Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- With one out and Portland trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning, freshman SS Kris Kauppila drilled a two-run double to the left field corner to give the Pilots a thrilling 5-4 win over the No. 22 Gonzaga Bulldogs on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. The Pilots, who won with a three-run home run by senior OF Bryant Kraus in the eighth inning on Saturday, take two games from the Bulldogs to claim the three-game West Coast Conference series.
Portland wins its first WCC series of the season to improve to 20-17 overall and to 4-8 in the conference. The Pilots have already surpassed the three WCC wins they finished with last year. Gonzaga drops to 25-12 and to 7-5 in the WCC.
The Pilots, who led 3-2 entering the final frame, surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth to fall behind. After GU’s Evan Wells grounded out to begin the inning, Drew Heid drew a one-out walk from UP reliever Keeler Brynteson. Tyson Van Winkle then drilled the first pitch he saw deep over the left-center fence to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead.
Brynteson would settle down from there and retire the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, senior OF Austin Pearce led off with a base hit to center field. After Pearce advanced to second base on sacrifice bunt, junior C Rocky Gale drew a walk to give Portland runners on first and second with one out.
Kauppila then worked the count to 2-2 before lacing a sharp line drive that landed just shy of the warning track in the left field corner. Pearce easily scored and was followed by pinch runner C.J. Cullen with the winning run.
Brynteson (2-0) worked the final inning and a third to pick up his second win on the year.
Gonzaga’s Cody Martin (3-4) is saddled with the loss for the second straight day. After giving up Kraus’ go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday, Martin served up Kauppila’s walk-off double this afternoon. He pitched 1.1 innings in relief of GU starter Steven Ames, who surrendered three runs on seven hits and three walks in 7.0 innings.
Brynteson, a freshman left-hander, followed starter Zach Varce and reliever Ed Wakefield on the hill for Portland. Varce, a sophomore righty who picked up the save on Saturday, worked 6.0 innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits.
Wakefield, a junior left-hander, had his second straight solid outing. He didn’t allow a hit in an inning and a third after picking up the win on Saturday.
After the Bulldogs plated runs in the top of the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, the Pilots made it a one-run game with a tally in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior DH Chase Powell led off with a solo home run to right-center field that made it a 2-1 game.
Still 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore 3B Kevin Armijo came through with a huge two-run triple to the right field corner. Armijo’s three-bagger scored Powell and Pearce to give Portland its first lead of the day at 3-2.
Gonzaga’s two-run ninth inning came after Portland failed to score a run in the bottom of the eighth when it had the bases loaded with no outs.
Pearce had three of Portland’s nine hits, while Kauppila finished with two. Heid, Van Winkle and Mark Castellitto each had two of Gonzaga’s eight hits. After two days of errorless baseball, GU had three miscues on Sunday, while Portland had one.
Sunday’s late-inning heroics come a day after the Pilots won in dramatic fashion on Saturday. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Kraus drilled a three-run homer to left field. The Pilots then recorded the final out on a play at the plate in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Gonzaga’s Grant Kveder tried to score the tying run from first base on a double to the left field corner. But Kauppila’s relay throw was in time to get Kveder at home and preserve the win.
The Bulldogs claimed Friday’s opener 6-3.
Portland next steps out of conference to play the Washington Huskies in Seattle on Tuesday. The Pilots and Huskies are set to go at 3:00 p.m. UP then heads to Southern California next weekend for a three-game WCC set against the San Diego Toreros. The series opener is scheduled begins at 3:00 p.m. on Friday in San Diego.
