The Washington Huskies defeated the Portland Pilots 8-1 on Apr. 21 in a neutral site baseball game held in Ridgefield, Washington.
The win brings the Huskies’ record to 18-22. The team was strong both offensively and defensively, limiting the Pilots to only two hits while recording 15 of their own.
Jack Wade made his first start for Washington and struck out eight batters over 3.1 innings, setting career highs in both categories. The Huskies took an early lead with RBI singles from Aidan Dougherty and Ethan Swidler in the second inning. Later that inning, Hotchkiss hit his thirteenth home run of the season—a three-run shot—helping Washington build a five-run advantage they maintained throughout the contest.
Hotchkiss finished with three hits, including a triple that marked the team’s fifteenth triple of the year. Relief pitchers Carson Boesel, Tyler Walker, and Liam Lierman combined to allow just one run across nine innings. The pitching staff tied its season high with seventeen strikeouts while allowing only four free bases.
Blake Wilson matched Hotchkiss for most hits on the night with three and also stole four bases, doubling his season total. Dougherty and Swidler each had two hits as well.
Washington will return to Big Ten play on Friday at Michigan for a three-game series before facing Eastern Michigan to finish their road trip.
