The Trail

Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Paul Wicks Shaun Kiriu takes a hack at a pitch against PLU. The short stop is hitting .278 on the young season.

The UPS baseball team faced Corban College from Salem, Ore. on Saturday, Feb. 9 in an afternoon double header. With offensive intensity and solid defense, they shut out Corban in the first game 6-0, then tied in game two with 13 runs for each team.

The next day, UPS faced rival Pacific Lutheran University. The Loggers couldn't quite match the Lutes' strong hitting, and were defeated by a score of 12-6.

The Logger's designated hitter, junior Joe Newland, dominated at bat in both games against Corban. Starting the game out, he connected in the first inning with a two-run homerun, then did the same in the fifth. Despite Corban being a non-conference game, UPS kept their intensity high.

"Any time we step on the field, regardless of conference relevance, we play the game hard. I think that we use the non-league schedule as an opportunity to dial in our skills in order to be at a high level when League begins," Newland said.

Junior Shaun Kiriu and senior Chris Dunbar were solid on defense, and senior Michael Olsen did his job at the plate. Both teams had some wild pitching resulting in numerous batters hit and subsequent walks.

Game two showed a fatigued Loggers squad. Hitting was spread amongst many top UPS players.

Sophomore Gregorio Beck and senior AJ Jorg made solid connections, and Olsen came through again with a clutch double in the ninth inning. Newland continued his slugfest, hitting his third two-run homer of the day in the third, and was intentionally walked the rest of the game.

The Loggers played more cohesively as a team and showed maturity in smart base running. Corban stayed tough at the plate, and after 10 innings the game ended with a 13-13 tie.

Sunday afternoon UPS defense was again challenged by an opposing team of strong hitters. Beck put the Loggers on top in the first inning, but by the fifth inning the UPS defense looked exhausted as a result of PLU's offense.

UPS battled back some from their 7-1 deficit, when junior Sean Bayha singled to bring in two teammates. Kiriu doubled in the eighth to keep the score close, but the Lutes answered with a homerun. After a long battle, the game ended in favor of PLU, score 12-6.

"As a team we have been working hard at improving all facets of our game. We have a lot of talent on the squad this year, especially offensively," Newland said.

This past weekend was a testament to the Logger's hard work and offensive intensity. They'll be challenged once again February 24 against Albertson College in Idaho.

"Albertson is a solid NAIA program that plays against some of the better competition in our area. The chance to travel to lovely Caldwell and beat those guys will be pretty exciting," Newland said.

• Jess Columbo thought Albertson was a grocery store, but it is actually a college. Who knew?

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