WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Pinch runner Cole Weiland scored from third base on a fielder's choice off the bat of Dominic Giusti to lift Whitworth to a dramatic 11-10 win over Pacific (Ore.) in a loser-out game on Saturday at the 2024 Northwest Conference baseball tournament hosted by Whitman College.
The Pirates (27-13) were down to their last strike when Elijah Tanner fouled off four potential third strikes before drilling a home run to left field to tie the game 10-10 in the bottom of the ninth. Hunter Williams (4-2) threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the pitching victory.
The tone of the game was set in the opening inning when Pacific (26-15) scored twice and the Pirates answered with three of their own. Ty Yukumoto led off the game with a home run for the Boxers and, after two were out, an error allowed the inning to continue before Benjamin Lewis added an RBI single.
Pacific errors allowed Whitworth to get three in its half of the first frame. Austin Paul reached on an error and eventually scored on Tanner's sacrifice fly. Aidan Morrison scored on Henry Zaske's infield single and Aaron Clogston drew a bases-loaded walk after being behind two strikes.
The Boxers got back-to-back home runs from NWC Player of the Year CJ Colyer (his 23rd of the season) and Matt Gibbs in the third to retake a 4-3 lead.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom half of the third when another Pacific error allowed two runs to score on Kevin Corder's fielder's choice. Whitworth added two more in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles by Ty Quiggle and Giusti for a 7-4 lead. But Gibbs' second home run of the game, a three-run shot to right field, tied it up in the top of the fifth.
Tanner's infield single in the bottom of the fifth drove in Paul and put the Pirates back in front. Clogston hit Whitworth's first home run of the tournament to left in the sixth for a 9-7 lead.
The Boxers rallied for three in the eighth to take their final lead. Centerfielder Dawson Tokishi drove in two with a single to center field.
Quentin O'Connor started on the mound for Whitworth and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in four innings of work. Conner Ashworth followed and allowed three runs on the second Gibbs home run in two innings. Tyler VanCise pitched the next 1.2 and gave up three runs on four hits in the eighth before giving way to Williams.
Former NWC Pitcher of the Year Will Clark started for Pacific and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks in two innings. Davis Koester (four runs, 8 hits) pitched 3.2 innings of relief, followed by Ayden Ruminski (3.0 innings, one run, three hits).
Williams struck out Colyer in the top of the tenth with two outs and the potential go-ahead run on second base.
Vincent Lagatta (2-2) was on the mound in the 10th when Quiggle led off with a single and was pinch run for by Weiland. Zaske's sac bunt moved Weiland to second and a wild pitch allowed Weiland to move up to third. Weiland scored when he barely beat the throw home on Giusti's ground ball.
Tanner finished the game 2-4 with three RBIs for the Pirates. Zaske went 3-5 and five other Bucs had a pair of hits in the 16-hit game.
Whitworth advances to play the loser of Saturday's Whitman vs. Willamette winners' bracket game tonight at approximately 5:30 pm.
