you with a bit of motivation as the season winds down.”
The Pilot bats busted open for six runs in the second inning after Santa Clara had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Adam Kerr got the rally going with a one-out single to right field. Billy Krause followed with a walk before Jesse Rodgers smacked one to right-center field. The double scored Kerr to tie the game. Nik Kosach then sent a two-out single up the middle that scored both Krause and Rodgers and gave the Pilots a lead they would never relinquish. Just to make sure, Jeff Crinklaw went yard to left giving him his sixth home run of the season. By the end of the inning, Portland held a commanding 6-1 lead.
Sargent took over from there. He baffled the Bronco bats as he held them to only two runs over the next six innings. He got a little help from the bat of Joe Watson when he took one out in the fifth inning. The solo home run was his third on the year and proved to be huge for the Pilots.
Sargent took a 140 pitch count into the ninth before giving up an SCU run, then giving way to Joe Jones with one Bronco aboard and only one out. Jason Matteucci promptly hit a no-doubter to right field as Santa Clara pulled within a run at 7-6. Jones settled down to record the last two outs of the game giving Portland the win.
The save is the first of the season for Jones, while Sargent runs his record to 4-7.
“Since we’re short on pitching, I just tried to stay in there as long as I could and give our bullpen some relief,” said Sargent. “It was a good, overall team effort today. Offensively we scored the runs when we needed to and defensively we played solid. It feels really good having a game like this.”
The win makes Portland 2-2 against Santa Clara this season. The Pilots and Broncos meet again tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at Pilot Stadium before wrapping up the series on Sunday, also at 1:00 p.m.
