PARKLAND, Wash. – Pacific Lutheran scored in the bottom of the ninth to rally for a 5-4 win over visiting Whitworth in a Northwest Conference baseball game on Sunday morning. 

The Lutes (18-9 overall, 11-7 NWC) moved into a tie for first place in the NWC standings.  Jaxsen Sweum homored twice for the Pirates (6-23, 5-13), who will host Puget Sound next weekend in the home finale series.

The start time was moved up two hours because of a wet forecast for Sunday afternoon.

After two scoreless innings, Tori Doten drove a single through the right side of the Whitworth infield with the bases loaded to give PLU a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Sweum tied the game with his first home run in the top of the fourth, driving in Dawson Warner.  Sweum then gave Whitworth a 4-2 lead with his drive to left field in the top of the sixth inning, scoring Jacob Doughty.

PLU tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Ethan Keintz tripled to drive in Doten.  Ashton Barton followed with an RBI single.

Elijah Tanner gave Whitworth a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth with a two-out double, but PLU got pinch hitter Brenden Duncan to ground out to shortstop.

With one out and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, John Graham singled up the middle off Austin Rice to drive in the winning run.

Hunter Dryden started on the mound for the Pirates and allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings.  Riley Whelan threw two shutout innings of relief.  Rice, making his second appearance of the series, gave up one run on two hits to fall to 0-6 this season.

Cole Trotignon started for PLU and allowed four runs on four hits in 5.1 innings.  Noah Ferguson (3-1) won in relief, allowing only one hit in 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.