SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Diego Toreros rushed out to an early lead that the Portland Pilots couldn't overcome as Portland fell 7-1 in San Diego. The loss drops the Pilots to 23-25 on the year and 13-12 in WCC play.
Caleb Franzen took the loss for the Pilots after allowing seven runs in 6.2 innings. Franzen allowed five of those runs in the second and third innings, but did well to collect himself in the later innings before being pulled in the seventh. Nick Nygard also did well in relief, allowing only one hit and striking out three in 1.2 innings.
The Pilots only had one run but collected eight hits on the night. Ben Patacsil had the lone RBI of the night for the Pilots and was 2-for-4 at the plate. Gabe Skoro was the only other Pilot with multiple hits on Thursday, going 2-for-3 on the night.
San Diego scored first with three runs in the second inning. Will Worthington got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly into right field that brought in one run. Kevin Sim brought in two more runs later in the inning thanks to a bomb over the left-field wall. The Toreros led 3-0 after two innings.
The Toreros struck again the very next inning. With two runners on base, Caleb Ricketts plopped a ball into right field that brough both USD runners home. San Diego found themselves up 5-0 quickly.
The Pilots finally got on the board in the sixth inning. After Skoro had the double and then advanced to third off the wild pitch, Patacsil stepped up to the plate and hit a single to right field that brought Skoro in and made it only 5-1 San Diego.
The run helped the Pilots, but despite their best efforts, they couldn't fend off the Toreros. Franzen did well to bounce back after a tough first three innings, but Shane McGuire scored two runs with a triple to pad the lead for the Toreros in the seventh. The Pilots put a runner on base in the final inning, but couldn't bring him home. San Diego would win 7-1.
Portland and San Diego will be back at it tomorrow at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
