Pilots get 8-6 victory to claim series

BYU at Portland game 3 box score

PORTLAND, Oregon (April 14, 2018)—Portland’s Pilots defeated BYU 8-6 to claim the series on Saturday and improve their record to 13-20 overall and 6-9 in the West Coast Conference.

The Cougars had leads of 2-0 and 4-2 escape, surrendering walks and committing uncharacteristic overthrows and errors that led to Pilot runs in the three-run third and four-run fourth innings.

BYU got on the scoreboard first when Nate Favero got the advance sign from Coach Mike Littlewood on Mitch McIntyre’s single, the third consecutive one-out hit of the second inning. Jarrett Perns executed a safety squeeze bunt past the pitcher for the fourth single of the frame to plate Keaton Kringlen for a 2-0 lead.

After falling behind 4-2, in the fourth inning Favero hit a two-out double to the gap in left-center and scored on the ensuing single by Kringlen to centerfield. Noah Hill belted a fastball on his first pitch for a double to drive in Kringlen and Perns to claim BYU’s last lead, 5-4.

The only other run for BYU came in the fifth frame when Daniel Schneemann broke his hitting slump with a single to left field, advanced on Hale’s only hit of the day and scored on Favero’s groundout. 

A last-ditch effort failed in the ninth with two aboard and one out when pinch-runner Paxton Larson did not get the benefit of an interference call. Larson retreated back to second base on a pop-up to the pitcher whose throw sailed into the outfield, but he tripped over the shortstop and was ruled out at third.

The Cougars, now 18-15 overall and 7-8 in the West Coast Conference, take a break from league action, playing only one game this coming week. On Tuesday night, BYU plays the University of Arizona in Tucson in a game televised live by the Pac-12 TV Network.