PORTLAND, Ore. -- Nick Brink fanned a career-high 11 Maryland hitters over seven innings of work to help propel the Portland Pilots past the Terrapins 5-3 in Portland's home opener.
In addition to his 11 strikeouts, Brink (3-1) went seven innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on four hits and walking none for Portland (10-5). Tanner Douglas also made an impact on the mound for the Pilots, throwing one scoreless inning while allowing no hits, with no walks and three strikeouts in the final inning to earn the save.
Zach Toglia led the way offensively for the Pilots, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with two doubles and a career-high four RBI's. Christian Cooney provided a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-4 with an RBI.
How it Happened
The Pilots got on the board immediately, scoring three runs in the first inning. Cooney hit an RBI single and Toglia brought in two more runs with a double to give Portland a 3-0 lead early.
The Terrapins failed to push any runs across before the Pilots built on their lead in the third inning. Portland pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Toglia that scored Jake Holcroft and Jonas Salk, which brought the score to 5-0 in favor of the Pilots. Maryland put three runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the combined pitching prowess of Brink, Curtis Hebert and Douglas kept Portland in front for the 5-3 lead.
Game Notes
» Brink struck out 11 Terrapins hitters. His strikeout total is a career high.
» The Pilots power output was led by Toglia, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame. Toglia has posted at least two hits in four of the last five games and six of the last eight.
» Toglia drove in four runs for Portland, a career high. He's the third Pilot this year to record at least four RBI's.
» Holcroft's 14-game hit streak matches his career high.
» The Portland pitching staff combined to strike out 16 Maryland hitters.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed three runs across. They didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Brink put together seven innings of two-run ball for the Pilots.
» The Pilots out-hit the Terrapins at a 6-5 clip.
» Portland went 3-for-9 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 33 Maryland hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 16.
» Brink is the first Pilot to three wins.
» Douglas now has two saves on the year.
» This was Portland's first win over a Big 10 team since 2017.
Up Next
The Pilots and Terrapins play tomorrow at 3 p.m. for the second game of the series. First pitch will be around 3 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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