PORTLAND PILOTS (16-9, 1-5 WCC)
WEEK 7 GAME NOTES
 
vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (15-9, 5-1 WCC)
Date: Fri-Sun, March 29-31, 2019
First Pitches: 6 PM/6 PM/12 PM
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: Game 1  Game 2  Game 3
Stats: Game 1  Game 2  Game 3
Series: LMU leads 54-32
2018: POR 6-1, POR 2-1, LMU 8-2 (April 20-22 in Los Angeles)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • March 29 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Eli Morse (2-2, 2.47)
LMU: RHP Codie Paiva (2-2, 1.96)
 
Saturday • March 30 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Cameron Richman (0-0, 1.42)
LMU: RHP Josh Agnew (2-1, 4.36)
 
Sunday • March 31 • 12 PM
POR: RHP Chris Clements (5-0, 1.64)
LMU: TBA
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots host the Loyola Marymount Lions for a three-game West Coast Conference series this weekend at Joe Etzel Field.
• The league series begins with the opener on Friday night at 6 p.m., first pitch is also schedule for 6 p.m. on Saturday, and Sunday's finale will begin at 12 p.m.
• Links for live streams and live stats for all three games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• Four pitchers combined to toss a three-hitter as the Pilots upended the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers 5-1 on Tuesday night in front of nearly 5,000 fans at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro.
• Portland pitchers also registered 14 K's, with reliever Cameron Richman striking out the side on 12 pitches in the top of the seventh inning.
• Cody Hawken provided a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning to give the Pilots an early lead, and Matt Kelly, Hunter Montgomery, and Gabe Skoro also claimed RBI's during the win over the defending national champions.
• Wednesday's game with the Seattle U Redhawks at Joe Etzel Field was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the two teams will conclude the contest on Tuesday when the Pilots travel north to Bellevue.
• Seattle U currently leads 13-12, and the Pilots had the bases loaded with two outs when the game was halted.
• Portland has already crossed the plate nine times in the fifth, and they scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to climb back into the game.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The 20 runs scored Saturday, March 16, at USF are the most runs by the Pilots since 2006 when they won 20-13 at Oregon State, and it's the most runs for Portland against a WCC opponent since a 22-11 win at Santa Clara in 2002.
• It's also Portland's largest margin of victory since blanking UC Davis 19-0 in 2006.
• Portland opened the year 15-5, which equaled the program's second best record ever after 20 games; Portland's 1958 squad holds the record with an 17-3 mark, and the Pilots also went 15-5 in 1969.
• Portland's recent seven-game winning streak was the longest stretch without a loss for the Pilots since 2010.
• Matt Kelly made history against the Dons at USF on Saturday, March 16 when he collected an impressive seven RBI's, which are the most by a Pilot since Kory Casto also drove in seven runs during a game in 2003.
• Freshman Tracye Tammaro recently homered in four straight games, and it's believed he's one of only four players in the nation to accomplish that feat this season.
• Portland's sweep at home against Northern Colorado (March 8-10) was the first four-game series sweep for the Pilots since taking four from Eastern Oregon in 1982, and it was the first against a DI opponent since winning four against Seattle in 1980.
• Senior right-hander Chris Clements was named the Rawlings WCC Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row after tossing a complete-game shutout Sunday against Northern Colorado (March 10); it was the first shutout by a Pilot pitcher since 2015, and the 13 K's were the most for Portland since Kevin Baker fanned 13 in a game in 2017.
• Previously Clements was WCC Pitcher of the Week after producing his first complete-game win at Stephen F. Austin on March 2.
• Clements, a transfer who's in his first year with the Pilots, is 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA, he has 41 K's in 38.1 innings, and he's holding the opposition to a .168 batting average; he's tied for second nationally in most complete games (2), he's third in wins, and he's 21st in WHIP (0.78).
• The Pilots currently rank 15th in the nation and lead the West Coast Conference in doubles (55).
• Portland also leads the WCC in home runs (24), home runs per game (1.0), double plays (21), and double plays per game (0.84), and they're second in slugging percentage (.411) and ERA (3.32).
• Cody Hawken is tied for ninth nationally in hit-by-pitches (11) and he's just six shy of setting UP's career mark in that category; Hawken has been plunked 39 times in his career, while the program leader Cory Lunde (1999-2002) claims 44 HBP's.
• Portland closer Connor Knutson is 18th in the country with six saves, and Chad Stevens ranks 19th in sacrifice flies (11).
• 2019 marks the fourth year for head coach Geoff Loomis, a Portland baseball alum and UP Athletics Hall of Fame member who still holds the UP program career record for batting average (.376); Loomis is coming off his most successful year as the Pilots' skipper.
• The Pilots' 23 wins last season were the most for the program since winning 27 in 2012; Portland's 12 WCC victories also matched the most for the program since that same season.
• The Pilots won five WCC series last year for the most conference series wins since also claiming five league sets in 2011.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Loyola Marymount Lions swept Santa Clara and took two of three from Pacific to begin play in the WCC.
• LMU is hitting .254 and they lead the WCC in triples (5) and stolen bases (36); four LMU regulars are hitting .300 or better.
• The Lions have a staff ERA of 3.69 and they're holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
• Trevin Esquerra leads the team with a .320 batting average and he's eighth nationally with 12 doubles; he's also tops in the WCC with 29 RBI's and he's second with seven HR's.
• Jason Gill is in his 11th year as head coach of the Lions.