SPOKANE, Wash. – The Portland Pilots (20-14, 7-8 WCC) dropped the rubber match against the Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-9, 11-4 WCC) 5-2 in Spokane. The loss puts the Pilots back below .500 in conference play.
Eli Morse gave up five runs in the first three innings, which was just enough to lump him with the loss. Three Pilot pitchers saw the mound in total, with Nick Nygard and Joey Gartrell each making appearances. Owen Wild earned the win for Gonzaga.
Portland had two runs off six hits on Saturday. In his season debut, Christian Cooney shined, going 2-for-4 with a home run in his opening at bat. This was Cooney's first appearance since injuring his shoulder last April.
Cooney's home run came in the first inning, proving to be Portland's only score of the game. After a leadoff single from Jake Tsukada, Cooney sent a moonshot over the right field wall that gave the Pilots an early 2-0 lead.
That lead did not last long. Gonzaga responded immediately with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Zags scored one run off a groundout, then added two more off a triple from Shea Kramer. Portland's lead evaporated, turning into them trailing 3-2.
Gonzaga added two more runs in the third inning, both off RBI singles. Grayson Sterling hit a single to bring Tyler Rando home, then Ezra Samperi hit a single that made it 5-2 Bulldogs. That would be the end of the scoring for the game.
The Pilots were solid defensively, not allowing any hits in the final five innings. But they also accumulated only three more hits for themselves in that span, failing to bring anyone home. The Bulldogs took the series with a 5-2 victory.
Next up, the Pilots will return home as they play host to the Oregon Ducks. The two teams will play their final games against each other on Tuesday, April 19 at Joe Etzel Field. That game will be broadcast on Portland's CW. Check PortlandPilots.com as well for live stats and video.
