Box Score

Portland, Ore. --- Junior 2B Riley Henricks fell a triple shy of the cycle as the Portland Pilots offense set new season-highs in hits and runs Friday afternoon. Portland starter Zach Varce cruised through 8.0 innings, striking out 11 batters to give the Pilots (21-9, 6-1 WCC) a 17-2 West Coast Conference win over the Loyola Marymount Lions (16-16, 0-4 WCC) at Joe Etzel Field.

All but one Portland starter had a hit and seven Pilots recorded multiple hits. Portland had a season-high 21 hits in the victory. Portland scored nine runs with two outs on the afternoon. Senior 1B C.J. Cullen, sophomore DH Beau Fraser, and Henricks all notched four RBI for the Pilots as eleven different players crossed the plate in the blowout.

Varce (5-1) got all the support he needed early in the game before finally allowing LMU’s first hit with two outs in the top of the fifth. With his 11 strikeout performance, Varce has now recorded nine or more strikeouts in five of his nine starts this year. He has also thrown at least 7.0 innings in each of his last four starts. Senior Ed Wakefield tossed a scoreless ninth to finish the game.

The Lions managed just six hits on the afternoon. Sophomore CF Ryan Hawthorne knocked in both runs for LMU. He was also the only Lion to record more than one hit, finishing with two. LMU used three relievers after the Pilots chased Ramiro Carreon (2-4) in the fourth inning.

Portland improves to 12-3 at home, snapping a two game skid. The Pilots are all alone in second place in the WCC standings with a 6-1 record, just one year removed from posting a 7-14 record against WCC foes.

Sophomore Kyle Kraus (6-0, 4.28 ERA) toes the rubber tomorrow for the Pilots while the Lions counter with sophomore southpaw John Lally (3-0, 4.23 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm.