McMINNVILLE, ORE. – After falling in a close contest 3-1, the Linfield Wildcats bounced back with late game-heroics and at times dominant pitching to tie the series with the Willamette Bearcats winning 6-3. Trailing by two with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2, Wyatt Smith and Levi Horner-Villa delivered in the clutch for the Wildcats. The spilt pushes the Wildcats to 4-10 (2-6 NWC). Willamette is now 9-4 (6-2 NWC) on the season.
 
GAME 1

• Cason Cunningham made his fifth start of the season and dropped to 0-4. The left-hander tossed five innings where he gave up two runs on one hit, struck out 10 and walked six. Cunningham has now struck out 10 or more batters in back to back outings.
• Willamette scored the first runs of the game in the fourth after a slow start where Cunningham retired the first six outs by way of strikeouts. Justin Scanlon hit a home run to left to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead.
• The Bearcats would double their lead in the sixth when Sean Little singled up the middle and brought in Ethan Fischel and Scanlon to make it 4-0.
• Linfield would get on the board in the sixth when Cameron Fox doubled to right with two outs. Later, Tanner Earhart hit a ball through the right side to score Fox making it 4-1.
• Willamette would rally in the following frame where it scored two more runs on four hits. The Bearcats attack was cut short by Brannan Meriwether who got the Wildcats out of the bases loaded-jam.
• Willamette starting pitcher Matt Steindorf threw his first complete game where he allowed one run on four hits and struck out six.

GAME 2

• Linfield took to a 1-0 lead in the second when Ben Wagner grounded out to short but Wyatt Smith came in to score from third.
• Willamette would bounce back and tied it on a Connor Bailey solo homer to left in the third.
• The Bearcats took the lead in the fifth on a hard ground ball past Ben Whitt's glove at third that allowed Justin Scanlon to score to make it 2-1, Willamette.
• Colton Meyer was impressive on the mound for the Wildcats. In his fifth career start, the freshman delivered seven quality innings where he gave up two runs, one earned on three hits and struck out nine.
• Kameron Walker entered to pitch in the eighth. He allowed a run to score on a single to right from Kyle Underwood to make the score 3-1, Willamette. He would eventually be credited with the win.
• Everything came together for the Wildcats in the bottom of the eighth. Linfield tied the game with two outs on a Wyatt Smith two-RBI single to left. Later, Levi Horner-Villa crushed a three-run go-ahead homer over the wall in right to put Linfield up 6-3 heading to the final frame.
• Liam Herlihy pitched the ninth inning where he allowed one hit and struck out the side to earn his first save of the season.
• The Wildcats out hit the Bearcats 11-5. Six hits came in the eighth for Linfield.
• Willamette starting pitcher Brandon Nelson threw 7.2 innings where he gave up five runs on nine hits and earned the loss.

NEXT
 
The rubber match of the three-game series begins tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Roy Helser Field.