FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Linfield split a doubleheader with Pacific on Sunday afternoon, at Chuck Bafaro Stadium. The Wildcats fell 3-2 in a 12-inning marathon in Game 1 but bounced back with a 7-5 victory in Game 2 to secure the split.
GAME 1: Pacific 3, Linfield 2 (12 innings)
In a tightly contested opener, Linfield and Pacific battled through 12 innings before the Boxers walked it off in the bottom of the 12th. Linfield's offense struggled to capitalize on opportunities, leaving 10 runners on base throughout the game.
The Wildcats got on the board in the fifth inning when
Tyler Eisenhut singled and advanced to third on a double by
Hunter Klingelhoffer.
Matthew Lewis then drove in Eisenhut with a sacrifice fly, and
Elijah Maris followed with another sacrifice fly to score Klingelhoffer, giving Linfield a 2-1 lead.
Linfield's pitching staff held Pacific in check for most of the game. Starter
Camden Oram delivered a strong performance, allowing just one run on five hits over 6.2 innings. Relievers
Brian Mannion and
Gavin Ludlow kept the Boxers at bay until the eighth inning, when Pacific tied the game on an RBI double by Davis Koester.
The game remained deadlocked until the 12th, when Pacific's Matthew Pavao delivered a walk-off single to score Riz Collado, handing Linfield a heartbreaking 3-2 loss.
Matthew Tacheny took the loss for the Wildcats, while Matt Palmateer earned the win for the Boxers.
GAME 2: Linfield 7, Pacific 5
Linfield bounced back in Game 2, using a balanced offensive attack and solid pitching to secure a 7-5 victory. The Wildcats scored in four different innings, led by multi-hit performances from
Elijah Maris,
Nick Holm, and
Hunter Klingelhoffer.
Linfield took an early lead in the second inning when Holm scored on a balk. Pacific responded with two runs in the third, but the Wildcats regained control in the sixth. Holm delivered a clutch two-run single, scoring
Caiden Gould and
Matthew Lewis, to put Linfield ahead 3-2.
The Wildcats broke the game open in the seventh inning. Klingelhoffer drove in two runs with a single, and Maris followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-2. Linfield added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI double by
Luke Porter.
On the mound,
Zach Johnson (2-0) earned the win with five solid innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five batters. Lewis and
Zack Hampson provided strong relief, though Pacific made things interesting in the ninth, scoring three runs before
Colton Ouellette closed the door.
