SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth held off Lewis & Clark in the opener of Saturday's Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader to break a seven-game losing streak, but the visiting Pioneers pulled away in the nightcap to earn a split at Merkel Field.
The Pirates (10-16-1 overall, 5-9 NWC) won the opener 15-12 after watching the dedication of newly-renovated Merkel Field. L&C (7-22, 4-10) scored nine runs over the final three innings to win the second game 12-4.
Gerhard Muelheims, Tyler Pfeffer and Jeremy Druffel all had six hits on the day for Whitworth.
Game 1 – Whitworth 15, Lewis & Clark 12
The Pirates build a quick 9-0 lead through two innings, but had to hold off the Pioneers down the stretch for the victory. L&C outhit Whitworth 22-16, but left 12 runners on base.
Whitworth scored four in the first, including an RBI double by Druffel and a two-run homer by Josh Davis – his first of the season. The Pirates added five more runs in the second inning, two on a Pfeffer single with the bases loaded and another on Druffel's second double of the game.
The Pioneers began to chip away in the fourth inning, scoring two runs. Mike Kinkenon's sacrifice fly in the fifth made it 9-3.
Whitworth appeared to put the game out of reach with six runs in the bottom of the fifth, capped by Thomas Wakem's three-run home run that increased the lead to 15-3.
But L&C got two more runs in the sixth on Evan Gray's two-run double. Then the Pioneers scored five runs in the seventh, all after two were out, to pull within 15-10. Kinkenon had a two-run single to cap that rally.
L&C scored the final two runs in the ninth and had the potential tying run on deck when Spencer Ansett got Corey Davis on a strikeout to end the game.
Druffel finished 4-6 with three RBIs, while Muelheims was 3-6 with three runs scored. Wakem led all players with five RBIs.
Gray went 5-6 at the plate with four RBIs for L&C. Geoff Wertz had three hits and scored three runs, while Kinkenon finished with three RBIs. Hayden Higger hit his second homer of the season in the seventh inning.
Dan Scheibe (3-3) allowed ten runs through 6.2 innings, but still earned the win on the mound. Ansett gave up two runs over the final 2.1 innings.
Mike Hathaway (1-6) took the loss after allowing nine runs in 1.1 innings for L&C.
Game 2 – Lewis & Clark 12, Whitworth 4
The Pioneers outscored the Pirates 9-0 over the final three innings and John Trupin threw a complete game on the mound to give L&C a split.
Whitworth stranded 15 runners on base after outhitting the Pioneers 16-13 in the game.
Trupin and Carson Blumenthal were locked in a pitchers dual through six innings. When Muelheims drove in a run to make the score 4-3 in favor of the Pirates in the bottom of the sixth, it looked like Whitworth might get a sweep.
But the Pioneers scored four runs in the seventh. Higger capped the rally with a two-run single with two outs. Then L&C added three more in the eighth to take a 10-4 lead. Kinkenon had a two-run double. Wertz added a two-run triple in the ninth inning for the final margin.
Wertz, Gray, Kinkenon and Mathew Cathcart all had a pair of hits for the Pioneers. Wertz and Kinkenon each drove in three runs, while Christian Macdonald scored three times.
Pfeffer went 4-4 at the plate for the Pirates, while Muelheims went 3-4. Both had an RBI.
Trupin improved to 2-1 after giving up four runs on 16 hits.
Blumenthal fell to 3-3 this season after allowing seven runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. Taylor Isadore and Danny Jordan finished up on the mound.
Whitworth and L&C are schedule to complete the three-game series on Sunday at noon.
