PORTLAND, Ore. -- Nick Brink was dominant on Thursday, punching out 13 Saint Mary's hitters over eight innings of work to help power the Portland Pilots over the Gaels 5-4.
In addition to his 13 strikeouts, which matched a career high, Brink (9-4) went eight innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on nine hits and walking two for Portland (33-17, 17-5). He now has 117 strikeouts on the year, which is the second most by any Pilot ever in a single season and the most since 1980.
Ben Patacsil compiled a noteworthy day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jack Thomson, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a double and an RBI, also shined for Portland. Christian Cooney also contributed, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.
How it Happened
The Pilots got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Thomson scored off a single from Patacsil and an error from Saint Mary's to make it 1-0 Portland.
The Pilots then held the Gaels scoreless before expanding their lead in the sixth inning. Portland scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Cooney, which brought the Pilots lead to 2-0.
Saint Mary's fought back to tie the ballgame at two before Portland reclaimed a 5-2 advantage in the seventh inning. Saint Mary's put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, including a home run in the top of the ninth from Nathan Chong, but Morgan Codron came in to keep the Pilots steady. Portland held on for the 5-4 win.
Game Notes
» Brink struck out 13 Gaels hitters, matching a career high. He has 117 strikeouts on the year, the most in a single season since 1980 and the second most by any Pilot ever.
» Morgan Codron earned his third save of the year.
» Portland's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed three runs across to reclaim the lead.
» Portland went 3-for-9 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Portland pitchers faced 39 Saint Mary's hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and five fly balls while striking out 14.
» The Pilots' 33 wins are the most they've had in a single season since 2010 and the most since Geoff Loomis took over as head coach in 2016.
» This is the third year in a row the Pilots have won at least 17 games in conference play. The Pilots have never had a three-year stretch like that in program history.
Up Next
The Pilots and Gaels will be back at it tomorrow at 3 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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