MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Behind a strong college debut from pitcher
Gage Mack, the Linfield Wildcats split the doubleheader against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes on Saturday afternoon at Roy Helser Field.
The Lutes took the first game, 10-2 and the Wildcats took the second end of the doubleheader, 3-2 for their first win of 2021. Both games on Saturday were seven innings. Linfield is now 1-2 on the season and PLU is 2-1.
GAME 1: Pacific Lutheran 10, Linfield 2
The Lutes pounced early on the Wildcats' starting pitcher,
Grant Knox, who also made his collegiate debut on Saturday. After getting the first two outs, Knox surrendered a hit to Jordan Haworth, who advanced to third on a throwing error.
The Lutes capitalized on the error with three straight hits to give Pacific Lutheran an early 3-0 lead. Scoring for the Lutes were Jordan Haworth, Cole Trotignon and Austin Gormley, with Trotignon, Gormley and Connor Lemma picking up an RBI each.
Linfield had a rally in the bottom of the first, after
Tanner Jacques drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on an RBI single by
Wyatt Smith.
Levi Horner-Villa followed it up with a single, but the Lutes tagged Smith at third to get the final out of the inning.
Knox pitched four innings in his first career start, giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits, he had two punchouts and got the loss.
PLU added two more runs in the third on a two-run home run by Trotignon, who has had 10 RBIs thus far this weekend, six on Friday, two in game one and one later on Saturday.
Ashton Barton and Sean Kauffman led off the fourth with back to back solo home runs. After giving up three straight hits to start the inning, Knox got out of it with a double play and a groundout.
Eight Lutes came to the plate in the fifth inning against
Gavin Ludlow, who also made his college debut. Three runs were scored by Kenton Robillard, Lemma and Barton on RBIs by Barton, Kauffman and Tori Doten to give PLU a 10-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.
Linfield added his other run of the game in the sixth on an RBI base hit by Chase Elliot, driving in Smith.
Pacific Lutheran's starting pitcher, Tommy Snyder tossed six innings and got his first win of the season, giving up two earned runs on six hits and two walks, but fanned eight.
Mike LaVigne led the 'Cats with three of the seven hits in the game, the freshman from Colfax, California had five hits on the afternoon. Junior transfer,
Skyler Manelski from Edmonds College made his Linfield debut in the seventh, throwing a shutout inning.
GAME 2: Linfield 3, Pacific Lutheran 2
Wildcats' rookie Mack got the ball in the second game. The Lutes loaded the bases in the first on a double and two walks, but Mack escaped the inning with no runs on the board thanks to a double play turned by Elliot and
Cameron Skinner.
Linfield's bats provided the freshman starter with run support right away, with Jacques drawing a leadoff walk once again and LaVigne getting a base hit to have runners at the corners with no outs. Skinner grounded into a double play, but Jacques came around to score on the play.
Fifth-year senior,
Levi Horner-Villa led off the second inning with a solo home run in left field, Linfield's first of 2021 to double the lead. Runs kept coming for the 'Cats as
Tanner Earhart got on base on a single and came around to score on an RBI single by
Jackson Horner.
Mack was impressive in his first college innings, throwing four innings of shutout ball with three strikeouts, surrendering five hits and two walks. The Silverton, Oregon, native was credited with the win.
Andrew Del Biaggio came in relief of Mack in the fifth. Pacific Lutheran got their first two batters against Del Biaggio on base with two singles and Trotignon picked up another RBI in the inning, scoring on the play was Doten.
The Lutes scored their second run of the game also in the fifth, when a throwing error by Horner scored Andy Schmitz.
Del Biaggio hit Kauffman to start the sixth, but retired the final six batters to preserve the Wildcats win and get his first career save. His final line on Saturday was three innings pitched, an earned run on three hits and no walks. The sophomore from San Jose, California, had two strikeouts.
The pitcher of record for the Lutes was their starter, Noah Ferguson. He went four innings, giving up two earned runs, allowing four hits, three walks and striking out six.
UP NEXT
Linfield and Pacific Lutheran wraps up the four-game series on Sunday with a single nine-inning game starting at noon.
