SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The bats came alive late for the Pilots as they dominated the Santa Clara Broncos 16-4 to complete the sweep. It's second series sweep of the year for the Pilots and keeps them undefeated in WCC play.
Sam Stuhr (1-1) got the win for Portland (13-8, 3-0). The right-hander went five innings, giving up four runs, zero earned, on five hits, allowing three walks and striking out four in his first recorded victory. Curtis Hebert also pitched well, going four shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out three for the save.
Jake Holcroft was incredible at the plate, recording five hits in six at-bats with a double. He's the 19th Pilot to record at least five hits in a game. Spencer Scott put together a standout performance at the plate as well, going 3-for-6 with a double, a home run and three RBI's. Tyler Howard also contributed for Portland, putting together three hits in five trips to the plate while adding a double, a home run and two RBI's. The Pilots recorded 22 hits, the most in a single game they've had since 2006.
How it Happened
The Pilots scored in four of the first five innings to start this one. They scored once off a sacrifice fly in the first inning, then followed that up in the second inning with a solo home run from Tristan Gomes, his first of the year. The third inning saw Portland score on an RBI single from Brady Bean and the fifth saw Bean drive in another run with a double. The Pilots held a 4-0 lead halfway through the fifth.
A big fifth inning for the Broncos, however, allowed Santa Clara to tie things up at four, but the tie did not last long. The Pilots responded immediately with four runs in the sixth inning, scoring one off another homer -- this time courtesy of Tyler Howard -- and another three off Jonas Salk's double. That put the score at 8-4 Pilots.
Portland secured their lead with five runs in the seventh inning. Salk, Scott, Zach Toglia and Evan Scavotto all hit RBI singles while Howard added an RBI double to an already impressive day to put the Pilots ahead 13-4. In the final inning, Portland added three more runs, including two off the homer from Scott, to make it a 16-4 final.
Game Notes
» Holcroft racked up five hits on the day for Portland. He's the 19th batter in Pilots history to record at least five hits in a game.
» Jake Holcroft broke the program for at-bats in a career. He has 800 career at-bats.
» The Pilots had both Howard and Scott smack multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame, with each batter having a home run and a double. It's the first home run for both batters this year.
» Jonas Salk drove in four runs for Portland, a career high. He's just the fourth Pilot to record at least four RBI's in a game this year and now leads the team in RBI's with 20.
» Every Portland starter reached base safely in the win.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed five runs across. They scored 12 runs in the last four innings.
» Six Pilots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Portland hitters hit three home runs in the ballgame. The homers for Gomes, Howard and Scott were all the first home runs of the year.
» The Pilots had a total of 22 hits, a season best and the most they've had in a game since 2006. The Pilots out-hit the Broncos at a 22-6 clip.
» Portland went 8-for-18 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 38 Santa Clara hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Pilots drew eight walks from Santa Clara pitching.
» This is the second series sweep of the year for Portland and their first against the Broncos since 2022.
Up Next
The Pilots take on the Washington State Cougars back at home on Tuesday, March 26 at 5:35 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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