Forest Grove, Ore. — After two complete games on the opening day of the 2025 NWC Baseball Tournament, top-seeded Pacific and third-seeded Puget Sound earned victories and will square off in the winner’s bracket (Game 4) at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 9. Second-seeded Whitworth and fourth-seeded Linfield will meet in an elimination game (Game 3) at 10 a.m. The winner of that contest will play the loser of Game 4 at 5 p.m. for a chance to advance to the tournament title game against the Game 4 winner.
Game 1: Pacific 5, Linfield 4
Top-seeded Pacific defeated Linfield, 5-4, in a dramatic opener, capped by Vincent Lagatta’s walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to send the Boxers to the winner’s bracket.
Linfield struck first, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning following a Pacific error. The Boxers responded in the second when Matt Gibbs scored on a double play. Pacific took the lead in the fifth with a two-run double from Benjamin Lewis, making it 4-2.
The Wildcats answered in the sixth, tying the game at 4-4 on a fielder’s choice RBI by Josh Mansur and a clutch single by Tyler Marr.
On the mound, Linfield’s Camden Oram pitched eight strong innings, allowing 13 hits. Pacific freshman Nicholas Saelens surrendered three earned runs over 7 2/3 innings. Senior reliever William Merriott (W, 1-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Gibbs led the Pacific offense, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Lewis added a double and two RBIs.
Game 2: Puget Sound 7, Whitworth 6 (11 innings)
In a back-and-forth battle, third-seeded Puget Sound outlasted Whitworth, 7-6, in 11 innings to advance to the winner’s bracket.
The Loggers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Ryan Spero and a groundout by Kahiau Teruya. Teruya added another RBI in the third to make it 3-0.
Whitworth got on the board in the fifth with a two-run homer by Junior Garcia. Puget Sound extended its lead to 4-2 in the sixth with an RBI single from Drew Kamihara, but a defensive miscue in the seventh allowed the Pirates to tie the game at 4-4.
Both teams traded two-run rallies in the 10th—Puget Sound scoring on a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly, and Whitworth responding with a two-run single from Kevin Corder.
In the 11th, pinch runner Gavin George scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Cody Hirano. Whitworth threatened in the bottom half, putting two runners on base, but Puget Sound closer Zach Robman shut the door to secure his second win of the season.
Kamihara led the Loggers with three hits and two RBIs. Spero added two hits, as Puget Sound tallied 15 hits overall.
Up Next:
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Game 3 (Elimination Game) – Whitworth vs. Linfield, Friday at 10 a.m.
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Game 4 (Winner’s Bracket) – Pacific vs. Puget Sound, Friday at 1 p.m.
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Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, Friday at 5 p.m.