Westmont wins PacWest Baseball Tournament
FRESNO, Calif. - Westmont Baseball (41-12) defeated the Sharks of Hawai'i Pacific (32-22) by a score of 5-3 on Friday afternoon to win the PacWest Tournament Championship in the Warriors' first year of eligibility.
Sophomore Joey Rico (5-2) started on the hill for the Warriors and earned the win. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Rico struck out five and did not issue any walks.
Zach Yates tied the Warriors' single-season saves record by pitching the final two innings. He did not allow a run, gave up just one hit, and struck out two.
The scoring started in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run blast by Tyler Dunn over the fence in left-center field. The home run drove in Daniel Patterson who had singled through the left side to start off the inning.
Hawai'i Pacific tied the game in the top of the third with two runs of their own. After Noah Hata was hit by a pitch, Kan Taguchi doubled off the fence in right field to plate Hata. A sacrifice bunt by Skyler Agnew advanced Taguchi to third before Noah Blythe drove an RBI-single into left.
The damage was limited, courtesy of a heads-up play by Rico. With Blythe at third and one away, Daniel Johns hit a low line drive up the middle. Rico reached down and snagged the missile, then fired to third to retire Blythe who could not return to the bag on time.
The tie did not last long. With one out in the bottom of the third, Grant Yzermans powered a solo home run deep over the left-field fence, putting the Warriors on top 3-2.
Neither team scored again until the top of the sixth when Blythe delivered a lead-off homer to left-center, tying the game at three runs apiece.
The tie was broken in the bottom of the seventh. Westmont catcher Shane Hofstadler led off and hit the first pitch he saw deep, but left of the third-base foul line. He then produced an unexpected bunt single down the third base line. Zach Mora followed with a sacrifice bunt, moving Hofstadler to second.
One out later, Hofstadler stole third without a throw. After Soper walked, the Sharks' pitcher was called for a balk, scoring Hofstadler and moving Soper to second. Bryce McFeely then singled up the middle and Soper sped home to put the Warriors up 5-3.
Up by two runs with two innings remaining, Svagdis called for Zach Yates to close out the game in the final two innings. The senior retired the first two batters he faced, before giving up a single to Daniel Johns. A deep fly ball by Bronson Rive to center field had Warrior fans holding their breath, but Jack Bollengier settled under the ball near the warning track and pulled it in to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Yates struck out Tyler Arnold before Troy Harding reached on an error. That brought up Keanu Spense to pinch hit for Frankie Pera. Spense struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt. When the ball skipped away from Hofstadler, Harding broke for second. Hofstadler retrieved the ball which was to his left, then fired to second base. Mora covered the bag, caught the ball and tagged Harding for the final out of the game.
In a press conference after the game attended by Svagdis and the four senior captains (Yates, Patterson, Bryan Peck and Ryan Humphreys), the Warrior coach credited the Sharks for their effort. "Hawai'i Pacific had to go through the losers' bracket, so you'd think it would be to our advantage from a pitching standpoint. They did a great job making us feel like that wasn't the case. Their pitchers did a great job and (head coach) Dane Fujinaka had a really good plan with his pitchers. They kept us off balance, so hats off to him. They are a strong hitting team as well."
Speaking for the captains, Yates said, "It means everything to be a captain on this team. We are all four-year – at least – guys. We have grown up in this program and seen so many seniors before us who have led so well in their own individual ways. We have had a lot of success during our time at Westmont. It is a privilege to go out and compete in games like this and bring home more wins as captains leading this team. It is an honor for us."
"This program means the world to me," said Humphreys. "I don't think there is anything cooler than this program that we get to be part of. These guys are my best friends."
"We would be remiss not to mention Robert Ruiz who recruited these guys to my right and to my left," said the coach. "He established the culture of this team. I am blessed to take over the program for someone like Robert.
"Of course, Tyler LaTorre took these guys from Robert's tutelage and culture and continued to maintain that and foster his own culture. Being able to follow in their footsteps is a privilege and honor for me. I have a lot of respect for both those guys."
With the win, the Warriors receive the conference's automatic qualifier berth in the NCAA DII National Tournament. On Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m., the NCAA will announce the 56-team bracket, which begins with regional play. Westmont anticipates being named a host for one of the two West Regionals. Play will begin on Thursday, May 15.
(Article courtesy of Westmont Athletics).
