Tommy Whalen had three hits in the Cavs' win over PLU
Cavaliers Clinch CCC's Lone Victory in Tourney with Walk-Off 6-5 Win Over PLU
WILSONVILLE, Ore. -- Jared Young's single through the left side gave Concordia University a walk-off 6-5 win over Pacific Lutheran in the Cavs' fourth and final contest at the Cascade Collegiate Conference-Northwest Conference Challenge Sunday afternoon at Wilsonville High School. The Cavaliers' win gave the CCC its only win of the weekend over the NWC group, which included PLU, George Fox and Pacific.
George Fox 5, Concordia 1
George Fox tied the game at one in the fifth inning and scored four runs in the sixth to earn a 5-1 win over the Cavaliers. The Bruins finished the game with five runs on 11 hits with no errors, while Concordia scored its only run in the first and finished with one run on four hits with two errors.
Andrew Snyder pitched six shutout innings of one-hit ball in relief of starter Joey Clancy to earn the win for George Fox. Josh Saio (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis H.S.) started and threw 5.2 innings for Concordia to take the loss, giving up five runs on 10 hits.
Odie Hollingshed (Portland, Ore./Cleveland H.S.) led off the first with a walk for CU, advanced to second on Mike Dickman (Eugene, Ore./Marist H.S.)'s sacrifice bunt and reached third on a passed ball. He came in to score on Riley Tubbs (Renton, Wash./Tahoma H.S.)' grounder to second, giving the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead that would hold until the fifth inning.
George Fox tied it in the fifth, when Derek Blankenship scored on Taylor Hunter's single through the right side after walking to open the inning. The Bruins used six hits and one CU error in to score four runs in the fifth. They loaded the bases on three consecutive singles to open the inning, and a failed pickoff attempt by catcher Tommy Whalen (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) allowed two runs to score. A base hit on a suicide squeeze bunt, a fielder's choice and another single later, two more runs were in and the Bruins led 5-1.
Hunter finished with three hits and two RBI for the Bruins, while Eric Gantenbein and Todd Nagamine each tallied a pair of hits. Tubbs was the only CU player with multiple hits, posting two in four at bats with one run batted in.
Concordia 6, Pacific Lutheran 5
Concordia earned the Cascade Collegiate Conference's only win of the weekend in dramatic fashion, as Jared Young (Redmond, Ore./Redmond H.S.)'s single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth scored Riley Tubbs (Renton, Wash./Tahoma H.S.) from second with the winning run as CU completed a comeback from a 5-2 deficit in the final two innings.
Steven Taft (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) pitched the complete game for Concordia to earn the win, giving up three earned runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts, throwing 75 of his 103 total pitches for strikes. Ryan Frost pitched eight strong innings for PLU, giving up three earned runs on eight hits in 113 pitches. Nic Delikat took the loss, yielding the tying and winning runs in the ninth inning while picking up only two outs.
The Cavaliers scored a run in each of the first and fifth innings, but Pacific Lutheran scored two runs on five hits in the fifth and three more on a pair of hits and a pair of Concordia errors in the sixth as the Lutes took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning.
Sean Myrom (San Diego, Calif./Ranch Bernardo H.S.) pinch hit for CU to lead off the eighth, singling to left center and advancing to second on a wild pitch. After Tommy Whalen (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) flied out, Young doubled down the left field line to score Myrom. Mike Dickman (Eugene, Ore./Marist H.S.) singled up the middle to drive Young in from second as CU pulled within one at 5-4 going into the final frame.
Delikat took over for Frost in the ninth, looking to pick up the save for PLU. After Danny Brown (Battle Ground, Wash./Battle Ground H.S.) flied out for the first out, Tanner Larson (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Lutheran H.S.) walked to put the tying run on base. Riley Tubbs (Renton, Wash./Tahoma H.S.) singled to left field to put two on with one out, and following Myrom's infield fly, Whalen singled to left to drive in Larson with the tying run. Bret Handy came in to pitch for the Lutes, but Young took a 2-1 pitch through the left side, and Tubbs beat the throw from left field as the Cavaliers earned the walk-off win.
Whalen and Young each finished 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and Tubbs finished with a pair of hits. Dan Johansen, Corey Moore and Ryan Boyles each tallied two hits for PLU in the loss.