Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. --- Portland freshman starter Chris Johnson tossed a solid 6.0 innings and senior C.J. Cullen had three hits and a solo home run as the Pilots defeated the Washington Huskies 3-2 at Husky Ballpark on Tuesday night. Sophomore Kris Kauppila also hit a solo home run for the Pilots, who improve to 24-9 on the season.

 

Washington, which defeated UP 6-5 at Joe Etzel Field last Wednesday, drops to 19-16.

 

Cullen staked Johnson an early 1-0 lead with his second home run of the season in the top of the first inning. The blast came with two outs after UW starter Colton Bielaski (0-1) had retired the first two batters of the game.

 

Johnson (2-1) took over from there, stifling the UW bats. He’d allow only four hits during his six innings of scoreless work, while striking out four and walking just two. The right-hander lowered his earned run average to 2.08 on the year, and he avenges last week’s loss to UW, the only blemish on his record.

 

Sunday’s hero Kyle Haskin, a junior outfielder, made it a 2-0 game with an RBI double in the top of the fourth inning. With one out and Cullen on second base, Haskin drilled a run-scoring double to the wall in left field to make it a two-run game. Haskin hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday to give the Pilots a 13-12 win against LMU and a series sweep over the Lions.

 

Up 2-0, Kauppila then continued Portland’s recent two-out success in the top of the fifth inning when he belted what proved to be a crucial solo home run. The Pilots have scored 21 runs with two outs during their current four-game winning streak.

 

Johnson then gave way to the bullpen, which got the job done until a nerve-racking bottom of the ninth. After a lead-off walk to UW’s Chase Anselment, freshman RHP J.R. Bunda was replaced by UP closer Chris Dennis. Dennis, a junior righty, would hit a batter before striking out Aaron Russell.

 

Then with one out and runners on first and second, pinch hitter Bradley Boyer kept the game alive with a double down the left field line that scored Anselment and Julien Pollard, who scored when the ball was misplayed by Portland left fielder Garrett Queen.

 

Dennis would then strike out Caleb Brown before issuing a walk Troy Scott to set up a two-out, runners on the corners situation. But Dennis was up to the task as he struck out Doug Cherry to end the game and pick up his league-leading ninth save of the year.

 

Dennis ties the program record for most saves in a season, which was set in 1987 by John Nichols. Dennis is also now just two saves shy of tying Nichols' career record of 11.

 

UP used four pitchers on the night, while three relievers followed Bielaski on the mound. Adrian Gomez was charged with Portland’s second and third runs.

 

Portland out-hit Washington 6-5 and the Pilots ended an eight-game losing streak to their northwest and former conference rivals.

 

The Pilots, who are 8-1 in the West Coast Conference, remain on the road this weekend for a key three-game league series against the Pepperdine Waves (13-18, 3-2 WCC) in Malibu, Calif. The Pilots and Waves are set to play at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and at 1:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.