April 6, 2003

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

PORTLAND - Gonzaga University and the University of Portland baseball teams played two epic games Sunday at Pilot Stadium. The first game went 16 innings with Gonzaga dropping Portland 9-6. The Pilots rebounded for 4-3 victory in 13 innings for the late game. Portland won the series, 2-1 and improves to 8-23 overall, 4-8 in West Coast Conference games. Gonzaga drops to 13-16-1 overall, 4-8 in the WCC.

The first game was a record setting affair for the Pilots who broke the team record of at bats in a game by sending 59 batters to the plate, the previous record was 57. Four Pilot hitters tied the single game individual record of at bats with seven each. Despite all the opportunities, the Pilots could not manage a run over the final nine innings of play. Gonzaga reliever Eric Dworkis pitched 7.1 innings of scoreless relief and picked up the win to improve to 4-3 on the season. Pilot reliever Trent Kristjanson pitched seven solid innings of relief before taking the loss to move to 1-4 for the year.

Portland came back from a five run deficit in the sixth inning on a two-run home run by junior Kory Casto, his seventh homer of the year. The Pilots then scored four runs in the seventh off of five singles and an error to get their first lead of the day. Portland held the 6-5 lead until the top of the ninth when Gonzaga first baseman Gordon Corder led the inning off with a first pitch home run to left field, his second homer of the day.

The game then became a pitching dual between Dworkis and Kristjanson who both continually worked out of jams and prevented any team from getting the upper hand until the 16th inning. Bulldog catcher Sam Hess began the rally with a leadoff single. After a fielder's choice out, Kemp Quackenbush and Nick Froman had back-to-back singles to load the bases. A wild pitch by Kristjanson broke the 6-6 tie. After intentionally walking Eric Rodland, Chris Sinner had a two run single off of Pilot pitcher Daniel Knox. Knox then retired the side but the damage was done and the Pilots went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Portland finished the game with six runs on 13 hits and left nine runners stranded. Rob Seffens had three hits, two runs and an RBI. Casto finished 2-for-7 with three RBI.

Gonzaga scored nine runs on 21 hits and left 19 men on base. Corder who went 4-for-7 with two long balls, a double, three runs, and three RBI led the Bulldogs. Quackenbush had four hits, Froman had three and David Johnson finished with two hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Bulldogs the early lead.

In Game 2 Portland bounced back and won the weekend series by taking the final game 4-3 in 13 innings. This game also featured some strong pitching performances, mainly by both starters. Ed Clelland gave the Bulldogs 11 solid innings, tossing 138 pitches and only giving up three runs, two earned. Pilot starter Jared Adams went eight innings also giving up three runs, only one earned. Trevor Hahn pitched the final five innings for the win improving his record to 2-1. Patrick Donovan took the loss in relief and dropped to 1-3 on the year.

The game progressed at a rapid pace with neither team able to score through the first five innings. Portland ended the drought with a three-run sixth inning. Gustav Little reached base on an error and Casto was intentionally walked. Travis Vetters followed with an RBI double down the left field line. Brock Griffin was also intentionally walked to load the bases for Seffens who came through with a two-run single through the right side.

Gonzaga answered in the eighth with three runs of their own. Sinner started the rally with a double. After getting a groundout for the second out of the inning, Adams walked Danny Evans to put runners on the corners. Corder added to a productive day with a single to score Sinner but Evans got caught in a rundown trying to advance to third. Hahn ran down Evans and tossed the ball to Seffens who could not handle the throw and was charged with the error allowing runners on second and third. The play would have been the third out of the inning. Jeff Culpepper made Portland pay with a two-run double to deep left center field tying the game at three.

Once again the bats went dormant for both teams until the Pilots came to plate in the bottom of the 13th inning. Little led off with a single and Casto replaced him on first with a fielder's choice groundout to the first baseman. Vetters singled up the middle but Griffin struck out for the second out of the inning. Rob Seffens atoned for his miscue earlier with a clutch two-out single to center field scoring Casto from second and giving the Pilots the 4-3 win.

Portland finished the game with four runs on 10 hits and left nine on base. Vetters went 2-for-6 with a double, a run scored and one run driven in. Seffens finished with three hits in six at bats and drove in three Pilot runs.

Gonzaga scored three runs on 14 hits and also stranded nine base runners. Culpepper went 4-for-5 with two RBI. Hess racked up three base hits, including two doubles for the Bulldogs.