Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland sophomore Kris Kauppila broke up a no-hitter by San Diego’s Kyle Blair with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but the 23rd-ranked Toreros were able to hang on for a big 2-0 win over the No. 22 Pilots in the opener of a three-game West Coast Conference series at Joe Etzel Field on Friday. Kauppila’s double came on a 1-2 count and was just out of the reach of a diving James Meador, San Diego’s right fielder.
Blair (7-3) would then strike out pinch hitter Kevin Armijo, securing the shut-out and a one-hit performance. Blair walked a batter in the second inning and two more in the sixth, but both runners in the sixth were cut down trying to steal second base. Blair finished with an impressive 15 K’s.
The first-place Toreros remain perfect this season in the WCC with a 13-0 league mark, while improving to 28-16 overall. The loss snaps Portland’s (31-10, 11-2 WCC) 11-game winning streak, which matched the second longest winning streak in program history.
Blair’s one-hitter somewhat over-shadows the performance by Portland sophomore starter Kyle Kraus (9-1), who for the most part was matching the USD hurler pitch-for-pitch. Kraus worked 8.1 innings, struck out 10, walked just one and scattered seven hits. He was charged with both of San Diego’s runs.
It’s the first loss this year for Kraus, who is just one win shy of matching a single-season record for wins in a season by a UP pitcher.
San Diego tallied its first run in the top of the second inning. Following a pair of singles, Mike Ferraro doubled down the left field line that scored one and gave the Toreros the early lead. Then with runners on second and third with one out, Kraus fanned Tony Strazzara before inducing an inning-ending ground out from Kevin Muno.
The score would remain 1-0 until San Diego added a little insurance in the top of the ninth inning. After Portland stopper Chris Dennis spelled Kraus with the bases loaded and one out, Nick McCoy brought home Chris Engell with a sacrifice fly to center field, making a 2-0 ballgame. Dennis then got Ferraro to fly out to center.
With two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the eighth inning, senior Rocky Gale nearly kept the inning alive and gave Portland its first hit with a hard-hit line drive to right field. But this time Meador was able to make the diving grab, keeping Blair’s hopes for a no-no alive.
The game was clean as neither team made an error. Dillon Checkal was the only player to have more than one hit, finishing with two.
The second game of this critical WCC series is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Joe Etzel Field. Right-hander Owen Jones (4-1, 2.29 ERA) is set to go for the Pilots, while the Toreros will counter with lefty Sammy Solis (7-1, 2.79).
