SPOKANE, Wash. – Hugh Smith threw eight dominant innings to lead Whitworth to a 6-1 win over visiting Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference baseball game on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field.

The Pirates broke a five-game losing skid and improved to 11-12 overall and 6-6 in the NWC.  The Loggers dropped to 12-11, 6-6.

The teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader, but morning snow forced a late start to the day.  The squads will now play a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 11:00 am.

Smith improved to 4-0 this season after allowing only one run on four hits over eight innings.  He struck out nine batters and walked only two.  Smith only allowed one hit, a leadoff dribbler to shortstop, through the first six innings.

Whitworth scored single runs in the second and third innings off Puget Sound starter Joe Brennan before breaking through with four runs in the fourth.  Tyler Bailey led off the second with a single and eventually scored on a Cody Simmons sacrifice fly to center field.  Bailey then singled home Taylor Poffenroth for the Pirates' second run in the third.

JT Phelan sent a bases-loaded single to left in the fourth to drive in two runs, and Bailey added another RBI single later in the frame for a 6-0 Pirate lead.

Puget Sound strung together three singles off Smith in the seventh.  Corey Roberts drove in the only run with an infield single to shortstop.  Smith got James DeJesus to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

The Loggers loaded the bases in the ninth on two walks and an infield single against a pair of Pirate relievers.  But Darren Crosby struck out DeJesus with the bases loaded to end the game.

Bailey finished 3-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.  Phelan went 2-4 with two RBIs while Joel Condreay also went 2-4 and scored twice.

No Puget Sound batter had more than one hit in the game.