SALEM, Ore. – Linfield baseball took the opener but fell just short to Willamette in Game 2 as the Wildcats and Bearcats split their doubleheader Saturday afternoon at John Lewis Field.
The Wildcats put up 15 hits en route to a 7-3 win in the opener. A big offensive inning in each game nearly gave them a doubleheader sweep, but the Bearcats took the lead in Game 2 and held the Wildcats scoreless the rest of the way to force a split.
GAME 1: Linfield 7, Willamette 3
Jackson Koons tossed five innings to earn his third win of the season and four Wildcats turned in multi-hit performances.
Cage Hardy was a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate with a run scored while
Mike LaVigne,
Daniel Kahn and
Garrett Moen all had two hits apiece.
Linfield scored five runs in the second inning, starting with a bases-loaded walk drawn by
Tanner Jacques. LaVigne followed with a two-run double to left field that drove in Hardy and Moen.
Branden Pasion sent a sacrifice fly to right while Kahn ripped an RBI double to left to score LaVigne.
The Wildcats scored two more insurance runs late in the game.
Noah Pawlowski reached on an error in the sixth inning to score Pasion from third. Pasion scored again in the eighth on an RBI single up the middle by
Jackson Horner.
Luke Werkmeister-Martin was a part of every scoring play for Willamette. He had a sacrifice fly in the third inning and drove in another run in the fifth with a single to center. Werkmeister-Martin was caught stealing later in the fifth but got caught in a rundown long enough to score Ryan Whithorn from third.
Koons allowed three earned runs on six hits to improve to 3-3 on the season.
Skyler Manelski and
Colton Meyer each threw two scoreless innings to help the Wildcats take the opener.
GAME2: Willamette 8, Linfield 7
Willamette came out hot in Game 2, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings. Linfield scored six runs in the third inning to take a 7-6 lead, but the Bearcats put up two runs in the fourth and held on for the win.
Tanner Jacques and
Wyatt Smith each went 2 for 5 with a run.
Mike LaVigne drove in two RBI on a third-inning two-run single.
Nathan Kassler also had a two-run single later in the inning while
Jacob Campos followed with a two-run double to left-center.
Willamette starter Eric Waldichuk lasted just 2 1/3 innings before being chased out of the game. Brady Joyner took the mound in the third inning and went the distance, allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out eight to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Andrew Del Biaggio dropped to 2-5 on the season after allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. He struck out six batters before handing the ball to
Nick Alder. Alder and
Logan Travis both had a scoreless outing, giving up one hit apiece.
NEXT
The Wildcats (13-13, 9-8 NWC) and Bearcats (14-13, 11-9 NWC) will meet again at noon on Sunday with the series on the line. The Wildcats will then play Puget Sound in a non-conference game on Wednesday.
