Seattle University baseball hosted University of Nevada at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash. Friday for the first of a three-game set. After holding the lead for the first six innings, the Redhawks fell 11-5 to the Wolf Pack.
Students flocked to the ballpark to take a shot at completing the 9-9-9 Challenge: consume nine hotdogs and nine sodas, all in nine innings. Prizes included headphones and rounds of mini-golf were awarded to the contestants who finished the challenge.
The game got off to a quick start led by starting pitcher Brandon Kizer. Kizer, who played almost seven innings, retired the first 13 batters he faced. The Redhawks looked great in the first five innings behind Kizer, who was pitching a perfect game at that point, and the team jumped to a 5-0 lead early behind Cully Hendrickson's two-run homerun and RBI singles by Skip Spencer and Josh Kalalau in the third.
"With Doug [Buser] on second, I was looking for a fastball, and I got it," Hendrickson said.
In the sixth inning, Bryan Dalton, an injured pitcher for Seattle U, was the first competitor to finish nine hotdogs and nine sodas.
"I originally thought take it slow and steady, but I got ahead of myself," Dalton said.
Once Kizer made his exit in the top of the seventh, the bullpen proceeded to give up Seattle U's lead. In relief Conor Spink, Joey Pulitano and Max Whieldon combined for seven earned runs in the eighth and ninth innings, including two unearned runs on an error by third baseman Kalalau.
"We met our nemesis tonight, and that is the late-inning pressure situation where we need to close games out," said head coach Donny Harrel. "And at this point, we aren't capable of doing that."
Despite the 11-5 loss, the Seattle U squad played a solid first seven innings. Kizer's pitching, situational hitting and six stolen bases gave the team a chance. Senior Doug Buser, who was named GoSeattleU.com's Student-Athlete of the Week for swinging a hot bat, went 2-5 with three stolen bases and two runs.
"We find ourselves in situations to win games, and tonight starting pitching and situational hitting kept us in it," Harrel said.
Kizer remains 1-1 on the season in seven starts with a 4.15 ERA. A quality start to the weekend by Kizer was followed by 22-0 and 4-1 losses that concluded a Wolf Pack weekend sweep of the Redhawks, who are 4-26 on the season.
Seattle U will host Dallas Baptist University at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash. for a three-game set April 22-24.
Adam may be reached at johns113@seattleu.edu
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