Willamette Wins 7-3 to Sweep Series with L&C

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

PORTLAND, ORE. -- Willamette University starting pitcher Chris Torgerson (Sr., RHP, Sacramento, CA/Jesuit HS) went 7 1/3 innings, including the first six without allowing a run, leading the Bearcats to a 7-3 win over Lewis & Clark College on Sunday, March 6. Willamette's offense added some timely hitting, as the Bearcats improved to 8-3 on the season, 3-0 in the Northwest Conference. WU swept the three-game series.

Lewis & Clark fell to 1-10. The Pioneers dropped to 0-6 in the NWC.

Torgerson allowed nine hits, but did not give up a run until L&C scored twice in the seventh inning to pull within 4-2. He also allowed one run in the eighth.

The three runs by L&C, including two earned runs, were the first scores against Torgerson this year. Including the first six innings on Sunday, he went 19 scoreless innings to start the season. Overall, he owns an earned run average of 0.89 in 2011.

Brandon Chinn (Fr., 1B, Salem, OR/Sprague HS) went 3 for 4 with a run and two RBIs for the Bearcats. Doug Bloom (Sr., SS, Salem, OR/South Salem HS) finished the game 2 for 4. Bloom also scored one run, stole a base and walked.

Also for Willamette, T.C. Lee (Sr., LF, Lafayette, CA/Acalanes HS) singled, walked twice, tallied one run and earned two RBIs. Dylan Summers (Jr., C, Lake Oswego, OR/Lakeridge HS) belted a run-scoring double in the eighth inning.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when WU took a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Lee walked and stole second. He scored on a single to center field by Max Stepan (Sr., C, Pueblo, CO/Pueblo County HS).

Willamette added a run in the top of the sixth to double the lead.

Tommy Kawamura (Fr., 2B, Renton, WA/Lindbergh HS) beat out an infield single to start the inning. Bloom hit a single to right field, moving Kawamura to third. After Lee grounded out to third, advancing Bloom to second, the Pioneers intentionally walked Stepan to load the bases. Sky Kelley (So., RF, Portland, OR/Jesuit HS) walked, forcing Kawamura across the plate.

WU's lead reached 4-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Chinn singled with no outs and went to second on a ground out by Tyson Giza (So., CF, Salem, OR/Sprague HS). Another ground out sent Chinn to third before Bloom walked and stole second. Lee drove in both runs with a single to left.

L&C tallied two runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 4-2. Tucker Laurence singled to open the stanza and Sam Holman walked with one out. Laurence scored on a single to right center by Eliot Smith. A sacrifice fly by Parker Dane scored Holman with the second run.

The RBI double by Summers with one out in the eighth contributed to a three-run inning for the Bearcats. The other two runs scored on a single to right by Chinn.

In the bottom of the eighth, Gianluca Giarrizzo of L&C batted first and hit an infield single. He scored following consecutive singles by Michael Ball and Laurence one out later. Willamette relief pitcher Parker Johnson (So., RHP, Carlsbad, CA/La Costa Canyon HS) entered the game and used a strikeout and a fly out to end the threat.

Johnson also pitched in the bottom of the ninth and earned his first save of the season. He gave up two hits to start the stanza, but got out of the jam. He forced the Pioneers into a ground out to second, a popup to short and a strikeout to end the game.

Each team achieved 11 hits. Willamette finished the series with 32 hits overall.

Four L&C players earned two hits apiece. They were Laurence (2 for 3), Dane (2 for 3), Ball (2 for 4), and Smith (2 for 4). Roland Greene hit L&C's only extra-base hit of the game, a double in the fourth inning.

Willamette will host Linfield College in a Northwest Conference series next weekend. The Bearcats and the 9th-ranked Wildcats (NCBWA/D3baseball.com) will play two games on Saturday, March 12, starting at 11 a.m. (PST). The teams will conclude the series with one game on Sunday, March 13, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. (PDT).