SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth baseball team continued its program-best start to the season with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Whitman to open the Northwest Conference schedule on Saturday, remaining unbeaten through 10 games in 2016. The Pirates won the opener, 10-4, before earning an 18-1 victory in the nightcap at Merkel Field.
Whitworth, averaging better than nine runs per game through eight games of nonconference action, continued its high-scoring trend on Saturday. A four-run seventh inning helped the Pirates pull away during the opener. Whitworth jumped to an early 5-0 lead after four innings in the second game before scoring 13 runs between the seventh and eighth innings for a lopsided win.
The Pirates (10-0, 2-0 NWC) will look to complete a sweep against Whitman (3-11, 2-3 NWC) in the series finale Sunday at noon.
Game 1: Whitworth 10, Whitman 4
A three-run home run by Garrett Hughes highlighted a four-run seventh inning to help the Pirates break open a tight game en route to a 10-4 win during the series opener.
A two-out solo home run by Adrian Vela put the Missionaries ahead in the top of the first inning until the Pirates answered with four runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Joel Condreay singled with one out before Hughes was hit by a pitch and Skyler Lookabill walked to ignite the offense during the second inning. Daniel Casanova delivered a two-RBI single to put the Pirates ahead before Jeremy Druffel added a RBI groundout later in the frame. Two runs scoring on the groundout due to a throwing error for a 4-1 lead.
Whitman battled back to tie the game at 4-4 with two runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth. A leadoff walk to Joseph Zimmer followed with a double from Nick Johnson put two runners in scoring position for Milo Mincin during the fourth inning. Mincin drove in a run with a groundout, and a sacrifice fly accounted for the second run later in the inning. The Missionaries took advantage of a Pirate miscue to tie the game in the fifth inning, as Jake Wishart reached on an error to start the inning and eventually scored on a groundout.
As they have all season, the Pirates responded quickly, taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Joel Condreay connected for a RBI single with two outs to plate Jacob Yamane.
A two-out rally fueled the scoring spurt in the seventh inning. Yamane worked a two-out walk before Nate Lamberty doubled, reaching third with an error on the play and scoring Yamane. Following a walk to Condreay, Hughes belted a home run to left field, his first of the season, for a 9-4 Whitworth lead. JT Phelan scored Druffel with yet another two-out RBI hit in the 8th inning for the 10-4 advantage.
Hugh Smith (2-0) earned the win with five innings of relief work. He allowed only one hit and one unearned run with two strikeouts against one walk, relieving starter Kelly Fitzpatrick.
Condreay was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and a RBI to lead four Pirates who posted a multi-hit game.
Robert Maislin (0-4) took the loss for Whitman, allowing five runs on eight hits over five innings pitched.
Game 2: Whitworth 18, Whitman 1
TJ Orchard tossed six scoreless innings and the Pirate offense grabbed an early lead before pouring on the offense late in a lopsided nightcap victory. Whitworth produced 12 hits for the second consecutive game and also collected 11 walks.
Whitworth plated two runs apiece in the first and second innings to jump ahead. Casanova worked a leadoff walk and Matthew Nelson was hit by a pitch later in the first inning before Phelan drove in the first run of the day with a single. A fielding error accounted for the second run of the inning.
Hughes walked to begin the bottom of the second inning stole second before Lookabill doubled down the right-field line to 3-0 lead. Lookabill advanced to third on a bunt single by Casanova and later scored on a groundout.
Whitworth built its advantage to 5-0 with back-to-back hits to begin the bottom of the fourth inning. Nicholas Nerud singled to start the inning and hughes double to left-center field brough Nerud home.
Whitman totaled three hits during the seventh inning to plate a run, but the late-inning offensive surge put the game well out of reach.
The five-run seventh inning was highlighted by a three-run home run from Yamane, coming after Nelson doubled and Phelan was hit by a pitch. The Pirates added runs via a groundout and a wild pitch later in the inning, sending nine batters to the plate and totaling two hits, two walks, and two batters hit by pitches in the inning.
With a 10-1 lead entering the eighth inning, 14 batters came to the plate. The Pirates used four hits and five walks to push eight runs across the plate. Two batters were also hit by pitches in the inning.
Orchard (1-0) struck out three batters and allowed only five hits and one walk. JD Page and Taylor Hillmick combined in the relief effort. Garrett Atkinson (1-1) was chased after three innings and took the loss for Whitman.
Ten Pirates had at least one hit in the nightcap win. Yamane was 1 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored and Zach Thibault was 1 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Nerud finished 2 for 5 with three runs scored and one RBI for the balanced offense.
