SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Linfield dropped a tightly contested extra-inning battle to Bushnell, 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon at Hamlin Sports Park, as a costly error in the 12th inning allowed the Beacons to walk off with the win.
The Wildcats rallied early after falling behind 2-0 in the first inning. In the top of the second,
Luke Porter sparked the Linfield offense with a solo home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Later in the frame,
Wyatt McClory delivered a clutch RBI double to left-center, plating
Josh Mansur and evening the score at 2-2.
Linfield grabbed a 3-2 lead in the third inning when
Tyler Marr singled to shortstop, scoring
Matthew Lewis, who had reached base on a walk and advanced on a passed ball. Marr finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a walk, while McClory added one hit and one RBI.
The Wildcats' pitching staff kept Bushnell off the scoreboard for six straight innings after the first, as Colton Oulette pitched two innings, recording five strikeouts while relievers
Zack Hampson,
Steve Kovac, and
Brian Mannion combined for three scoreless innings of relief, striking out a combined seven batters. In total, Linfield used 10 pitchers in a marathon effort, with the staff striking out 17 Beacons while allowing only three earned runs.
Bushnell tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth on a double by Kolby Amaral, and both teams traded zeroes until the 12th. In the decisive inning, Albert Jennings scored the winning run on a throwing error by Linfield's third baseman following an infield grounder.
Linfield struggled to find contact with the ball, finishing with just five hits on the day and leaving seven runners on base. Mansur, McClory, Porter, Marr, and
Nate Kassler each recorded a hit.
NEXT
Linfield resumes conference play this weekend when it travels to Forest Grove for a three-game series with Pacific on Saturday and Sunday.
