McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield and Whitworth battled in a twin bill match up at Roy Helser Field Saturday afternoon with the Pirates taking both games and securing the series win. With the two wins, Whitworth gains ground in the NWC standings where they currently sit in second place while Linfield loses some ground, slipping to seventh place.
GAME 1: Whitworth 2, Linfield 0
Carson Coffield's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning was all the scoring the Pirates needed to claim the series-opening victory.
Linfield starter Camden Oram and Whitworth's AJ Woodward waged a scoreless duel for eight innings before each turned the game over to relievers in the ninth.
Oram struck out seven and held the Pirates to five hits and one run before giving way to
Zack Hampson to begin the ninth inning. Hampson began the ninth by promptly issuing a walk to Caleb Gray. Coffield wasted little time in giving Whitworth the lead for good, hitting his eighth home run of the season over the left-field wall.
Linfield came close to tying the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Luke Porter doubled to put a runner in scoring position. Tyler Marr then advanced pinch runner Marco Santulli to third base with a single to left-center field.
Nate Kassler was called on as a pinch hitter but his batted ball to the outfield settled into the glove of Aidan Morrison for the game's final out.
Woodward earned the win on the mound, improving to 5-1. He struck out seven and walked two while limiting the Wildcats to just three hits. Pirates reliver Seth Mahler pocketed his second save of the season.
In addition to Marr's base hit, Elijah Maris and Trent Wainfeld accounted for hits in the game for the 'Cats. Despite a solid effort in a starting role, Oram was saddled with the loss to fall to 2-2.
GAME 2: Whitworth 13, Linfield 4
The Pirates exploded for 12 hits and 13 runs as they ran away with the back end of the Saturday twin bill at Roy Helser Field.
Jake Swenson started on the mound for the Wildcats and recorded five strikeouts over five innings, taking the loss to drop to 4-3 on the season. While Whitworth put up eight runs on the sophomore pitcher, only three went down as earned runs. Linfield then turned to a string of relievers in Cooper Justice, Carter Studer, Emerson Dennis and Brian Mannion.
The Wildcats showed some power at the plate, slugging four home runs, including long balls from Elijah Maris, Nick Holm, Wyatt Hurley and Keegan Weston. Maris launched a leadoff homer in the first, while Weston followed with a solo shot in the fifth in what was his first at-bat in a Linfield uniform. Holm and Hurley each went yard in the eighth to bring Linfield within striking distance at 10-4, but a three-run blast from Whitworth's Spencer Shipman in the top of the ninth erased any hope of a comeback.
Defensively, the Wildcats committed four errors that led to a handful of unearned runs. Linfield pitchers hit three batters, and three of the 13 runs allowed were scored in innings extended by miscues.
AHEAD
Game 3 of the NWC series gets underway Sunday at Roy Helser Field starting at noon.
