MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – On the final day of the 2021 season, the Linfield Wildcats fell to the Pacific Lutheran Lutes by scores of 12-5 and 5-0, respectively, at Roy Helser Field on Sunday.
 
SENIOR DAY
The Wildcats honored Conor Callanan, Tanner Earhart, Treve Earhart, Kai Herko, Levi Horner-Villa, Callan McRae, Ben Ranieri, Cody Stevenson, Ben Whitt and student assistant Jayden Commendatore prior to the game.
 
Seniors Wyatt Smith and Tanner Jacques will exercise their extra year of eligibility and return to the team next year. Stevenson is enrolling into the Sport Leadership graduate program and will return to the Wildcats next season as well
 
GAME 1: Pacific Lutheran 12, Linfield 5
Wyatt Smith led off the bottom of the first with a single, he moved to second on a wild pitch. Daniel Kahn laid a bunt down the first-base line and made to second on the play thanks to a scoring error by the Lutes, Smith scored on the play.
 
The Lutes scored their first run of the game in the second inning. Ashton Barton reached base safely on a single, he advanced to second on a wild pitch. Connor Lemma was the next batter and he got on base via a hit by pitch. Alex Boyd moved Barton to third and reached first on a fielder's choice that retired Lemma.
 
Sean Kauffman drew a walk to load the bases and Kenton Robillard drove in Barton on a single to make it 1-1. Kauffman was forced out at third on a fielder's choice by Andy Schmitz to end the inning.
 
Schmitz led off the fifth with a double to left center and came around to score in the inning. Jordan Haworth reached second on a fielding error on the play that scored Schmitz.
 
With two runners on base and one out in the fifth, Callan McRae came into the game to retire the next two batters to end the inning.
 
Tanner Earhart reached based in the sixth on a fielder's choice and came around to score on a single by Garrett Moen to tie the game. Tanner Jacques drew a walk and loaded the bases in the inning with one out. Linfield took the lead on a fielder's choice hit by Wyatt Smith, who beat out an attempted double play by Pacific Lutheran.
 
The Lutes tied it and took the lead in the sixth. They tied it on a double by Barton that scored Austin Gormley, who reached on a fielder's choice. Barton and Cole Trotignon, who got on base with a single, scored on a single by Connor Lemma, who got out at second on a fielder's choice hit by Boyd.
 
Bodey Smith drew a walk and came around to score on a single by Tanner Earhart. Smith scored due to a fielding error by the Lutes.
 
In the eighth, Robillard drew a walk, Schmitz singled and Gormley got hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Robillard scored on a fielder's choice hit by Haworth, which landed in the outfield, but no Wildcat was able to get to it, Gormley was forced out at second.
 
Trotignon hit a single to left that drove in Schmitz and made it 7-4.
 
Jacques hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot in the eighth. All three home runs for the senior shortstop have come in the last two series.
 
The Lutes scored five in the ninth on four hits and two errors. Boyd scored on a bunt by Robillard. Garrett Wong came in to pinch run for Armond Swanson and scored on a fielding error by the 'Cats.
 
Jordan Haworth put the exclamation in the inning with a three-run home run to deep left field that plated Gormley and Schmitz. Though, all five runs in the inning were unearned.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Whitt came up to bat for his final collegiate at-bat and hit a single to center. The senior from Lacey, Washington, played in 63 games over his career, starting 35 and batted .205.
 
Callanan followed up Whitt's at-bat and drew a walk. The Boise, Idaho, native played in 20 games over his career.
 
In his final career at-bat, Ranieri popped to shortstop in the ninth. He is also from Boise and played in 37 games with a career batting average of .245.
 
Schmitz went for 3 for 5 and scored three runs, Trotignon went 3 for 5 as well. For the Wildcats, Wyatt Smith and Earhart went 2 for 5 each.
 
The starter for the Wildcats was Evan Bates. He gave up just one earned run in 4.1 innings. The losing pitcher was McRae, who allowed three earned runs in 2.2 innings. Stevenson and Jarrett Allen also pitched in the game.
 
McRae, a native of Beaverton, Oregon, pitched 43 innings in his career.
 
The Lutes' starting pitcher also got a no decision in the game. Spencer Howell gave up no runs in 4.1 innings. The winning pitcher was Alex Gregory, who threw 2.2 innings, giving up an earned run and struck out three.
 
GAME 2: Pacific Lutheran 5, Linfield 0
The first batter of the game, Schmitz, drew a walk and scored on a two-run home run to left field, past the train tracks by Haworth, his second of the day.
 
Cody Bentley reached base in the fourth with two outs on a single and moved to third on a single by Boyd. Both came around to score on a base hit by Kauffman, aided by a fielding error by the Wildcats.
 
Schmitz drove in the final run of the game in the sixth. Boyd sprinted for an infield base hit to second base. He was retired at second on a fielder's choice by Kauffman, who moved to third on a single by Robbillard. Kauffman scored on the base hit by Schmitz.
 
PLU's starter, Jonathan Cohen allowed just two hits in the complete-game shutout. He struck out three and allowed four walks. LaVigne and Tanner Earhart had the two hits for Linfield.
 
Gage Mack took the loss for Linfield, in his final start of the season. He went 4.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and two walks. Colton Meyer pitched 1.2 innings and gave up a run. Skyler Manelski pitched a perfect seven-pitch seventh inning.
 
Horner-Villa was replaced in the fourth inning. He is the first and only player in program history to play for five years. He totaled 68 RBIs and 19 home runs in 135 games over his career, batting .276.
 
Tanner Earhart finishes his career with 46 RBIs in 86 games. The Dallas, Oregon, native batted .284 over his career. His younger brother, Treve is stepping away from baseball after this season. Treve appeared in 36 games over his career.
 
Herko transferred to Linfield last season from Clark University. The Friday Harbor, Washington, native played in 14 games during his career.
 
Linfield finishes the season with a record of 10-27 and 8-22 in the Northwest Conference under second-year coach Dan Spencer. Pacific Lutheran is now 25-15 and 21-11 in the conference, it advances to the conference tournament next week.