Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Seniors Bryant Kraus and Cort Carpenter both had three hits and three RBI as the Portland Pilots defeated first-place San Diego 12-4 in a West Coast Conference baseball game on Friday afternoon at Cunningham Stadium. UP got another solid performance from freshman starter Kyle Kraus, who worked 7.1 innings to pick up the win.

 

Kraus (4-4) got plenty of run support, while scattering 12 hits, walking one and striking out one.

 

The Pilots (21-18, 5-8 WCC), who outhit the Toreros (25-17, 8-5 WCC) 18-14, led 7-0 after five and a half innings to take control of the game.

 

Kraus knocked in his first run and the game’s first run with a single in the top of the third. An inning later, sophomore 3B Kevin Armijo homered to give Portland a 2-0 lead.

 

Portland then scored three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to build a comfortable lead. In the fifth, Kraus knocked in a pair with a double, while Carpenter brought his first run home with a double of his own. In the sixth, sophomore 2b Riley Henricks, who also had three hits, scored a run with a sacrifice fly. Carpenter followed with an RBI single to give the Pilots a 7-0 advantage.

 

San Diego finally got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and another in both the bottom of the seventh and eighth. But Portland put the game of reach with a run in the top of the eighth and four more in the top of the ninth. Freshman Kramer Scott had Portland’s big hit during the ninth, knocking in two runs with a single to left field.

 

Matt Thomson (5-3) takes the loss for San Diego. He lasted for 7.1 innings despite allowing 13 hits. He gave up eight runs, but did strike out 11. Three pitchers followed Thomson on the mound for USD.

 

Portland reliever Keeler Brynteson worked the final 1.2 innings and didn’t allow a run. He gave up two San Diego hits.

 

The second game of this three-game WCC series is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.