McMINNVILLE, Ore. – In order to be competitive in the Northwest Conference, the Linfield baseball team is going to have to win the close games. The Wildcats did just that on Sunday, beating Puget Sound 8-7 to avoid a series sweep by the Loggers at Roy Helser Field.
Linfield got on the board early on a first-inning double steal that brought in senior shortstop
Tanner Jacques from third base. Puget Sound evened the score in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Jonas Kim, but the Wildcats answered in the bottom half of the inning on a leadoff home run to left field by junior designated hitter
Cameron Skinner.
Dylan Joyce sent a two-run double down the right field line in the fifth to give the Loggers their first lead of the afternoon. The 'Cats took that lead right back in the following half inning when sophomore second baseman
Mike LaVigne singled to center to drive in
Branden Pasion and
Garrett Moen.
Jacques extended the Linfield lead to 7-3 with a three-run double off the left-center fence in the sixth inning. That lead was negated when the Loggers' Makana Murashige hit a seventh-inning grand slam to deep left field to tie the game at seven runs apiece.
The honorary player of the game, Jacques continued his hot hitting with an RBI single to right to send
Wyatt Smith home for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.
Jacques went 3 for 4 on the afternoon with a walk, a run scored and four RBI. Pasion went 2 for 3 with a walk and a pair of runs while LaVigne had his two RBI.
Sophomore
John Over went 4.2 innings in his third start of the season. He allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits with six strikeouts in the no-decision. Freshman
Nick Alder tossed two solid innings in relief, allowing just one run on one hit. Senior
Colton Meyer was credited with the win while fellow senior
Skyler Manelski picked up the final out of the game to earn the save.
NEXT
The 'Cats (3-6, 1-2 NWC) will hit the road next week in NWC action. They will play Lewis & Clark in a three-game series starting on Saturday at the Pioneers' Huston Sports Complex.
