SPOKANE, Wash. – On a partly cloudy day at Merkel Field, the Linfield Wildcats lost 3-1 and 10-7 in the doubleheader against the Whitworth Pirates on Saturday.
 
GAME 1: Whitworth 3, Linfield 1
The Pirates scored the first run of the bottom of the first after the leadoff hitter Joe Howell got on base with a single and moved into scoring position via a stolen base and a groundout.
 
Luke Bruno had all three RBIs for Whitworth in game 1. In the first, he hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Howell. Bruno hit a two-run in the third to make 3-0 Pirates.
 
Linfield put together a rally in the ninth. Garrett Moen got on base via a fielding error and reached third on the play. Reid Sturn followed Moen and drove him in to make it 3-1. Wyatt Smith drew a walk and the Wildcats had the tying run on base with one out in the ninth.
 
The Wildcats had runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth, but could not get the big hit and lost their fifth straight game. Sturn had two hits and the lone RBI. Smith drew two walks. Mike LaVigne stole two bases in the game, Tanner Jacques and Danny Khan stole one.
 
Second-year coach Dan Spencer slotted Andrew Del Biaggio to start game one of the series. Del Biaggio got the loss but tossed five innings, giving up three earned runs. He allowed seven hits, two walks and punched out three. Jarrett Allen, Gavin Ludlow and Skyler Manelski threw the last three innings of the game, allowing just one hit within them.
 
GAME 2: Whitworth 10, Linfield 7
The top three hitters in the lineup for Whitworth got on base in the bottom of the first and came around to score on a grand slam by Jaxsen Sweum. Pirates added two more in the bottom of the third on a fielding error by the Wildcats.
 
Linfield nearly tied the game in the top of the third, scoring five runs in the inning. Ryan Kamp led off the inning with a solo home run, Sturn followed with a double and came around to touch home plate on a sacrifice fly by Levi Horner-Villa.
 
Jacques hit a double to right center to bring in LaVigne and make it 6-3. Tanner Earhart hit a two-run home run to score Jacques and make it 6-5. Sturn tied the game in the top of the fourth with an RBI base hit that drove in Jacob Campos.
 
Earhart gave Linfield the lead in the top of the sixth with an RBI single that scored Jacques. Pirates answered with four runs in the bottom of fifth to re-take the lead.
 
Gage Gibson drew a bases-loaded walk and Aidan Morrison slapped a triple down the right field line to clear the bases and make it 10-7 in favor of Whitworth.
 
For the Wildcats, Earhart had a three-hit game. Dawson Warner had three hits for Whitworth.
 
On the mound, Gage Mack started the game for the Wildcats, but lasted just 1.2 innings giving up five earned runs. Colton Meyer got the loss, throwing 2.2 innings in relief and giving up four earned runs. Josh Grimes got the win for the Pirates, throwing four innings of one-run ball on three hits.
 
Wildcats have lost six straight and fall to 3-13 on the season. The Pirates are 4-9.
 
UP NEXT
The series wraps up on Sunday at noon at Merkel Field between the 'Cats and the Bucs.