McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield split two games Sunday at the NWC Oregon Classic, defeating Whitworth 7-5 before falling by the same score to Pacific Lutheran.
GAME 1: Linfield 7, Whitworth 5
Jake Gellos' two-run double to right-center field gave Linfield a four-run lead heading to the eighth inning. It went on to be the difference in the game as the Wildcats held on to beat the Pirates to extend their win-streak to four games.
How it played out
Racing to a four-run lead in the first inning, the Wildcats jumped on the Pirates out of the gates. A pair of errors by Whitworth helped contribute to Linfield's hot-start that included three Wildcat hits.
Whitworth bounced back with back-to-back home runs in the second by JT Phelan and Tyler Bailey. Linfield righthander
Carter Buuck was effective in his second start of the season. After allowing the two homers, he kept the Pirates scoreless for four innings through the sixth.
A solo home run by Taylor Poffenroth cut the Wildcats lead to two, 5-3. Peters came back in the eighth to set the Pirates down in order.
A two-run double by Gellos scored
Alex Hendra-Brown and
Jared Evans to put the 'Cats in front by four, 7-3.
Poffenroth came through with a bases-loaded single to score Ben Wintring and Bailey. Peters finished the game with a ground ball to Rediger to preserve the win.
Linfield in the batters box
The Wildcat offense collected seven hits. Linfield has now had seven or more hits in each of its last four games.
Ryan Ross scored twice and doubled.
Colton Robinson added a double when he sent a ball into the gap in right-center in the sixth. Gellos' two-run double proved to be the difference in the game.
Wildcats pitching staff
Buuck threw six innings allowing two runs, five hits and striking out three. Buuck worked out of harm's way multiple times, includiong a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Reliever
Dylan Peters entered in the seventh. Peters threw the final three innings.
Pirates offensive numbers
With back-to-back homers in the second inning, Phelen and Bailey showcased the Pirates' offensive firepower. Phelen went 2-for-4, Bailey also hit 2-for-4 with two runs. Poffenroth's homer in the seventh and two-run double in the ninth gave him the team RBI lead with three.
Whitworth on the mound
TJ Orchard got the start for the Pirates. He threw four innings and gave up five hits and five runs, three of them earned. Jared Briones came in after Orchard and set the Wildcats down in order in the fifth and sixth. He allowed a hit in the seventh and struck out three. Joel Condreay pitched the eighth, giving up two runs on the Gellos double.
GAME 2: Pacific Lutheran 7, Linfield 5
The 'Cats never led in what was a wire-to-wire win for the Lutes. Five runs in the first two innings gave PLU an early cushion. Anthony Gosline lined a single to right field to bring in Jacob Bockelie and Tori Doten, highlighting the second inning for PLU.
The first Linfield run crossed the plate in the second when
Jake Dennis grounded into a fielder's choice to score
Daniel Zavala from third base. Zavala sent a towering sacrifice fly to left that brought in
Alec Cook the following inning. The 'Cats trimmed the Lutes' lead to two when Cook hit into a fielder's choice that scored Dennis from third in the fourth.
Zavala sent a two-run homer over the fence in left to bring the Wildcats within one, 6-5, but PLU added another run in the seventh when Matt Vick hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Marque Carl. In the final inning Linfield saw its leadoff man, Ross, get on base with a walk but the 'Cats could not push him around to score. Zavala threatened with a deep fly to center that nearly tied the game.
Linfield at the plate
Despite out-hitting the Lutes, the Wildcats struggled to string together hits. Rediger, Zavala and Ross had three hits each to share the club lead. Zavala added three RBIs to his homer that he hit in the fifth and scored two runs.
Wildcat pitching
Ethan Jones started on the mound for the 'Cats. He exited after 1.2 innings and allowed five runs.
Matt McDonald entered in the second. McDonald threw 2.1 innings of two-hit ball and did not give up a run.
Mitch Grove followed, throwing one inning and yielding a run.
Liam Herlihy tossed the final four innings and gave up one unearned run on one hit, striking out three.
PLU hitters
Doten and Gosline drove in two runs apiece. With two hits, Carlson was the only Lute with multiple hits. Austin Gormley scored twice to lead all Lutes.
Lutes pitching staff
Alex Gregory started and threw six innings. He gave up five runs and eight hits but managed to escape pressure-filled innings and limit Wildcat runs. Gregory turned the ball over to Janson Pederson in the seventh. Pederson threw two innings of scoreless ball. Jacob Mortensen was credited with the save for throwing a hitless ninth.
Next
The Wildcats head to Salem Saturday to open up Northwest Conference play with a doubleheader at Willamette. The three-game series wraps up Sunday. Action starts at noon both days.
