Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots scored four runs in the top of the 11th inning to defeat the Loyola Marymount Lions 7-3 and avoid a three-game West Coast Conference series sweep at Page Stadium on Sunday. Portland, which outhit LMU 16-5, got two RBI’s from sophomore OF Craig Smith during the decisive four-run 11th.
It appeared the Pilots (17-13, 2-4 WCC) would end the game an inning earlier after taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th. Senior Chase Powell hit a pinch-hit solo home run to break the 2-2 tie, but LMU (19-14, 5-1 WCC) responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning to extend the game.
Sophomore 2B Riley Henricks knocked in UP’s first run in the top of the 11th. With two on and no outs, Henricks singled to left field to score freshman OF Garrett Smith and give the Pilots a 4-3 lead. Junior OF Austin Pearce followed with an RBI single of his own before Smith smacked a two-run single to center field to give Portland a four-run lead.
Reliever Zach Varce (2-4) pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eleventh to pick up the win. Varce, a sophomore right-hander, entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning and allowed just one run on two hits in 3.0 innings.
Freshman RHP Kyle Kraus had another solid start for the Pilots. He held LMU to three hits and two runs in 8.0 innings. He struck out and walked one during the no decision.
LMU’s Xavier Esquivel (2-3) gave up all four Portland runs in the 11th and is saddled with the loss. He was the third pitcher of the day for the Lions, who got a strong performance from starter Alex Gillingham. Gillingham scattered nine hits in seven innings and allowed two runs. He had no walks and four strikeouts.
The Lions scored the game’s first run when Angelo Songco led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run. The Pilots answered with a run in the top half of the third inning. Sophomore 3B Kevin Armijo, who had led off with a double, scored when the center fielder made an error on a single by UP junior catcher Rocky Gale.
The Pilots took a 2-1 lead an inning later when Pearce knocked in his first run of the game with an RBI single to right field. The lead was short-lived as LMU tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Gee picked up the RBI on a ground out to short stop.
Senior 1B Cort Carpenter had three hits and scored twice for the Pilots. Henricks also finished with three hits. Ryan Wheeler had two of LMU’s five hits.
After opening the conference season with two straight road trips, the Pilots next return home to host Santa Clara this week. The Pilots and Broncos are set to play the series opener at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday at Joe Etzel Field. UP and SCU will then play a double header on Saturday, which is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.
