WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitworth split a Northwest Conference doubleheader against Whitman on Wednesday at Borleske Stadium. The Pirates dropped game one 7-6 on a walk-off bases loaded hit in the ninth inning, however the Bucs dominated the nightcap with a 10-3 victory.
The double header was originally scheduled for February 25th but was postponed due to unplayable conditions.
Whitworth (7-18, 4-10 NWC) will complete the Northwest Conference series with a final game against Whitman (17-9, 8-6 NWC) on April 12th starting at 3:00PM at Borleske Stadium.
Game 1- Whitman 7, Whitworth 6
A ninth inning bases loaded walk-off hit for Whitman's Garrett Runyan was enough to put away the Bucs, 7-6.
The Pirates got started with a two-run first inning. Elijah Tanner had a sacrifice fly and Henry Zaske added an RBI single. Whitman pushed back in the third inning with one run from Ben Maguire's sacrifice fly to center field.
Cameron Ley recorded an RBI on a fielder's choice in the fourth inning giving Whitworth a 3-1 lead.
The Pirates tacked on one more in the fifth when Zaske doubled to left field for an RBI. In the bottom half, Whitman was able to narrow their deficit to just one run after scoring two runs on a double from Teague Condor.
The Blues tied up the game in the seventh on Mateus Conway's single and quickly took a 6-4 lead with Ben Parker's two-run home run.
The Bucs proved tough in the ninth inning when Austin Paul led off with a double and later scored on Tanner's single. Zaske followed with his third RBI-producing hit to tie the game.
Whitman struck back with the game winning blow in the bottom of ninth when Runyan singled with the bases loaded to walk-off the Pirates 7-6.
Julien Hernandez got the start for the Blues, completing three innings while allowing two runs on four hits. Rylan Burigsay (2-1) went four innings of relief, allowing two runs and five hits, to get the win.
Whitworth's starting pitcher Hunter Dryden threw three innings, giving up one run on just three hits. Hunter Williams (2IP, 2H, 2R) and Aidan Smith (2IP, 4H, 3R) both worked in relief. Riley Whelan (1-2) got the loss after one-plus inning of relief allowing one run on three hits.
Zaske led the Pirates with four hits and three RBIs in five at bats. The Bucs had 13 total hits in the game.
Game 2- Whitworth 10, Whitman 3
The Pirates erupted for seven runs in fifth inning to help carry them to a 10-3 victory that ended a seven-game losing skid.
Parker homered for his second time on the day in the bottom of the first. Whitman's Conder hit a solo homerun in the fourth inning to extend the lead 2-0.
Whitworth's offense came to life in the fifth as they punched across seven runs, the most runs they've scored in a single inning all season. The inning included three hit batters, three walks, and just two hits. Five Pirates displayed productive at bats and recorded an RBI in the inning.
In the seventh inning, Austin Paul's RBI triple and Dawson Warner's RBI single highlighted a three-run inning for the Pirates, extending their lead 10-2.
Whitman was able to score one run in the ninth inning before the Pirates recorded the final out.
Dylan Bishop (2-3) started on the mound for the Pirates and allowed two runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. Landon Shigeta worked in relief giving up just one run on two hits in 2.1 innings.
Garrett Runyan started for Whitman, throwing three scoreless innings on zero hits. Wyatt Adams (2-4) allowed five runs on three hits in 1.2 innings of relief for the loss.
Whitworth will return to Merkel Field to play a Northwest Conference series against George Fox University this weekend. First pitch is at noon on Saturday.
