Box Scores: Game One  Game Two

PORTLAND, Ore. --- After needing 10 innings to defeat Santa Clara 2-1 in the first game of a West Coast Conference doubleheader at Joe Etzel Field on Thursday, the Portland Pilots cruised to a convincing 10-3 win in the second game to make it a clean sweep over the Broncos. The Pilots matched a season-high with 13 hits in game two and improve to 10-16 overall and to 3-2 in the WCC.
 
The Broncos drop to 8-17 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
 
The first game ended in dramatic fashion as the first two Portland hitters were retired in the bottom of the 10th inning with the score tied 1-1. Freshman Ryan Barr kept the inning going with a double down the right field line before the Broncos intentionally walked senior Jeff Melby. A wild pitch allowed both Barr and Melby to move up a base before pinch hitter Kevin Farley was plunked to load the bases.
 
Senior Beau Fraser then walked to the plate and would work the count full against reliever Max Deering. Deering was then unable to find the strike zone, walking Fraser and bringing home Barr with the winning run.
 
The win goes to Portland junior Colin Feldtman (1-0) after the right-hander threw 4.0 solid innings out of the bullpen in relief or Portland sophomore starter Travis Radke. Feldtman struck out three, didn’t walk a batter and yielded just one hit.
 
Radke, who entered the game third in the nation in K’s per nine innings, struck out nine in 6.0 innings. He walked four, surrendered five hits and allowed Santa Clara’s lone run in the top of the first inning.
 
In that first, lead-off hitter Jesse Viele singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and alertly scored the game’s first run on a another wild pitch.
 
The game remained 1-0 in Santa Clara’s favor until the Pilots were able to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on the corners and one out, senior Kramer Scott smacked a single to right, which scored sophomore Cody Lenahan, who had previously doubled, with the tying run.
 
The Broncos nearly scored in the top of the fifth when Viele tried to score all the way from second base on a strike three pitch that got away from Fraser the catcher. But Fraser was able to get to the ball and toss it to Radke, who tagged out Viele at the plate to end the inning.
 
Santa Clara starter Mike Couch (3-4) takes the tough loss after working all the way into the 10th inning. Couch registered five strikeouts, issued four walks and gave up seven hits in nine and two-thirds. Both UP runs were charged to Couch, and Deering didn’t record an out in the 10th.
 
After scoring the first run in game two, the Pilots found themselves trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. That’s when Portland once again pieced together some two-out hits to score three runs and re-claim the lead. First Barr was hit with the bases loaded, which forced in the tying run, before Melby knocked in a pair with a single to left field.
 
Santa Clara scored one in the top of the fifth inning and the Pilots answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the frame, courtesy a single up the middle by senior Brian Frattali.
 
Then in the seventh, the Pilots sent nine hitters to the plate and scored five runs to take control of the game. Sophomore Caleb Whalen had an RBI single to spark the outburst, senior Ben Grubb added a two-run double, sophomore Michael Lucarelli scored on an error and Melby capped the scoring with an run-scoring single.
 
Melby finished with three RBI’s in the second game, while Frattali and Grubb each had three hits.
 
Junior reliever Chad Kjemhus (1-0) takes the win after working just 1.0 inning. He spelled freshman starter Billy Sahlinger in the top of the fourth and he was followed by three more Portland relievers.
 
Santa Clara countered with seven pitchers and starter Jake Steffens (0-2) shoulders the loss.
 
The Pilots and Broncos next take Friday off before returning to Joe Etzel Field for the series finale on Saturday at 1 p.m.