By: Ryan Lackey

SALEM, Ore. --- Big innings early and late for Willamette doomed the Bruins on Sunday, who scored six but still fell to the Bearcats, 13-6.

Recap:
Normally reliable Liam Kent ran into trouble from the outset on Sunday afternoon. In the first, Kent retired the first batter but then walked three in a row to load the bases. After a fielder's choice, Eric Del Prado roped a double to left center, bringing in two runs. Two RBI singles from Shea Harrison and Perry Van Eckhardt put the Bruins behind 4-0.

The Bruins nearly had a big inning themselves in the second. Two errors put two on for AJ Valencia, whose sharp single brought in Kadyn Nannini. Gabe Louthan then singled to load the bases, but both Andrew Reichenbach and Jacob Woehler flew out.

In the bottom of the second, Willamette increased their lead with one swing. Ty Wyatt's three-run shot made it a 7-1 game. But the Bruins weren't out of it. Nannini blasted a shot over the left-field fence in the third for two runs, and in the fourth Woehler made up for his earlier missed opportunity. With the bases loaded after two bunt singles and a walk to Louthan, Woehler's single to right brought in two, and the score was suddenly 7-5.

Willamette got one in the sixth, but the Bruins immediately got it back in the top of the seventh on Valencia's sacrifice fly. Going into the eighth, then, the score was 8-6, and the Bruins were within striking distance.

But five Bearcat runs in the eighth on two errors and three hits effectively ended the game, and the Bruins suffered the 13-6 loss.

Top Performers:
Nannini went 1-4, but his hit was the big two-run homer. Woehler ended up 3-5 with two RBIs. Connor Newell and Caylen Clardy both logged two hits. Valencia went 2-5 with two RBIs and a run. Louthan rapped out two hits and scored.

What It Means:
After the 1-2 series with Willamette, the Bruins are 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the Northwest Conference.

What Comes Next:
Next weekend, the Bruins host Whitman in a three-game series.