It was a heartbreaking way to conclude a 2011 season that has exceeded all expectations.
Saturday Pacific dropped a pair of close games to Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader at West Field.
In the opener, the Boxers saw a three run lead evaporate as the Loggers scored five runs in the final three innings to take a 6-5 win. Pacific then left 12 runners on base in the second game as Puget Sound went on the 4-1 victory.
With the losses, Pacific concludes the season with a 21-16-2 overall record and falls from second to a tie for fourth place in the NWC at 14-10 with one week to go in the league season.
Puget Sound improved to 16-15 and moved into second in the NWC at 14-7.
Jared Van Hoon and Nick Tasaka led the Boxers with three hits apiece in the twinbill.
Nate Rasmussen had two hits in the opener, including his first home run of the season and Scotte Rowland had two hits in the second game, his final in a Pacific uniform.
Rasmussen opened scoring for Pacific in the second inning of the first game, leading off with a single and scoring on a sacrifice fly.
The Loggers tied it in the fourth inning on Chaz Kramer’s single before the Boxers tallied three in the sixth.
Rasmussen led off with his homer to right center field and Tasaka added two with his single to right, scoring Michael Arakaki and Trux French.
Anson Arakaki scored one in the eighth when he singled to score Rasmussen.
Puget Sound’s comeback began in the seventh when Christian Carter scored an unearned run on ground out.
The Loggers parlayed an error into the eighth and Will Mentor doubled and scored on a fielding error.
Against Pacific reliever Dan Wolfe, the Loggers led off the ninth with two singles and loaded the bases with one out when Jeff Walton was hit by a pitch.
Mentor tied the game when his single scored Dakota Resnik and Andrew Grady.
The Boxers intentionally walked pinch hitter Addison Melzer to set up the force out at each base.
Kramer appeared to have hit into a double play, but reached first base in time to prevent the twin killing as Walton scored the winning run.
Wolfe took the loss for Pacific, falling to 1-3 on the season.
In his last game in a Pacific uniform, he allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Starter Chad Fahey was solid in the start, allowing three runs, one earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts in eight innings of work.
Cameron Duvall earned the win in relief for Puget Sound, improving to 3-4 by allowing one hit in the final 1.1 innings.
Puget Sound cobbled together single runs over the first six innings to get all of their offense.
Resnik opened the first with a double and scored on Matt Cox; double to center field. Resnik singled to open the third and scored on a passed ball.
Grady scored in the fifth when he singled and came home on Cox’s triple.
Casey Coberly accounted for the run in the sixth when he led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Pacific’s lone run came in the eighth when Rasmussen walked to lead off the frame and scored when Arakaki reached on a fielding error.
Lucas Stone earned the pitching victory for Puget Sound, improving to 2-0 on the season.
He allowed no runs on six hits with three strikeouts in five innings.
Van Hoon took the loss allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work.
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