TACOMA, Wash. --- Linfield baseball (21-15, 13-7 NWC) clinched a berth into the Northwest Conference Baseball tournament, splitting the Saturday doubleheader with Puget Sound (20-13, 11-9 NWC). The Wildcats narrowly dropped game one, 4-3, before bouncing back to win 8-1 in game two. 
 
GAME ONE
The Wildcats notched their first hits of the game in the second inning, but it was the Loggers who got on the board first in the home half, taking a 1-0 lead. Josh Mansur end Cole Hubka singled in the third, scoring one on an Ely Kennel single up the middle to tie it up.
 
A leadoff triple off of Linfield starter Matthew Tacheny put Puget Sound back ahead for a moment. Kennel came through yet again, scoring Hubka from first to make it 2-2. Tacheny got in some trouble in the fifth after allowing a leadoff walk. A double and groundout scored two to give the Loggers a 4-2 advantage. The Wildcat starter settled down to go six innings, replaced on the bump by Brian Mannion. 
 
Nick Holm led off the eighth with a solo shot to left field, the first batter off of Loggers reliever Charlie Decker. It was the 'Cats final hit of the game, edged out in the series opener, 4-3.
 
Holm led the way with a 3-4 game, joined by Hubka and Kennel with multi-hit performances. Tacheny moves to 2-3 on the season after four runs on eight hits over six innings. Both squads stranded nine runners on the bases.
 
GAME TWO
Reigning NWC Pitcher of the Week, Colton Ouellette, earned the starting nod in game two of the doubleheader. The sophomore gave up a solo homer to the second batter of the game to put Puget Sound ahead 1-0 early. He settled in after a pair of singles in the inning, allowing just two more over the next six innings.
 
Josh Mansur hit his first home run of the season in the top of the third, a solo shot to tie it up, 1-1. Both squads scuffled at the plate in the middle innings, but the Wildcats backed up Ouellette with run support in the seventh.
 
The 'Cats got a pair of free bases with one-down, taking the lead on a Rylan Gullard single up the middle. Mansur scored two with a two-out single to left. Hubka capped off the scoring with a bunt single that scored Mansur from third to go up 5-1. 
 
Holm and Wyatt McClory singled in the eighth, allowing Gullard to double down the left field line and extend the lead to 6-1. Carter Studer took over for Ouellette on the mound in the eighth, maintaining the lead.
 
Mansur singled to center, scoring on a Cole Snidow single that followed. Kennel singled to left, scoring Snidow and making it 8-1 Linfield. Studer finished the final inning, not allowing a hit over his six outs, striking out and walking one each.
 
Ouellette earned his second consecutive win to move to 3-3, carding a career-high nine punchouts. Mansur was a double shy of the cycle, going 3-4 with three runs batted in. Gullard and Snidow also recorded multi-hit efforts, leading to Linfield's 12 hits compared to Puget Sound's five. 
 
UP NEXT
Baseball looks to secure the series against the Loggers tomorrow at Noon, entering the game 5-1 in NWC series' this season.
 
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