BELLEVUE, Wash. – Despite making a strong push late in the game with five runs in the seventh inning, the Portland Pilots (23-16) fell to the Seattle U Redhawks (12-25) 9-8. The loss splits the season series between the two sides.
Nick Nygard took the loss for Portland, coming in in the fourth inning and having three runs counted against him. Five pitchers in total made appearances for the Pilots. Joey Gartrell and Caleb Franzen had the strongest outings, with Gartrell – the starter – going three innings with no hits or runs and Franzen going four innings with four strikeouts and only one run and three hits allowed.
The Pilots had plenty of power at the plate tonight, with eight runs off eight hits, including three home runs. Jake Holcroft hit the first home run, going 2-for-3 with two RBI's. Trace Tammaro was the top batter, hitting a grand slam and batting 3-for-4 with four RBI's. His home run was his seventh of the season, a team high. Briley Knight hit his sixth homer of the year as well. The three homers are a season-high for the Pilots.
Portland opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second inning. For the third time this season, Holcroft sent a ball out of the yard, hitting a two-run homer that gave Portland an early two-run lead.
They held that lead until the Redhawks put together a big scoring inning in the fourth. After making his way to third due to a wild pitch from Nygard, Matt Boissoneault made it home off another wild pitch. Seattle scored two more runs off a single from Kyle Sherick and another off a sac fly to make it 4-2 Redhawks.
Portland responded with an RBI single in the fifth from Ty Saunders, but the Redhawks once again scored four runs in the bottom of the inning. Aidan Welch hit a two-run double to get Seattle U's lead to three. Then they scored two more runs – one off a sac fly and another off a second RBI single from Sherick – to make it 8-3 Redhawks through five.
Seattle U scored one run in the sixth to make it 9-3 Redhawks, but then the Pilots made a run. Two critical home runs in the seventh inning catapulted Portland right back into the game. Knight hit his solo shot first to give the Pilots one run. Then, with the bases loaded, Trace Tammaro hit a no-doubter out of the park that suddenly made it a one-run game.
Portland had two more chances to steal away a win, fending off a strong eighth inning from the Redhawks. But despite putting a runner in scoring position in the ninth, the Pilots couldn't get the tying run. They would fall 9-8.
The Pilots and Redhawks will finish off the weekend tomorrow at 11 a.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
