Katelyn McLean
Student Writer

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University baseball team could not repeat its come-from-behind magic from Saturday, and dropped a pair of Northwest Conference baseball games to visiting Pacific Lutheran on Sunday at Merkel Field.  The Lutes won the opener 19-5 in eight innings and took the finale 3-0.

Whitworth (11-20, 10-14 NWC) travels to Tacoma next weekend to take on Puget Sound (13-15, 9-13 NWC). Pacific Lutheran (20-11, 16-7 in the NWC) looks to solidify an NWC playoff spot next weekend against Whitman.  

Game One: Pacific Lutheran 19, Whitworth 5
Alex Boyd and Connor Lemma each drove in five runs to lead Pacific Lutheran to an eight-inning game win due to the NWC ten-run rule.

Boyd and Cole Trotignon hit solo home runs in the first inning to give Pacific Lutheran a 2-0 lead. Boyd ground out in the second inning but scored Sean Kauffman to add another run.

David Bedell hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to briefly tie the game 3-3.

Lemma and the Lutes responded in the top of the third with a two-run home run.  Jaxen Sweum hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning to bring the Pirates within one, 5-4.

Trotignon and Cody Bentley both singled to score a run, and Trotignon advanced on a fielder's choice before scoring on an error to put Pacific Lutheran up 8-4 in the fifth.

PLU put the game away with five runs in the seventh and six more in the eighth.  Lemma had a two-run single in the seventh and Boyd added his final RBI in the eighth.

Whitworth's final run scored on Brendan Duncan's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.

Jake Briones (0-1) was the losing pitcher, giving up six hits and five runs, four of which were earned.

Trotignon (4-1) not only excelled at the plate, but he also pitched all eight innings for PLU, giving up ten hits and five runs. Trotignon had five strikeouts in the victory.

Game Two: Pacific Lutheran 3, Whitworth 0
Pacific Lutheran pitchers Jonathan Cohen and Tommy Snyder combined to shut out Whitworth to complete Sunday's sweep.

The Lutes scored two of their three runs in the top of the second. Andy Schmitz singled to score Trotignon, and Kauffman walked with the bases loaded to score Bentley.

Pacific Lutheran added their last run in the fifth inning, when Trotignon singled to score Gormley.

Whitworth had runners on base in each of the first five innings, and left the bases full in both the first and the fifth frames.

Cohen (3-0) was the winning pitcher, allowing only four hits and zero runs in six innings pitched. Cohen recorded four strikeouts in the victory.  Snyder picked up his first save with a scoreless seventh.

Austin Rice (0-3) was the losing pitcher, giving up two runs on eight hits in four innings pitched. Jarred Yara held the Lute offense to only four hits and one run in three innings of relief.