Box Score | Van Hoon's Game-Winning Hit (Video)

FOREST GROVE – Jared Van Hoon's (Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) two-out bases loaded single up the middle capped an incredible late innings rally Sunday as the Boxers rebounded from four runs down to stun No. 2 ranked Linfield, 7-6, in Northwest Conference baseball action at Chuck Bafaro Stadium.
 
Van Hoon stepped to the plate with two outs after Wildcats' relievers Spencer Crepeaux and Casey Cameron loaded the bases on two walks and a line single by Chad Fahey (Sr., Keizer, Ore.).  He connected on a 1 ball, 1 strike pitch that bounced just out of the reach of Linfield shortstop Kenny Johnson.
 
Anson Arakaki (Jr., Hilo, Hawaii) easily scored from third.  Pinch-runner Donnie Bradley (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) was waved home from second and just got around the out-stretched arm of Linfield catcher Kyle Chamberlain on a play at the plate to score the game-winning run.
 
The stunning win lifts Pacific 5-8 overall, 2-1 NWC, and marks the first time that the Boxers have taken a series from Linfield since 2001.  Linfield, ranked No. 2 in the latest D3Baseball.com/NCBWA Division III poll, dropped to 7-3, 4-2 NWC.  It is the first time Linfield has lost a series since the Wildcats dropped three of four games to George Fox to end the 2009 season.
 
Van Hoon led the Boxers by going 3 for 5 with a run and three runs batted in.  He also earned the win in relief as he retired the Wildcats in order in the top of the ninth.  Fahey added two hits.  Tim Wilson, Kramer Lindell, Zach Boskovich and Jesse Boustead each had two hits to lead Linfield.
 
For much of the game the Wildcats seemed to have control.  The Wildcats' first two batters of the game reached base off of Pacific starter Jason Sawyer (So., Scappoose, Ore.), with Wilson scoring on Boskovich's sacrifice fly.
 
Pacific came back to score two runs in the second.  Van Hoon doubled with one out and Logan Moen (Jr., Brier, Wash.) walked with two outs to set the scene for Jordan Siu (Jr., Redmond, Wash.), who connected on long single to left center field to score the pair.
 
The Wildcats responded by scoring five runs in the next two innings, after which it looked as if the Wildcats would go on to complete the victory.  Lindell got on board with a two-out double in the third and scored on a single by Boskovich. 
 
Linfield then converted two walks and an error into four runs in the fourth.  Johnson singled with one out to score Jake Wylie and Boustead singled to score Clayton Truex.  Pacific catcher Siu then overthrew second base on Boustead's steal attempt, allowing Johnson to score from third.  Wilson followed with a single to right that brought home Boustead.
 
Sawyer gave way at that point to Mike McGuire (Sr., Olympia, Wash.).  Expected to throw no more than two innings, McGuire effectively shut off Linfield's offense, allowing just three hits and striking out six in 4.1 innings before giving way to Van Hoon in the ninth.
 
The comeback began for the Boxers in the sixth, when Nick Tasaka (Jr., Hawaii Kai, Hawaii) knocked a leadoff single.  He made it safely to second when Fahey's fielder's choice was mishandled by Linfield's Wilson and scored on a single by Van Hoon.
 
Linfield Head Coach Scott Brosius pulled starter Ryan Larson in favor of Crepeaux in the seventh, which breathed more life into the Boxers.  Siu reached base on a one-out walk and Arakaki followed with his first hit of the season, a single to left.  Kevin Schwartz (Sr., Milwaukie, Ore.) then hit into a potential double play ball, but Wilson threw the ball past first base on the putout attempt, which allowed Siu to score from second.  Tasaka singled next before Fahey legged out a hit to shortstop to plate Schwartz.
 
After Arakaki walked to lead off the ninth, Cameron proceeded to coax the next two Pacific batters into fly outs.  Fahey followed with a single down the right field line and pinch-hitter Nate Rasmussen (Sr., Sandy, Utah), who sat most of the series with a sore arm, drew a walk on four pitches to load the bases.  That set the plate for Van Hoon, who got his single past the outstretched glove of Johnson to knock in the winning run.
 
Cameron took the loss on the mound for Linfield, allowing one run on two hits with one walk in two-thirds of an inning.  Larson finished by allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
 
Pacific will have little time to enjoy their victory with another tough opponent awaiting the Boxers next weekend.  Pacific travels to George Fox for a three-game NWC series on Saturday and Sunday.  Linfield will host Willamette for a three-game set.