Box Score
BEAUMONT, Texas --- Turner Gill went 4-for-5 with four RBI’s, Kris Kauppila added two more hits and scored three times and the Pilots registered their second straight win over Stephen F. Austin with a 10-5 victory at the Lamar Classic on Sunday afternoon. Junior right-hander Chris Johnson picks up the win for the Pilots, who open the season 2-0.
Much like Friday’s 11-0 UP win, the Pilots struck early against the Lumberjacks (0-2) on Sunday. Portland scored during each of the first three innings to claim a 4-0 lead. Kauppila, who had three RBI’s on Friday, led off the game with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Two batters later, Gill followed with his first home run of the year as the Pilots led 2-0 after one.
Zack McCoy brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Gill had an RBI double in the third.
Johnson (1-0) was cruising early, allowing just one hit during the first three innings. SFA did get to Johnson for two runs in the fourth, but Gill responded with a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth to hand the Pilots a 5-2 lead.
Portland then put the game out of reach with five runs during the final three innings. Gill had another RBI double in the seventh, Cody Lenahan and Brian Frattali each knocked in a run in the eighth and Caleb Whalen blasted a two-run homer in the top of the ninth. It’s the first collegiate home run for Whalen, a freshman third baseman.
Johnson worked 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. The junior right-hander fanned four. Freshman righty Kody Watts saw his first action as a Pilot, working 1.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, J.R. Bunda pitched the eighth inning, and senior closer Owen Jones tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Lumberjacks used seven pitchers on the day, with starter Colton Eubanks (0-1) picking up the loss. Eubanks allowed five runs on five hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He did strike out five.
The Pilots out-hit Stephen F. Austin 11-8 on the day and 23-11 during the weekend. The Lumberjacks committed the game’s only error.
Portland’s scheduled game against tournament-host Lamar on Saturday was rained out.
UP next returns home to host the Concordia Cavaliers at Joe Etzel Field on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Pilots will then welcome Creighton to town for a three-game series next weekend.
