PROVO, Utah -- The Portland Pilots put together a spirited comeback, scoring three runs over the eighth and ninth innings, but the late-game rally came up short and they fell 9-8 to the BYU Cougars Thursday. Ryan Rembisz (1-1) took the loss on the mound for Portland (22-18, 11-8).
Offensively, the Pilots were paced by Evan Scavotto, who went 3-for-5 on the day with a home run, a walk and two RBI's. Nich Klemp furnished a standout effort as well, going 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI's in the top of the ninth to keep the Pilots in the ball game. Ty Saunders also helped out for Portland, hitting his first home run of the season.
How it Happened
Portland first put up runs in the third inning. Trailing 1-0, Evan Scavotto hit a home run to left center that scored two to make it 2-1 Pilots.
The Pilots followed that up in the fourth inning with a RBI single from Christian Cooney. But the 3-1 lead didn't last, with the Cougars tying it up with a home run and a single that made it 3-3.
BYU took the lead in the fifth with a single from Jacob Wilk, but the Pilots quickly tied it back up with Saunders' first home run of the year. At 4-4 heading into the eighth, Ben Patacsil gave Portland the lead with an RBI single.
The Cougars responded soon after with three runs in the eighth, making it 7-5. But the Pilots got a clutch home run from Klemp that made it 7-7 after nine innings.
Extra innings followed, and three Pilots scored one run in the ninth to take the lead. Unfortunately for Portland, BYU scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th to win 9-8.
Game Notes
» The Pilots got three-hit games from three different hitters: Jake Holcroft, Evan Scavotto and Henry Muench.
» This is the third 3-hit game for Scavotto, the fourth for Muench and the ninth for Holcroft.
» Joey Gartrell fanned eight Cougars hitters, a season high.
» Every Pilots starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Pilots pitchers combined to strike out 13 BYU hitters.
» Five Portland hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» The Pilots took BYU pitchers deep three times on Thursday.
» Portland batters had a total of 16 hits in the game.
» Portland left 12 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Pilots out-hit the Cougars at a 16-12 clip.
» Portland pitchers faced 53 BYU hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out 13.
» The Pilots drew four walks from BYU pitching.
» Scavotto led the Pilots at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI's.
Up Next
The Pilots and Cougars will be back at it tomorrow at 5 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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