Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. – Pacific escaped Spokane still in first place in the Northwest Conference standings, but Whitworth made the Boxers' potential march to a conference title much tougher.
 
The Boxers saw scoring chances come up empty in eight of nine innings Sunday as the Pirates came away with a 3-1victory in baseball action at Merkel Field.  Pacific had runners in scoring position in every inning but the sixth, scored their only run of the game in the seventh and left 13 runners on base while out-hitting the home team 11-6.
 
The loss of two of three games in the series makes Pacific's quest for their first NWC crown since 1979 anything but easy.  The Boxers (17-13, 14-4 NWC) hold a one-game lead over the Pirates (20-12-1, 13-5 NWC), a 1.5-game lead over third place Linfield (21-10, 15-6 NWC) and a two-game lead over Pacific Lutheran (20-11, 12-6 NWC). 
 
Pacific, Whitworth and PLU each have six conference games to go in the regular season, with the Lutes and Boxers scheduled to square off in Tacoma on Apr. 28 & 29.  Linfield has just three league games remaining.
 
Both Pacific starter Chad Fahey (Sr., Keizer, Ore.) and Whitworth's Spencer Ansett kept the offense relatively quiet over the first three innings.  Ansett shut down the Boxers' best early threat in the fourth inning when he got out of a bases loaded jam with a strike out of Donnie Bradley (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.).
 
Landon Scott and JR Jarrell opened the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles and were sacrificed to second and third.  Kevin Valerio drove a deep ball to left field, scoring Scott on the sacrifice fly.  Erik Nikssarian followed with a single through the left side that scored Jarrell, but Nikssarian was thrown out trying to go to second base.
 
Whitworth played add-on in the fifth.  Michael Takemura was hit by a pitch to open the frame, was sacrificed to second and scored on long single to center field by Gerhard Muelheims.
 
Pacific picked up its only run of the game in the seventh.  Kevin Schwartz (Sr., Milwaukie, Ore.) started it when he lined a one-out double down the left field line and Nick Tasaka (Jr., Hawaii Kai, Hawaii) followed with a long fly ball that advanced Schwartz to third.  Jared Van Hoon (Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) then greeted Whitworth reliever C.J. Perry with a single to right that drove in Schwartz.
 
The Boxers appeared to have a full-fledged rally going as Nate Rasmussen (Sr., Sandy, Utah) followed with a single and both runners advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch, but Perry induced Mike Nagamine (Sr., Aiea, Hawaii) into a comebacker to end the inning.
 
Pacific had two runners on the top of the ninth with one out, but Whitworth closer Jason Renner coaxed Rasmussen into a foul out and Nagamine into a line out to close the game.
 
Fahey dropped to 4-2 on the season with the loss, allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six innings of work.  Van Hoon came in to work the final two innings, allowing just one walk and striking out one.  Ansett improved to 5-3 with the win, allowing one run on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings.  Renner earned his league-leading sixth save of the year.
 
Schwartz finished with a 3 for 5 afternoon to lead the Boxers offensively, while Van Hoon and Rasmussen had two hits apiece.  Six different players had a hit each for the Pirates.
 
Pacific is scheduled to host Corban for a non-conference game Tuesday night at 6 p.m., before hosting Puget Sound for the final NWC home series of the season.  Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game will both begin at noon.