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PORTLAND PILOTS (13-27, 5-10 WCC)
vs. #13 OREGON DUCKS (29-10, 13-5 Pac-12)
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2013
First Pitch: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Field: Joe Etzel Field (1,000)
Video/Audio: PilotsVideo.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Series: ORE leads 81-26
2013: @ORE 3, POR 1 (2/26); @ORE 5, POR 1 (3/26); ORE 4, @POR 1 (4/16)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
POR: RHP Zach Torson (0-5, 5.06)
ORE: RHP Cole Wiper (0-0, 8.10)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots return to Portland this week to host the No. 13 Oregon Ducks for the second time in the past week.
• Tuesday’s game at Joe Etzel Field is set for 3 p.m.
• The Ducks defeated the Pilots 4-1 last Tuesday at Joe Etzel Field giving Oregon three wins over Portland this season.
• The Pilots will provide a free online video broadcast of Tuesday’s game, which can be accessed at PilotsVideo.com
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Saint Mary’s Gaels claimed all three games against the Pilots in a West Coast Conference series played last weekend in Moraga, Calif.
• Saint Mary’s won Friday’s opener 4-3 in 10 innings before winning on Saturday and Sunday by margins of 5-0 and 14-2, respectively.
• During Friday’s opener, the Pilots scored once in the top of the seventh and again in the top of the eighth to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
• The Pilots previously dropped a pair of games to two top-10 opponents at home.
• Last Tuesday, the then-No. 10 Oregon Ducks overcame an early deficit to defeat the Pilots 4-1; the Ducks tied the score with a solo home run in the top of the seventh before winning it with a three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth.
• Sophomore starter Kody Watts tossed 6.0 scoreless inning, allowing just four hits while striking out five; Brian Frattali gave the Pilots a lead in the fourth when his double scored Caleb Whalen all the way from first base.
• On Wednesday, the No. 5 Oregon State Beavers broke a tie game with a run in the top of the fifth inning before adding three insurance runs in the sixth to claim a 5-1 win in front of a capacity crowd at Joe Etzel Field.
• After the Beavers scored in the top of the fifth, the Pilots answered in the bottom of the frame with a game-tying single off the bat of Nick Armenta.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Senior third baseman Jeff Melby, who had a 15-game hitting streak come to an end against the Ducks last Tuesday, has registered at least one hit during 18 of his last 19 games; he’s also reached base safely in 19 straight games.
• Sophomore right-hander Kurt Yinger nabbed WCC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 18 after tossing his first career complete game shutout.
• Yinger had a string of 27.0 consecutive scoreless innings earlier this season.
• Sophomore lefty Travis Radke, who K’d 14 during a win over UC Riverside on March 15, ranks second nationally in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.8) and is first in the WCC in overall strikeouts (68) despite missing his last few starts due to an injury.
• Radke’s 14 strikeouts against UCR are tied for the 14th most in a single game nationally this season.
• Freshman right-hander Billy Sahlinger ranks third the WCC in fewest hits allowed (34) and is fourth in opponents batting average (.222).
• Sophomore OF/INF Caleb Whalen is tied for sixth nationally with five triples and he’s tied for the lead in the WCC.
• Nine of Portland’s first 13 games of 2013 were against ranked opponents.
• Portland went 27-25 last year to register the second winning season in the past three years, a feat that has not been accomplished since 1992.
• The Pilots have compiled 85 wins during the past three years (2010-12), which is the most W’s during a three-year span since 1990-92; Portland’s 110 wins during the past four years (2009-12) are also the most since that same time (1989-92).
• UP was 12-12 in the WCC last year, good for a sixth-place finish, marking the third straight year with a conference record of .500 or better, which is a first in the history of the program.
• Junior outfielder Turner Gill and sophomore left-hander Travis Radke were both selected to the Preseason All-West Coast Conference Baseball Team.
• Head coach Chris Sperry, a former standout catcher/infielder for the Pilots, notched career win No. 300 last year when Portland defeated LMU 6-3 in LA on April 21.
• Sperry, who has 319 career wins in 15+ years at the helm of the Pilots, trails only long-time Portland coach Joe Etzel, who compiled 378 career wins in 21 seasons (1966-86).
• Sperry coached his 800th career game as head coach at UP at UC Irvine on March 2.
 
KKKKKKKKKKKKKK
• Sophomore left-hander Travis Radke had a career outing on March 15 when he struck out 14 in just 7.0 innings during a win over UC Riverside.
• Radke became the 11th pitcher in the 90-year history of the UP baseball program to record at least 14 K’s in a game.
• The native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., currently ranks second in the nation in K’s per nine innings (13.8) and he leads the WCC in overall strike outs (68).
• Last season, he was named the WCC’s 2012 Freshman of the Year, while also garnering Freshman All-American honors.
• He ended last season 11th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.97), 26th in WHIP (1.0) and 30th in ERA (2.09).
 
WCC RAWLINGS PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore right-hander Kurt Yinger was named the WCC Rawlings Pitcher of the Week (March 18) after hurling his first career complete game shutout as the Pilots blanked UC Riverside 2-0 on March 16 at Joe Etzel Field.
• Yinger registered a career-high 12 strikeouts and didn’t walk a single batter, while scattering six hits.
 
THE STREAK
• Sophomore righty Kurt Yinger ran his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 27.0 innings before the San Francisco Dons scored in the eighth inning of a 5-1 Portland win on March 23.
• He began the streak against No. 21 UC Irvine on March 2 and he had back-to-back 9.0 scoreless inning outings against Seattle (March 9) and UC Riverside (March 16).
• Against the Redhawks, Yinger allowed just three hits and fanned eight in the no-decision, while he registered his first career complete game shutout against the Highlanders.
• During his complete game, he struck out a career-high 12, didn’t issue a walk and allowed just six hits.
 
THE “OTHER” STREAK
• Senior third baseman Jeff Melby had his career-best and team season-high 15 game hitting streak come to an end on April 16 against Oregon at Joe Etzel Field.
• Melby has registered at least one hit during 18 of his last 19 games, and he has reached base safely in 19 straight games.
• He leads the Pilots in batting average (.333) and hits (47) and is second in RBI’s (15) and doubles (8).
 
THE TRIFECTA
• Radke had a little defensive help in the top of the first inning against Riverside on March 15 after the first two batters of the game reached base.
• With both runners on the move, Clayton Prestridge lined out to Jeff Melby at third, who threw it to second base for the force out before Cody Lenahan tossed it to first base for another force out and an inning-ending triple play.
 
THREE BAGGERS
• Caleb Whalen already has five triples this season, more than doubling his career total.
• His five triples are tied for first in the WCC, he’s tied for third nationally and he’s just two triples shy of matching UP’s all-time single-season record, which is currently held by Riley Henricks (2010), Nate Hare (2000) and Larry Farrell (1960).
• His eight career triples are the ninth most all-time at UP and are just six shy of matching Farrell’s (1958-61) career mark of 14.