PORTLAND, Ore. – In their final home game of the season, the Portland Pilots took down the Oregon State Beavers 7-2 at Joe Etzel Field. The win puts the Pilots at 23-24 this season.
Nick Brink took the win for the Pilots after coming on in relief in the sixth inning. Brink only gave up one hit and no runs while striking out five in three innings of work. Jack Folkins was also solid as the starter, with only two runs and four hits allowed in five innings. Jacob Dobmeier closed out the evening for the Pilots.
Buoyed by a big seventh inning, the Pilots accumulated seven runs off 11 hits on Tuesday. Chad Stevens was one of five Pilots with multiple hits on the day, going 3-for-4 with a double. Sam Brown was also 2-for-4 with two RBI's while Jake Holcroft posted the same numbers. Ben Patacsil and Brett Gillis were the only other batters to record hits on the day, with both players also going 2-for-4.
The Pilots were first on the board with a run in the first inning. Stevens had a double in the leadoff spot and then eventually got back home off the wild pitch by Jack Washburn. Portland led 1-0 after the first.
The Beavers didn't wait long to respond. With two outs in the second inning, Joe Casey hit a double to center field to put himself in scoring position. Greg Fuchs then stepped up to the plate and hit a double to bring Casey home and tie things back up at one.
Oregon State added to their total with a sac fly in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead. That lead lasted only a couple innings. In the sixth inning with Brown on second, Gillis hit a liner right up the middle that brought Brown home and tied things up at two.
The Pilots exploded in the next inning. They scored five runs in the seventh to take a commanding five-run lead. Patacsil got things started with a single to left center that brought Gabe Skoro home. Then Holcroft had a double to left center that brought home Patacsil and Stevens. Brown finished things off with a double himself, bringing home Holcroft and Briley Knight to make it 7-2 Pilots. Dobmeier only allowed one hit in the ninth, holding off the Beavers to get the Pilots the victory.
Next up, the Pilots are headed to San Diego for their final WCC series of the season. They'll get started with a game on Thursday, May 20 at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
