CLAREMONT, Calif. – Jaxsen Sweum went 4-7 at the plate as visiting Whitworth split a non-conference baseball doubleheader at Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday.  The Pirates pulled out a 12-10 slugfest in the opener, but could not hold onto a 3-0 lead in the finale and fell 5-3 as the Sagehens avoided a three-game sweep in the series.

Whitworth (2-1) will take on three Northwest Conference opponents next weekend in a non-conference tournament that will take place in Oregon.

Game 1:  Whitworth 12, Pomona-Pitzer 10
Joe Howell singled home the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning, while Sweum went 3-5, scored three times and drove in three runs for the Pirates.

Liam Fitzpatrick and Grayson O'Neil had RBI singles in the first inning, while Ben Wintringer added an RBI single in the second to give the Bucs an early lead.  A Ryan Gross sacrifice fly added a run in the third and Sweum's two-run homer in the fifth made it 6-0 in favor of Whitworth.

Pomona-Pitzer scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull within a run.  Kevin Lo had a two-run double in the rally. 

Sweum's RBI double sparked a three-run rally, capped by Luke Bruno's two-run double, and Whitworth stretched the lead back to 9-5 in the seventh. 

But the Sagehens scored four of their own, three on Jack Hanley's home run, in the seventh to tie the game.

The teams traded runs in the eighth before Whitworth got the two winning runs in the ninth.  Cody Simmons led off with a double and scored on Howell's single to center.  The Bucs added a final run on a throwing error later in the inning.

Liam Fitzpatrick went 4-6 and scored three runs for Whitworth.                                       O'Neal was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs and Howell finished 2-4. 

Austin Rice started on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits in 5.1 innings.  Connor Grytdal allowed five runs (one earned) on five hits in 2.2 innings, but still got the win.  Dylan Bishop earned his first career save by tossing a scoreless ninth.

Lo went 4-5 with three RBIs for the Sagehens.  Luke Layton suffered the pitching defeat in relief.

Game 2: Pomona-Pitzer 5, Whitworth 3
The Pirates took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, but could not score again as P-P pitchers Joe Williams and Harry Deliyannis combined to limit the Bucs to five hits. 

Ben Wintringer drove in Whitworth's first run and Dawson Warner added a two-run single in the Pirates' three-run fourth inning before an out was recorded.  But the Bucs could not add to their tally and that came back to haunt them.

The Sagehens got single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before scoring two in the sixth to take their first lead of the weekend.  Kyle Freeman added a solo home run in the eighth.

That was more than enough, thanks to Deliyannis, who earned the win with four shutout innings.  He allowed only two hits and struck out three Pirates.

Tyson Yamane started on the mound for the Bucs and was solid, allowing two runs on six hits and five walks in five innings.  Evan Nordan took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings of work.  Bishop got the final two outs. 

Wintringer was the only Whitworth player with more than one hit and went 2-4.