The Bakersfield Roadrunners took advantage of early mistakes made by Seattle University and avoided the series sweep with a 10-0 victory over the Redhawks Saturday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference collegiate baseball game at Bannerwood Park.
Oscar Sanay and David Metzgar led off the game with back-to-back singles, and Mylz Jones followed with a walk to load the bases. Although Sanay would score, Seattle U starter Connor Moore (West Richland, Wash.) was able to induce a double-play grounder from Soloman Williams, and another groundout kept the Redhawks just one run behind.
Bakersfield (24-31, 15-12 WAC) would break the game open in the second inning with four runs, taking advantage of two Seattle U errors, including one that allowed both Ross Hough and Jordie Hein to score on a routine groundball. Jones drove in Sanay with a single through the left side of the infield, increasing the Roadrunner lead to 5-0.
Hein led off the fourth inning with a walk, and Sanay followed with a bunt single. Hein came around to score when another grounder eluded the Redhawk defense, and Jones followed with an RBI groundout that scored Sanay, giving Bakersfield a 7-0 lead. The Roadrunners scored three more runs in the ninth inning, putting together five hits to finish the game with 14 hits.
Roadrunner starter Austin Davis pitched the first four innings in a controlled start, allowing just two hits and one walk. Hayden Carter came on in the fifth inning and went the rest of the way, giving up only two hits and a walk in five innings of work while striking out three batters.
Moore took the loss for the Redhawks, allowing eight hits, three walks, and seven runs, four of them unearned, in five innings while striking out four batters. After two innings of one-hit relief from Ted Hammond (Shoreline, Wash.) and one inning from Kyle Doyle (Covington, Wash.) with just a walk, Austin Hansen (Mukilteo, Wash.) finished the game for Seattle U.
Chase Fields (Ontario, Ore.) earned half of the team’s four hits before being taken out of the game during the top of the ninth inning to receive an ovation from the Senior Day crowd. Both Cullen Hendrickson (Auburn, Wash.) and Ryan Somers (Sammamish, Wash.) entered the game as substitutes before receiving the same treatment in the top of the ninth inning. Before the game, those three were honored along with pitchers Mac Acker (Redmond, Wash.) and Andrew Olson (Enumclaw, Wash.).
With the loss, Seattle U is locked into the fifth seed at next week’s WAC Baseball Tournament at Cubs Park in Mesa, Ariz. The Redhawks will once again face the Roadrunners, who secured the fourth seed with Saturday’s victory, in the first round of the tournament Wednesday, May 21, at 3 p.m.
Before heading to Arizona, Seattle University (25-25, 13-11 WAC) hosts Washington State at Bannerwood Park Monday, May 19, starting at 3 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available on GoSeattleU.com.