The Portland Pilots baseball team won 3-1 in extra innings against the Santa Clara Broncos, according to an April 26 announcement. This victory allowed the Pilots to avoid a sweep and improve their record to 23-18 overall and 9-9 in West Coast Conference play.
The game marked the first time this season that the Pilots played into extra innings. Brady Bean led the team offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, which was the most hits by any Pilot during this series. Cody Nitowitz and Trey Swygart both had two hits each, with Swygart adding two doubles and an RBI. Swygart was also notable for recording at least one hit in every game of the series.
Joe Fagan made his debut for Portland, collecting his first collegiate hit by going 1-for-5 at bat. Jonas Salk contributed an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Starting pitcher Kaden Segel threw for five and one-third innings without allowing a run, giving up only two hits and striking out three batters. Alex Via pitched four and two-thirds innings in relief, striking out four while conceding one unearned run; it was his first official career win.
Scoring began in the fifth inning when Swygart doubled home Fagan to give Portland a lead. The Broncos tied it up in the eighth after a defensive error by Portland allowed them to score on a pop-up to center field. In the tenth inning, Salk’s sacrifice fly brought home another run before Bean added another with a bunt, putting Portland ahead for good.
Looking ahead, Portland will return home for a three-game conference series against San Diego starting Thursday, April 30 at Joe Etzel Field.
