SPOKANE, Wash. -- Ben Patacsil and Jake Holcroft each racked up three hits, but the Portland Pilots fell to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 13-9 on Sunday. The Bulldogs take the series from the Pilots.
Ryan Rembisz (0-1) took the loss on the mound for Portland (23-14, 9-3). He pitched an inning and a third, giving up one run in the fifth that gave the Zags the lead. Sam Stuhr was the starter for Portland, throwing three innings with eight runs allowed and four strikeouts.
In addition to his three hits, Holcroft had a double, a walk and two RBI's to lead the Pilots. Patacsil added two RBI's to his three-hit performance as well. Tyler Howard also chipped in for Portland, putting together two hits in five trips to the plate while adding a double, a walk and two RBI's. Brady Bean and Christian Cooney were the other Pilots to record multiple hits on the day with two each.
How it Happened
The Pilots got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning. One run was driven in on a run-scoring double off the bat of Bean while the other came on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0.
The Bulldogs then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 2-1 until the Pilots expanded their advantage in the second. The Pilots scored three times in the inning, scoring off RBI singles from Howard and Patacsil and also on a fielder's choice. The Pilots led 5-1 after two innings.
Portland kept Gonzaga scoreless before building their lead to 6-1 the following inning. The Pilots notched a run on Jack Thomson's leadoff home run off freshman Erik Hoffberg. The home run was the second of the year for Thomson.
Portland led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the third but lost the lead as the Zags put up five runs in the frame to tie the game 6-6. Gonzaga scored three more runs in the fourth to take the lead, making it 9-6 Bulldogs.
The Pilots bounced back to tie the game in the fifth, doing so off RBI hits from Holcroft, Howard and Patacsil. But Gonzaga blew it open late, scoring once in the fifth and three times in seventh to make it 13-9 Bulldogs. The Pilots could not score the rest of the way, falling by that score and dropping the series.
Game Notes
» The Pilots got three-hit games from both Holcroft and Patacsil. Holcroft has 16 multi-hit games this year while Patacsil has eight.
» Five Portland hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Portland left 12 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Both Holcroft and Christian Cooney stole two bases in Sunday's game. Cooney had five stolen bases over the weekend.
» Portland went 8-for-21 (.381) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 43 Gonzaga hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out five.
» The Pilots drew five walks from Gonzaga pitching.
Up Next
The Pilots take on the No. 5 Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday, April 23 at Ron Tonkin Stadium in Hillsboro. First pitch is set for 5:35 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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