SALEM, Ore. – Crooked numbers put up by the Linfield Wildcats in the first and eighth innings were not enough, as the Willamette Bearcats took game one of this weekend's three game series 10-9. Due to anticipated weather, there was one lone game on Saturday at John Lewis Field.
 
Linfield scored four, first-inning runs off of starter Justin Miller. Head coach Dan Spencer made several changes to hitting lineup to spark some offense, and those changes looked great in the first.
 
Brian Cromwell opened the game in the lead off spot, cracking a base-hit to center field. The second basemen would score the next at-bat. David Brosius doubled down the right field line to get the first run of the game for Linfield.
 
Wyatt Smith reached on an error before the newest cleanup hitter for the Wildcats , Ben Ranieri, singled in a run. Tanner Jacques scored Smith in the following at-bat with a single to center.
 
Tanner Earhart made it five hits for the Wildcats in the first six batters of the game, singling to left field and scoring Smith. Levi Horner-Willa finished off the scoring threat with a sacrifice fly to score the speedster Ranieri. Linfield had 10 hitters come to the plate in top of the first.
 
A one-out walk off Wildcats starter Evan Bates got the Bearcats in business in the bottom of the first. Luke Werkmeister-Martin doubled down the left field line to make the score 4-1, Linfield. Another walk and a balk from Bates moved two runners into scoring position.
 
Layton Wagner singled through a hole in the left side to score Werkmeister-Martin. Freshman Samuel Daly got a single of his own to make the score 4-3. Bates picked up a fly out and a ground out to end the threat.
 
Willamette would tie the score in the bottom of the second. Another one-out walk was followed up by a single. After a double-steal from the Bearcats to move the runners to second and third, Werkmeister-Martin got another RBI. A fly ball to center would score a run on the sacrifice fly to even the score at four apiece.
 
After five hits in the first, Linfield would not get a hit again until the top of the sixth. Treve Earhart got on with a hit into right field, before advancing to second on a walk. Garrett Moen walked and, with two outs, the Bearcats made an error to give Linfield a chance with the bases loaded.
 
Smith would snatch the chance for Linfield after the Willamette miscue. A single right back up the box scored two runs and giving the Wildcats a 6-4 lead. After a Ranieri walk, Jacques had another opportunity with no empty bases but was retired to end the inning.
 
The lead would be short-lived for the 'Cats from McMinnville. Freshman Andrew Del Biaggio had been cruising since coming on in relief, but ran into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth.
 
After setting down six in a row, Wagner singled into right. With one out and Wagner on third after a ground out and wild pitch, Tyler Vandemark squeezed in a run for the Bearcats to make it 6-5. Vandemark would reach base on the play and move up another 90 feet on a balk from new reliever Austin Thomas.
 
A two-out walk came back to haunt Linfield when Joey Faudskar doubled to left field and tied the game. Matters were made even worst in the ensuing at-bat when Ethan Fischel homered to left and knocked in three runs. The four-bagger was Fischel's third of the season.
 
The eighth inning was the decisive inning in the ball game, with Linfield appearing to grab back the momentum. Cromwell walked before Smith's second hit of the game put runners on the corners. Up stepped Ranieri, who unloaded on a long fly ball that went over the left field fence to tie the game.
 
Michael Nelsen led off the eighth inning with no hits in his first three at-bats. But his one hit of the game was the decider, blasting a home run to take a one run lead. The Wildcats got a lead-off walk in the top of ninth but couldn't capitalize with two ground outs and a line out to end the game.
 
Bates worked three innings, allowing four runs. Del Biaggio finished with two earned runs allowed and one strike out. Thomas allowed three earned and Dakota Carter (1-1) takes his first loss of the year allowing the home run and striking out one over two innings.
 
Miller allowed six runs, three earned, in five and a third innings. The Bearcats used three relievers and Pruitt Spritzer (1-2) worked the final inning and two-thirds of hitless baseball to secure the win.
 
Ranieri and Smith each had two hits to lead Linfield. With a .348 average on the season, Ranieri knocked in four of his 10 RBIs on the season in the loss.
 
UP NEXT
Linfield (5-9, 1-6 in NWC) finishes up the series with Willamette (8-6, 5-2 in the NWC) Sunday with a double header beginning at 11 a.m.