The mission was simple but not impossible.
Sweep the doubleheader against Puget Sound and you have yourself a spot in the upcoming Northwest Conference Baseball Tournament.
10 seniors – three of which who were a part of the last Pacific team to reach the conference post-season tournament in 2016 - were honored in pre-game festivities.
Pacific (23-16, 15-9 NWC) found itself down to its final at bat in game one, trailing a 4-2. Trevor Quinn came off the bench and singled to left field. Then, senior Dustin Meyer reached on a walk to put runners on first and second. After a fly out, the Boxers were down to the final out as Brad Altomare, who entered the game in the sixth, came to the plate. The junior second baseman got his first extra-base hit of the season, doubling down the left-field line to score pinchrunner Brandon Silowka from second and put the tying run at third. Next, senior Von Ferguson was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Dylan Morgan.
Morgan, who wears number two, facing a two ball, two strike, two out pitch from the Loggers' reliever Joe Brennan hit a walk-off, two-RBI single to score Altomare and Meyer bringing the Boxers out of the dugout in celebration of the win.
The celebration quickly ended after the walk-off win as the senior leadership rose to the occasion. The leadership reminded the Boxer roster that they still needed to win game two of the doubleheader to secure the spot in the conference tournament.
Before Pacific would get to the theatrics of the walk-off hit, Boxers' senior pitcher Ryan Carle got out of a bases loaded jam as he struck out looking the Loggers' Kyle Strash with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. The theatrics made a winner out of the senior from Medford for his first win on the season.
Despite a no-decision, Pacific starting pitcher Sam Lawrence went 7.1 innings, scattering nine hits, four runs and striking out six. Altomare and Wright each had two hits to lead an eight-hit attack for Pacific.
Game two saw Pacific jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning but the Boxers would not be able to add to its lead until the fifth inning.
The Loggers still had a chance to spoil the post-season hopes for the Boxers. Pacific starting pitcher Tyler Oscarson kept those hopes to a minimum through the first six innings, allowing just two hits.
As the junior from Las Vegas went to the mound in the sixth, there was a lot of confidence in the starter who was making just his fourth start in 15 appearances.
Back-to-back doubles by the visitors with two out in the seventh cut the deficit to one, 2-1. Then, an error by the Boxers put runners on first and second for the visitors, who had the top of the order coming to bat.
The Pacific coaching staff made the call to the bullpen for Liam Cammall, a sophomore from San Diego. The sophomore came in and got a strikeout which appeared to fire up the Boxers dugout, who found itself three outs away from completing the series sweep and a spot in the conference tournament. The Boxers were unable to add to their lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Cammall managed to retire the Loggers in order in the ninth, bringing jubilation and celebration to the Boxer roster. The win had secured a spot for Pacific in next week's Northwest Conference Tournament. As a result of other conference play on Saturday, the Boxers not only secured a spot in the tournament but will enter it as the No. 2 seed.
The tournament will get underway on Friday, April 26 at Whitworth University in Spokane. The Boxers are scheduled to play Whitman at 3 p.m.