The Linfield baseball team is on the road to Spokane this weekend to face the Whitworth Pirates. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for noon on both Saturday and Sunday.
 
COVERAGE
Live statistics and live video are provided by the Pirates.
 
LINFIELD
The Wildcats are 1-5 to start Northwest Conference play and 3-11 overall. Last weekend, the 'Cats lost all four games to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers. Wyatt Smith had a home run and four RBIs to lead the 'Cats.
 
The batting lineup features a pair of newcomers in Reid Sturn, who is batting .342 with two doubles and six RBIs, and Mike LaVigne, who is hitting .319 with two home runs and five RBIs. Veteran Levi Horner-Villa is coming on strong with a batting average of .319, three home runs and eight RBIs.
 
Jackson Horner is fourth on the team with a batting average of .294. He has a home runs, five RBIs and two doubles. Linfield is scoring 4.1 runs per game.
 
Freshman Gage Mack has been the leader of the pitching staff thus far this season. He has an ERA of 3.48 with 17 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .259 batting average. He has been credited with two of the three pitching wins for the 'Cats.
 
Colton Meyer and Gage Mack are the two other expected starters for this weekend. Meyer has 15 strikeouts in five starts this spring while posting an opposing batting average of .241. Knox has logged 10.2 innings in three starts.
 
Second-year coach Dan Spencer has relied on Andrew Del Biaggio as his go-to guy from the bullpen. Del Biaggio started the fourth game last weekend, collecting nine strikeouts over 9.2 innings.
 
The Wildcats have dominated the all-time series against the Pirates, 94-51. Over the last 10 meetings, Linfield is 7-3 versus Whitworth.
 
WHITWORTH
The Pirates played their first conference series last weekend, losing three out of four to their eastern Washington rival, the Whitman Blues. Whitworth has an overall record of 2-9.
 
Whitworth's hitters are led by Brenden Duncan, who is batting .511 thus far this season, which is far and away the best in the conference. He also has two home runs and 11 RBIs. Jaxsen Sweum is second on the team with seven RBIs and a home run. Grayson O'Neil has produced two home runs and six RBIs.
 
Dylan Bishop has made three starts for the Pirates as has Brett Thomas. Bishop has registered an ERA of 3.46 with five strikeouts. Thomas has 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched. Dylan Owen has the most appearances out of the bullpen with four. He has given up three earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. Josh Grimes leads the team with an ERA of 2.38 and is credited with one of the two pitching victories. 
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats welcome the Blues to Roy Helser Field for a four-game set. As the series falls over Easter weekend, the first two games are scheduled for Friday, April 2, and wraps up on Saturday, April 3.