Game 1:
Pirates baseball got off to a good start on Saturday in their first Region 16 series of the year with a 7-5 win over Three Rivers Community College. Sophomore Kylan Easley got the win, pitching 5 strong innings. Fellow sophomore Andrew Faustlin earned the save while pitching the final 2 innings of scoreless baseball.
Terrance Goeloe had the big blow in first inning to give the Pirates a five run lead. He hit a two out, 3 run homer which capped the inning.
"We got off to a nice start by scoring five runs in the first inning. Defensively, we had some miscues that let Three Rivers back in the game but we were able retake the lead in the sixth inning and hold them off from there," commented Coach Hillerman.
Other top perfomers offensively for the Pirates were Connor Quick (2-2, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI) and Enrique Madera (2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI).
Game 2:
The Pirates were able to complete the sweep of the double header with an 8-5 victory in game two. The win moved the team's overall record to 3-3 on the young season.
Freshman Wade Phillips pitched an excellent 6 innings allowing 3 runs, 1 of which was earned. Backing him up from the bullpen were Brenden Garza, Wyatt Thomas, and Bo McSpadden with the save. "On the mound our guys threw strikes. Allowing just 2 walks in 9 innings is something I hope we can build on as a staff," commented assistant coach Ryan Suttenfield.
Offensively, the Pirates scored one in the 4th inning to open the scoring. The big inning for the Pirates came in the 5th where they were able to push across five runs to extend their lead to 6. Brendley Martina drew a 2 out hit by pitch to get things going. Madera and Quick added singles before Quinsley Balentien knocked a 2 run double.
3 Rivers wouldn't go easily. They chipped away the next 3 innings, scoring 5, but it wasn't enough as the bullpen was able to hold. "They battled us tough until the end. Wins are never easy to get in region play so for us to be able to hold on for the sweep today is a good early start. We have to celebrate these quickly because we are back at it tomorrow for another double header," concluded Hillerman.
