McMINNVILLE, ORE. – Trailing early in both games, the Linfield Wildcats dropped two Northwest Conference games to the Whitman Blues to begin conference play. The pair of losses drop Linfield to 2-6 (0-2 NWC) while the Blues improve to 4-5 (2-0 NWC). Linfield pitching struggled to keep the 'Cats in striking distance for most of the afternoon, Wildcat pitchers walked 23 batters.
 
GAME 1

• Whitman scored in the first inning when Kevin Nakamura drove in Lucas Thrun to make it 1-0.
• Cason Cunningham made his third start of the season. He threw five innings where he allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
• The Blues added another run in the third on a groundout by Thrun allowing Brett Williams to score making it 2-0.
• Whitman rallied again in the fifth where it added three runs to its lead, the highlight of the inning was a Nakamura singled to plate two.
• With the rain pouring down, Linfield surrendered five runs in the sixth a Jerick Nomura double brought in two in the Blues big inning to make it 10-0.
• Levi-Horner Villa gave the 'Cats their first run in the seventh when he grounded out to short to score Brian Cromwell from third. Cameron Fox later would score on a wild pitch to cut the Whitman lead to 10-2.
• Linfield would add four more runs between the seventh and eighth innings but never threatened the Whitman lead.
• The Wildcats used Cunningham, Kameron Walker, Callin McRae, Sam Adams and Brannan Meriwether on the mound.
• Rain delayed the game for 33 minutes during the sixth inning.
• Linfield totaled 11 hits in the loss. The Blues defeat of Linfield was the first since the 2002 season.

GAME 2

• Whitman scored in the first inning when David Johnson walked with the bases loaded. Linfield escaped the jam when Johnson slid into second and was called for interference for a Wildcats double play.
• David Brosius started on the mound and threw the first two innings before Mitch Grove entered at the start of the third.
• Grove went on to throw the next 1.1 innings and was relieved by Austin Thomas.
• The Blues would add to their lead in the sixth with a two-RBI double off the bat of Kyle Reisman. Later, Anthony Novoso would double to bring home Reisman. Pitcher, Dakota Carter entered in the middle of the inning for the Wildcats.
• Linfield trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth where it tied the game. Wyatt Smith scored on a wild pitch to start the scoring and was followed by Kurt Potter who touched home on a sacrifice fly to right from Alec Cook. A double to center from Cam Fox and a two-RBI single off the bat of Zach Cokos tied the game at five.
• Whitman regained the lead in the next frame where it scored three runs. Headlining the inning for the Blues was a Kyle Reisman single that scored two.
• Wilson Miles was Linfield's top pitcher in the second game. He tossed three innings where he struck out six.
• Linfield threatened late and had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't push any runs across in the final frame. Milo Mincin earned the save for Whitman where the Blues went on to win 8-6.

 
NEXT
 
Linfield hosts Whitman tomorrow at 12 p.m. for the third game of the series.