McMINNVILLE, ORE. – Scoring early and slamming the door with stellar pitching, the Linfield Wildcats picked up two non-conference victories Saturday to improve to 4-2 overall.
 
Linfield downed Whitman 9-5 in the home opener and later powered past Puget Sound 6-2 on Day 2 of the Oregon NWC Classic.
 
GAME 1: Linfield 9, Whitman 5
Five quick runs, headlined by Jared Evans' two-run double in the first frame powered Linfield past Whitman, 9-5. The home opener for the Wildcats included 14 hits for the home team and a stellar outing by Cal Neely to push the club to 3-2 on the year.
 
Jumping out of the gates with six runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Wildcats batted through the order on six hits. Evans hit a double down the right field line to bring home Cameron Fox and Alex Hendra-Brown to spark the inning. The Blues chipped away at the Wildcat lead with runs in the second and third. Jake Wishart launched a solo homer in the third. Hendra Brown answered with one of his own in the bottom of the same inning to put the 'Cats up five, 7-2.
 
Alec Cook laced a single to center to score Jake Gellos to add to the Wildcats lead in the sixth, 8-2.
 
Linfield starter, Cal Neely threw into the seventh and allowed just two runs on four hits. Whitman threatened in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded. Kameron Walker came out of the bullpen and forced a 6-4-3 double play that scored a Whitman run to cut the Blues momentum. The Blues came back with two quick runs in the eighth but again Walker stopped the bleeding with another double play spun by Cook and Rediger.
 
Linfield at the plate
Linfield totaled nine runs on 14 hits. The bulk of the offense came from Hendra-Brown and Evans, who knocked in two RBIs apiece. Colton Robinson went 3-for-3 at the plate and reached on a walk. Fox and Cook both had two hits, helping Linfield to its third win of the season.
 
Wildcats from the hill
Neely in his second start of the season was dominant in six innings of work and was awarded with the win. Walker tossed the final three innings where he gave up two runs on five hits. Linfield's pitchers consistently worked the strike zone and forced the Blues into 10 groundouts.
 
Blues in the box
Wishart's homer was the highlight for the Blues in the third inning. Jerick Nomur brought in two RBIs and scored a run. Tyler Lewis also added a hit to the mix and scored once.
 
Whitman on the rubber
Blues starter Charlie Charm completed just one inning where he gave up six runs on six hits. Milo Mincin tossed a team-high four innings of one-run ball. After Mincin came John Lyon who allowed two more Wildcat runs on two hits. Branden Husse tossed a scoreless ninth inning for Whitman.
 
GAME 2: Linfield 6, Puget Sound 2
A two-run home run in the third inning by Ayden Allen sparked a three-run lead that the Wildcats never looked back from.
 
Daniel Zavala slapped an RBI single down the left field line and scored Ryan Ross from second on the play to give the 'Cats and early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
 
Cason Cunningham struck out four Loggers in the first two innings and allowed the first Puget Sound hit in the third when Daniel Salcedo drove a double into the gap in left center field. He later scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat to tie the game. A triple in the bottom of the frame by Jake Dennis scored Levi Horner-Villa to give Linfield the lead. Allen landed an uppercut when he smacked a two-run homer over the fence in right to score Dennis on the first pitch of the at bat.
 
Linfield clung to a 4-1 lead with Cunningham still on the hill in the fourth. Puget Sound loaded the bases on Cunningham to start the fifth. The Loggers scored Salcedo with a sacrifice fly from Riley Hunter but left two runners on base to scuff the potential big inning. Linfield led 5-2 to the eighth when Zavala delivered again with an RBI single that scored Cook. The Loggers put runners on base in the ninth but were shut down by Jake Gellos and a Wildcat defense that did not commit an error.
 
Wildcat hitters
Brady Rediger and Ayden Allen homered for the first time this season in back-to-back innings in the third and fourth. Dennis went 3-4 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI. Zavala's two RBIs and solid defense at first base was a boost to a lineup that committed two errors in the prior game.
 
Linfield pitching staff
Cunningham dealt 5.1 innings where he struck out eight over and allowed just three hits to earn his first win of 2018. He climbed to 12^th all-time for most career strikeouts (188) in Linfield baseball history passing Garrett Dorn, Rob Schlegel and Trevor O'Hara. Matt McDonald finished the sixth without allowing a run. Boos fired two scoreless innings and left after being hit on the mound by a line-drive in the ninth. Gellos appeared on the mound for the second time in his career to finish the game and earned the three-out save. The save is Gellos' first of his career.
 
Puget Sound bats
The Loggers scattered six hits and scored two runs but where held scoreless over the final four innings against McDonald, Boos and Gellos. Hunter knocked in an RBI and Salcedo scored twice for the Puget Sound Offense.
 
Loggers on the hill
Merle Rowan tossed the opening three innings and was hit well by the 'Cats. He allowed four runs on three hits and walked six. Dakota Marle threw the fifth and sixth where he gave up one run on four hits. Jesse Awa finished the game and allowed one run on three hits.
 
Next
The Wildcats square off twice Sunday to wrap up the Oregon NWC Classic. Linfield meets Pacific Lutheran at noon and Whitworth at 3 p.m. at Roy Helser Field.