PORTLAND PILOTS (20-14, 2-10 WCC)
WEEK 9 GAME NOTES
 
vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-14, 7-5 WCC)
Date: Fri-Sun, April 12-14, 2019
First Pitches: 6 PM/6 PM/1 PM
Location: Portland, Ore.
Ballpark: Joe Etzel Field
Video: Game 1  Game 2  Game 3
Stats: Game 1  Game 2  Game 3
Series: GON leads 128-78
2018: GON 6-4, GON 3-0, GON 9-8 (April 6-8 in Spokane, Wash.)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS (W-L, ERA)
Friday • April 12 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Eli Morse (2-4, 2.33)
GON: LHP Mason Wells (0-1, 4.18)
 
Saturday • April 13 • 6 PM
POR: RHP Kevin Baker (0-3, 6.04)
GON: TBA
 
Sunday • April 14 • 1 PM
POR: RHP Chris Clements (6-1, 1.72)
GON: LHP Mac Lardner (2-3, 7.76)
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots host the Gonzaga Bulldogs for a three-game West Coast Conference series at Joe Etzel Field.
• Friday's opener is set to begin at 6 p.m., first pitch on Saturday is also scheduled for 6 p.m., and Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m.
 
THIS WEEK IN PILOTS PROMOS
• It's a busy weekend for promotions at Joe Etzel Field, which includes $5 Friday; every Friday this season at the ballpark, the Pilots are offering a $5 ticket, a $5 food item, and a $5 beer.
• This Friday is also Mini Bat Giveaway night, and the first 300 fans will receive a Portland Pilots bat.
• On Saturday, the Pilots will be handing out playing cards of some of the current players, and there will be a raffle for Baseballism merchandise, with proceeds going to 'K's for Kids'.
• Sunday, as is every Sunday, is kids day, which allows kids the chance to get autographs from the Portland players and maybe run the bases after the game; more playing cards will also be available.
 
LAST WEEK IN PILOTS BASEBALL
• The Pilots allowed just seven runs total in Moraga last weekend, but the Saint Mary's Gaels took all three games of the West Coast Conference series by scores of 4-2, 2-1, and 1-0 at Louis Guisto Field.
• During Friday's opener, Portland pitchers Eli Morse and Christian Peters combined to retire 14 straight Gaels during one stretch, but the early 3-0 deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
• On Saturday the Pilots loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with only one out, but Saint Mary's held on to win a game that featured just nine hits combined.
• The Pilots also got the potential game-tying run on third base in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday.
• Portland rebounded to end the road trip with a convincing 13-2 win at San Jose State on Monday.
• Cody Hawken, Matt Kelly, and Daniel Lopez each homered for the Pilots, and pitchers Nate Packard and Cameron Richman combined to allow only five hits; Lopez also finished with five RBI's, while Kelly scored four runs.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Senior right-hander Chris Clements was the Rawlings WCC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season on April 1 after collecting a pair of W's against No. 8 Oregon State and LMU.
• In 10.0 total innings against the Beavers and Lions, Clements surrendered just two earned runs, gave up only three hits, K'd eight, and walked one.
• Clements previously nabbed back-to-back league pitcher of the week awards after tossing consecutive complete games.
• Clements registered a complete-game shutout Sunday against Northern Colorado on March 10, which was the first shutout by a Pilot pitcher since 2015; the 13 K's against the Bears were the most for Portland since Kevin Baker fanned 13 in 2017.
• Clements produced 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 6-1 with a 1.72 ERA, he has 51 K's in 52.1 innings, and he's holding the opposition to a .162 batting average; he ranks fifth nationally in WHIP (0.73), is seventh in complete games (2), 10th in wins, and 21st in hits per nine innings (5.16).
• He also leads the WCC in wins, WHIP, complete games, and strike out to walk ratio (6.38).
• 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 seven-game winning streak earlier this season 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.
• Earlier this year, freshman Tracye Tammaro homered in four straight games (March 13-17).
• 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.
• The Pilots rank 22nd nationally in WHIP (1.25) and double plays (29), and they're 30th in doubles (66).
• They also lead the WCC in home runs (33), home runs per game (0.97), doubles, and ERA (3.53), and they're second in stolen bases (33), double plays (29) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.75).
• Cody Hawken ranks seventh nationally in hit-by-pitches (15) and he's just one shy of matching UP's career mark in that category; Hawken has been plunked 32 times in his career, while the program leader Cory Lunde (1999-2002) claims 44 HBP's.
• Portland closer Connor Knutson is eighth in the country and leads the WCC with eight saves.
• 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).
• 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.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs took two of three from Pacific at home last weekend.
• The Zags rank 14th nationally in doubles per game (2.25) and are 19th in fielding percentage (.979).
• They're batting .255 as a team, holding opposing hitters to a .266 average, and have a staff ERA of 5.22.
• Mason Marenco (.321) leads the team in batting average, Ryan Sullivan has a team-high five homers, and Troy Johnston has driven in 19 RBI's.
• Ernie Yake is the toughest batter to strike out in the country as he's fanned just four times in 111 at-bats.
• Three-time WCC Coach of the Year (2009, 2013, 2017) Mark Machtolf is in his 16th year at the helm of the Bulldogs, who reached an NCAA Regional last season.