WCC Baseball: Pilots Win Thriller on Krause Blast

The two teams will meet Sunday, at 1:00 PM for the final game in the three-game series.

Photo courtesy: portlandpilots.com

PORTLAND - The University of Portland baseball team picked up its first West Coast Conference win in dramatic fashion, besting Santa Clara 2-1 after junior Billy Krause hit a walk-off double in the 10th inning.

The Pilots move to 13-13 (1-1 WCC) while the Broncos drop to 14-15 (1-1 WCC).

After junior outfielder Cory Wiltshire drew a walk to lead off the extra inning, Krause – who entered the game as a defensive replacement in center field in the ninth inning – took two balls while attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt.

On the 2-0 pitch from Santa Clara closer Jeff Lombard, Krause swung away and belted a deep shot to left center field that bounced off the wall and allowed Wiltshire to score from first base.

Lombard (2-2) took the loss while senior closer Josh Roberts (3-1) picked up the win pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Runs were few and far between in what turned out to be a classic pitcher’s duel between Portland junior righthander Given Kutz and Santa Clara sophomore southpaw Matt Wickswat.

Kutz closed his incredible month of March with yet another strong outing, throwing 8.1 innings and striking out 10 while taking a shutout bid into the ninth.

Kutz allowed nine hits and one run. Wickswat had a final line almost exactly the same as Kutz, striking out 10 in eight innings and allowing one run on eight hits.

In the month of March, Kutz went 4-0 in five starts with a 1.30 earned run average, allowing only six runs in 41.3 innings of work. He threw two complete games while striking out 39.

Wickswat finished his outing on a unique note, striking out four Pilots in the eighth inning.

Freshman designated hitter Clayton Shaw went down swinging for the apparent third out but was able to advance to first as the pitch got away from Broncos catcher Tommy Medica.

Wickswat then gave up a single to senior third baseman Jesse Rodgers before striking out freshman catcher Rocky Gale for the final out.

After two scoreless innings to open the game, rain started to fall at Joe Etzel Field and a thirty minute rain delay ensued.

Once the weather cleared, the two starting pitchers went back to work, keeping the game scoreless through five innings.

Portland was the first team to break through, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth when senior third baseman Jesse Rodgers hit a clutch two-out single to score junior right fielder Danny Meier, who opened the inning with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Shaw.

Santa Clara threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with one out after a pair of hits by Ryan Conan and Medica bookended a walk by Evan LeBlanc.

But Kutz got out of the jam by getting Broncos shortstop Jon Karcich to ground into a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning.

With the score still 1-0, Kutz entered the ninth inning in pursuit of his second complete game shutout of the season.

After Conan flied out to center field for the first out, Santa Clara designated hitter Carl Bacon finally put the Broncos on the board with a towering solo home run over the right field wall to tie the game.

The Pilots were unable to score in the bottom half of the ninth and the game headed into 10th, the first extra-inning game for Portland this season.

Roberts got the Broncos to go down in order in the top of the 10th, with the final out coming at second base when Santa Clara center fielder Matt Long was thrown out by Wiltshire from right field while attempting to stretch a single into a double.

For the game, Rodgers went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. Freshman shortstop C.J. Cullen was the only other Pilot with multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Krause finished 1-for-1 with an RBI.

For the Broncos, Long went 3-for-5, Conan and Medica went 2-for-4 and Bacon finished 1-for-4 with a home run and one RBI.

The two teams will meet Sunday, at 1:00 PM for the final game in the three-game series.

Portland will then conclude its 14-game home stand with a series against WCC foe Gonzaga on April 5th-7th.

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