Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Senior Eric Sapp collected three hits and three of the Portland Pilots ten stolen bases en route to an 8-5 victory over the UC Riverside Highlanders in the first game of a nonconference doubleheader Saturday at Joe Etzel Field.

Portland (7-3) built an early 3-1 lead with a well-executed small ball approach against UC Riverside (4-6).

After leading off the second with a single, Sapp stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch as freshman Matt Kelly drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Junior Michael Forgione then laid down a bunt single to give the Pilots a 2-1 lead entering the third.

Senior Caleb Whalen set the table in third with an infield hit and a stolen base. Whalen came around to score when junior Cooper Hummel capped a nine pitch at-bat with a single to center field.

Hummel then stole second and third but Angel Landazuri escaped the inning without allowing another run. Landazuri (1-2) labored through the first three innings with 88 pitches and got little time to rest in between innings as Portland junior Davis Tominaga (2-1) worked efficiently through UC Riverside's lineup.

Tominaga allowed two of the first three UC Riverside hitters to reach before settling into a zone. The junior righty retired the next eight hitters and scattered six hitters over 7-plus innings of work. He struck out three and walked three while allowing three runs to score.

UC Riverside threatened in the eighth inning as Thomas Walker lifted a three run home run over the left field wall to follow after back-to-back walks. Mark Contreras, representing the potential tying run, then doubled and advanced to third base with two outs.

Freshman RHP Cameron Richman ended the threat with his first pitch of the game, inducing a lazy pop fly that Forgione easily caught.

Portland is now a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases through the first two games of the series. Sapp (3), Hummel (2), and Whalen (2) each recorded a multi-steal game. Whalen's second steal came in the eighth inning as he dashed home from third while UC Riverside attempted a pickoff at first.

Portland is a remarkable 28-for-33 in stolen bases in the first 10 games under new head coach Geoff Loomis. Last year, the Pilots were 21-for-45 across 54 games.