MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Rattling of two-straight wins over the Willamette Bearcats on Saturday at Roy Helser Field, the Linfield Wildcats split the four-game series against the Bearcats by winning 5-4 and 4-2, respectively.
Daniel Kahn collected five RBIs in the two games, while
Grant Knox collected his first career win in game one and
Evan Bates tamed the Bearcats' bats in game two and got the win.
GAME 1: Linfield 5, Willamette 4
The first run of the game came on a solo home run by Jeff Hoffman, who had three home runs this series. Linfield tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by
Mike LaVigne, scoring on the play was
Reid Sturn.
Linfield also took the lead in the fourth on a single by
Tanner Earhart that plated
Wyatt Smith. Ethan Fischel tied it again in the fifth on a sacrifice fly that scored Sean Little.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth when Kahn came to bat, who hit a double to center field and drove in two. LaVigne and
Levi Horner-Villa scored on the hit by Kahn.
Knox pitched six innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits and three strike outs.
Callan McRae came in to pitch two innings and gave up a run.
In the top of the ninth, the first two Bearcats got on base via singles. Ryan Whithorn pinch-hit for Tyler Vandemark and delivered a base hit that scored Joey Faudskar. The runners moved to second and third with no outs on a throwing error by Linfield.
Linfield coach
Dan Spencer brought in
Skyler Manelski to close it out. Manelski got Sean Little to groundout to shortstop, but scoring on the play was Layton Wagner to make it 5-4.
With a runner at second base, Manelski struck out Luke Werkmeister Martin and Samuel Daly to end the game. It was the first career save for Manelski.
GAME 2: Linfield 4, Willamette 2
Linfield scored the first four runs of game two.
Jackson Horner got on base via a single and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Bodey Smith hit a single to right field to drive home Horner.
Wyatt Smith got on base in the third with one out via a hit by pitch. Earhart also reached base safely on a walk. Kahn hit a home run to left center, his first-career home run to make it 4-0.
Daly led off the fourth inning with a home run to left and Hoffman hit another home run, this one to right center in the sixth.
In the seventh,
Colton Meyer collected two strikeouts on his way to getting his first save of the year.
Bates threw 4.1 innings, giving up just the home run to Daly and struck out one. He is now 2-2 on the season.
Cameron Skinner threw 1.1 innings in relief, the only hit he gave up was the home run to Hoffman.
Cody Stevenson came in to get the final out of the sixth.
For the Bearcats, the losing pitcher was Pruitt Spritzer, he gave up all four runs in three innings. Hoffman had two of the five hits for the Bearcats.
LaVigne went 2 for 3 and Smith collected his first career RBI.
Linfield improves to 8-22 on the year and 6-12 in Northwest Conference play, while Willamette is now 25-11 and 19-9 in the conference.
UP NEXT
Linfield is on the road for the final time this season next week at George Fox. The first day of the series is on Friday and the second is on Monday, May 3.
