OMAHA, Neb. -- Four Portland players notched at least two hits, but the offense for the Pilots couldn't drum up enough runs as they fell to the Creighton Bluejays 9-5 Saturday.
Nick Brink (2-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Portland (7-4). Kaden Segel was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going 1.2 shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out three.
Jake Holcroft, Zach Toglia, Jonas Salk and Christian Cooney all recorded multiple hits on the day, with Holcroft and Salk going 2-for-5 each, Toglia batting 2-for-4 and Cooney going 2-for-3 with two RBI's. Brady Bean added two RBI's while Salk added one more.
How it Happened
The Pilots got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Portland got an RBI single from Brady Bean, scoring Jake Holcroft from second base.
The Blue Jays responded quickly, putting up a run in the first before driving in four more in the second. Portland bounced back in the thrid, scoring once on an RBI single off the bat of Cooney, which tightened the Bluejays lead to 5-2.
Creighton expanded their lead to 9-2 with a run in the third and three in the sixth before the Portland offense got back to work, reducing that lead to 9-4 in the seventh. Portland narrowed the gap further in the ninth, adding a run on Jonas Salk's one-out RBI double, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of Creighton. The ballgame ended with that ninth inning rally falling short.
Game Notes
» Four Portland hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» The Pilots out-hit the Bluejays at an 11-10 clip.
» Portland went 6-for-17 (.353) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 40 Creighton hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out nine.
» Cooney led the Pilots at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI's. It's the fourth time this year he's had multiple RBI's, the most on the team.
» Holcroft is now just three hits away from tying the program record for career hits, sitting at 254.
Up Next
The Pilots and Bluejays will play a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow, March 10. Check PortlandPilots.com for coverage information.
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