PORTLAND, Ore. -- Henry Muench collected a career-high four hits as the Pilots routed the Niagara Purple Eagles 19-2. The 17-run win is the largest since their 20-0 win over the San Diego Toreros in 2019.

Sophomore Joey Gartrell (2-1) started on the mound and picked up the win for Portland (8-5). The right-hander went five innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on two hits, allowing three walks and striking out four. Freshman Zach Johnson also made an impact on the mound for the Pilots, throwing four scoreless innings while allowing three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.

In addition to his four hits, Muench had four RBI's to lead the Pilots, also a career high. Briley Knight put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBI's. Spencer Scott also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

How it Happened

The Pilots were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Niagara hit three Pilot batters and walked another to score three runs for Portland.

The Pilots then lost some of their lead, expanding on their advantage in the fourth inning after the Purple Eagles cut it to 3-2. The Portland offense exploded for six runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of junior Tristan Gomes, which brought the Pilots lead to 9-2. THe Pilots also scored off a balk, a walked-in run, and scores off a groundout from Nich Klemp and a single from Muench.

Portland kept Niagara without a run before building their lead to 16-2 the following inning. The Pilots bats heated up in the inning, scoring seven runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Knight and an RBI single from Muench. Along with that, Niagara hit one batter, threw a wild pitch and commited a crucial error on an would-be out to bring in the other runs.

Portland put the score at its final in the eighth. The three-run frame for the Pilots was punctuated by a two-run single off the bat of Muench. bringing the Portland advantage to 19-2. Ethan Loveless took a walk to bring in the other run as the Pilots coasted to the win.

Game Notes
» Muench collected four hits on the day for Portland, a career high. It is tied for the most in a game by a Pilot this year.
» Muench also drove in a career-high four runs for Portland.
» Every Portland starter reached base safely in the win.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed seven runs across.
» The Pilots had control of the rest of the game after jumping ahead of the Purple Eagles 3-1 in the bottom of the second.
» The Pilots out-hit the Purple Eagles at a 12-5 clip.
» Portland went 8-for-19 (.421) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers limited Niagara to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 35 Niagara hitters in the game, allowing 13 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out six.
» The Pilots drew 10 walks from Niagara pitching.
» The Purple Eagles hit seven Pilot batters in the game. Portland set a record for bases earned by a hit batter with seven.
» Niagara was led offensively by freshman Cole Tucker, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Up Next

Portland plays Niagara tomorrow at 3 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.