McMINNVILLE, ORE. – Fighting back after trailing early, the Linfield Wildcats lost two Northwest Conference baseball games to the Pacific Lutheran Lutes at Roy Helser Field. The Lutes took Game 1, 5-4 in 12 innings and followed it with a 10-7 victory to take the series. The pair of losses drop Linfield to 4-16 overall and 2-12 in conference play. Pacific Lutheran improves to 15-8 overall and 7-4 in the NWC.
GAME 1
- The Lutes struck first in their first opportunity at the plate. A single by Jordan Haworth scored Austin Gromley to make it 1-0. Later, PLU added another run on a Marques Carlson single that brought in Haworth.
- Pacific Lutheran added to its lead in the third when Jacob Bockelie doubled and scored Carlson. Max Cummings grounded out later in the inning to bring in Bockelie.
- The 'Cats scored their first run of the game in the sixth. Tanner Earhart hit a two-out single allowing Ben Whitt to come in from third to make it 4-1, Lutes.
- Relievers Matt McDonald and Austin Thomas were stellar out of the bullpen. McDonald worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth. He threw two innings of shutout ball. Thomas did the same over two innings and gave up just one hit.
- Wyatt Smith cut the lead in half after he singled through the left side in the eighth to chase PLU starter Justin Armbruster. The single scored Cameron Fox and made it 4-2, Lutes. Justin Tucker entered in the middle of the eighth.
- Earhart kept the inning alive and singled to left center to score Brian Cromwell from second. A hit from Zach Cokos pushed the game-tying run to third and loaded the bases.
- Levi Horner-Villa singled with the bases full and scored Colton Robinson to tie the game at four. The 'Cats totaled three runs on five hits in the inning.
- PLU pushed the go-ahead run across in the top of the 12th on a deep double to the warning track in left center by Connor Lemma. A strong relay throw home was not quick enough to get Tori Doten who scored from first. PLU went on to win 5-4.
GAME 2
- Jacob Bockelie highlighted a three-run first inning for PLU with a two-run homer over the wall in left.
- Linfield would rally in the second and drove in three runs. Tanner Earhart hit a solo home run to start the scoring.
- A 25-minute rain delay paused the game before the start of the third inning.
- PLU pushed three runs across in back-to-back innings in the fourth and fifth and led 10-3.
- The 'Cats would add one run in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth but never threatened at the Lutes lead. Cameron Fox homered in the ninth.
- Kameron Walker threw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief pitching where he did not allow a hit.
NEXT
The final game of the three-game series begins tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Roy Helser Field.
