A close pitcher’s duel through the first six innings turned into a runaway as Seattle University put together seven runs in the seventh inning as it defeated UC Davis, 8-3, Friday evening in a non-conference collegiate baseball game at Bannerwood Park.
With the score tied at 1-1, Grant Newton (Bend, Ore.) earned a one-out single, and Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.) followed with a walk. Max Cordy came on in relief of Aggie starter Spencer Koopmans and induced a groundout that advanced the runners to second and third base with two outs. Pinch runner Dalton Hurd (Bend, Ore.) scored the go-ahead run when Cordy uncorked a wild pitch.
Cordy walked both Colin Peterson (Bellingham, Wash.) and Sean Sutton (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) to load the bases, and Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, B.C.) sent a single through the right side, driving in both Carpenter and Peterson. Sutton would score on a single up the middle by Sheldon Stober (Kent, Wash.), Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.) would reach base on an infield single to once again load the bases, and everyone advanced 90 feet, including Andreychuk advancing home, on a single up the middle by Eric Koenig (Auburn, Wash.). Hurd would complete the inning with a two-run single up the middle that scored Stober and Cray.
Will Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.) earned his third victory of the season after pitching the first seven innings for the Redhawks, allowing five hits, one walk, and a first-inning run while striking out six batters. With runners on the corners and one out in the fifth inning, he fielded a squeeze attempt and threw out the Aggie runner attempting to score, and then picked up a strikeout to end the UC Davis threat.
UC Davis (8-6-1) loaded the bases in the seventh inning on an error, a walk, and a batter hit by a pitch, but Dennis induced a groundout to prevent any Aggies from scoring. With two outs in the eighth inning off Redhawk reliever Janson Junk (Federal Way, Wash.), the Aggies put together three straight hits, including a single by Alex Aguiar that scored Nick Lynch. Garrett Anderson (Kennewick, Wash.) came on with the bases loaded and induced a comebacker to end the Aggie scoring chance.
Ky Dye (Everett, Wash.) entered the game in the ninth inning and allowed an unearned run as Austin March drove in Tino Lipson with a double, but Dye struck out the side to end the game. In total, Redhawk pitchers collected 11 strikeouts as the Aggies stranded 11 runners on base during the game.
Seattle U was scoreless until the fifth inning when Carpenter advanced to second base on an Aggie error, reached third on a groundout to the right side of the infield by Michael McCann (Vancouver, Wash.), and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Peterson. Koopmans took the loss for UC Davis, allowing four hits, one walk, and three runs, two of them earned, over 6 1/3 innings of work.
Cray and Andreychuk led the Redhawk offense with two hits apiece as Seattle U matched UC Davis with nine hits in the game. Seattle U stranded just three runners on base, but the Redhawks did hit into two double plays.
Seattle University (5-9) continued the weekend series with UC Davis Saturday, March 7, starting at 2 p.m. Live stats and live audio/video of the game will be available on GoSeattleU.com.