Portland Pilots baseball took both games of their doubleheader against the Utah Valley Wolverines, dominating 16-8 in Game 1 before taking Game 2 by a score of 7-5. The two wins clinched the series for Portland.
Read below for the full recap of each game.
GAME 1 | Portland 16, Utah Valley 8
OREM, Utah -- The Pilots put together their best offensive outing of the season in their 16-8 victory over Utah Valley.
Nick Brink (2-0) got the win after he went seven innings, giving up five runs, all of them earned, on nine hits and walking none for Portland (4-3). He had eight strikeouts as well.
Offensively, Several Pilots put together strong outings. Jake Holcroft went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBI's. Tyler Howard had a team-high and career-high four hits in five trips to the plate, the most by a Pilot this season. Ben Patacsil also shined as a late-game sub, going 2-for-2 with a triple and four RBI's, a career high.
How it Happened
The Pilots got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with eight runs immediately in the first inning. Holcroft got two of his RBI's in this inning with a solo home run and a double, while Brady Bean, Tristan Gomes and Jonas Salk all added RBI hits as well. Their 8-0 lead put them in a great position at the start of this one.
The Wolverines then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 8-4 over the first six innings before the Pilots expanded their advantage in the seventh. Portland brought home a pair, with one run off a sac fly from Zach Toglia and another driven in by Tyler Howard's single, bringing the score to 10-4 in favor of the Pilots.
Utah Valley narrowed Portland's lead to 10-5 before the Pilots stretched the advantage to 11-5 in the eighth inning. The Pilots recorded a run on an RBI triple from Patacsil, scoring Scavotto from second.
Portland kept the Wolverines scoreless before their offense piled it on in the final inning. The Pilots scored five runs in the ninth, highlighted by a three-run double off the bat of Patacsil, a solo shot from Toglia and an RBI single for Scavotto, bringing the score to 16-5 in favor of Portland. Utah Valley put three runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning, but it was too little too late as the Pilots still coasted to the 16-8 win.
Game Notes
» Howard racked up four hits on the day for Portland, which is both a career high and the .
» Brink struck out eight Wolverines hitters.
» The Pilots had three players put together games with multiple extra-base hits.
» Patacsil drove in four runs for Portland, which was a career high for the infielder.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed eight runs across.
» Six Pilots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Pilots had a total of 18 hits, a season best total.
» The Pilots out-hit the Wolverines at an 18-14 clip.
» Portland went 9-for-15 (.600) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 40 Utah Valley hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out 11.
» Holcroft dominated at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI. He moved into second all-time in career hits for a Pilot.
GAME 2 | Portland 7, Utah Valley 5
OREM, Utah -- Ben Patacsil, Christian Cooney and Jonas Salk put up numbers offensively for the Pilots as they took Game 2 by a score of 7-5. The Game 2 victory clinched the series.
Joey Gartrell (1-2) got the win for Portland (5-3), his first of the year. The right-hander went six innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on five hits, allowing three walks and striking out seven. Curtis Hebert earned the save, his first of the year.
Cooney's two extra base hits were the highlight of a 3-for-5 day that included two doubles and two RBI's. Patacsil made his contribution with a double, a home run and two RBI's, part of a 2-for-4 performance at the plate. Salk also helped out for the Pilots, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding a home run and an RBI. Spencer Scott also had three hits at the plate, matching his career high.
How it Happened
Trailing 2-0, the Pilots first put runs on the board in the fifth inning. Portland's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Cooney, Patacsil's homer and a score off an error and Jake Holcroft single. It was 4-2 Portland halfway through the fifth.
The Wolverines failed to push any runs across before the Pilots offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. Portland pushed across a run on Patacsil's one-out RBI double, which brought the Pilots lead to 5-2. Portland kept Utah Valley scoreless before expanding their lead to 6-2 the following inning when Cooney scored off a wild pitch.
The Wolverines gained ground, closing the gap to 6-3 until Portland added some insurance in the ninth. The Pilots sent home a run on Salk's leadoff homer off Aaron Rice, bringing the Portland advantage to 7-3. Utah Valley put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over to make Portland sweat, but the Pilots still held on for the 7-5 win.
Game Notes
» Portland got three-hit games from both Cooney and Spencer Scott. It's the third multi-hit game of the year for Cooney and the second for Scott, whose three hits matched a career high.
» Gartrell struck out seven Wolverines hitters, a season high.
» The Pilots had both Patacsil and Cooney crush multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame. Patacsil also hit his first home run of the season.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed four runs across to take the lead.
» Gartrell put together six innings of two-run ball for the Pilots.
» Four Pilots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Pilots out-hit the Wolverines at an 11-9 clip.
» Portland went 3-for-10 (.300) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 41 Utah Valley hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out eight.
» Jonas Salk went 2-for-3 with his first home run as a Pilot.
Up Next
The Pilots play their series finale against Utah Valley tomorrow at 10:05 a.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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