SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth baseball opened Northwest Conference play with a split against visiting Puget Sound in Saturday's doubleheader at Paul Merkel Field. The Loggers (6-2 overall, 1-1 NWC) took game one 10-5 and the Pirates (6-4, 1-1 NWC) bounced back with a 9-3 win in game two.
The teams will complete the three-game set with a single game on Sunday (noon).
Game 1 – Whitworth 5, Puget Sound 10
The Pirates led by a run on two occasions early in the game and hit four home runs, but a late grand slam sealed the game for Puget Sound.
Carson Coffield got the scoring started early for the Pirates with a solo home run in the bottom half of the first inning.
In the third inning, two runners advanced into scoring position due to a balk and the Loggers plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
The Pirates took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with another solo bomb off the bat of Caleb Gray.
UPS scored four runs in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Cody Hirano singled to start the inning, stole second, and advanced to third after an errant pickoff attempt. Kellen Krebs hit a sharp single up the middle to score Hirano and Preston Crockett followed with a double. Three consecutive singles and a wild pitch scored three more runs before a pop-out ended the inning.
The Loggers added another run in the top of the sixth with an RBI single, but the Pirates cut the deficit to one with back-to-back homers to right field. Gray hit his second of the game to deep right field and Aidan Morrison got ahold of his first of the season.
After a walk, hit-by pitch and single loaded the bases, Puget Sound put the game away with a two-out grand slam off the bat of Krebs in the top of the ninth.
In his third start of the season, AJ Woodward (0-1) pitched five innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits. Seth Mahler allowed one run on three hits in three innings of relief. He struck out four. Tyler VanCise pitched the ninth.
Brett Harvey (1-1) made the start for the Loggers and went six innings with five runs, seven hits and six strikeouts.
Game 2 – Whitworth 9, Puget Sound 3
Gray spearheaded the Pirate offense and Dylan Huntsman held the Loggers to just one run in a game two win.
Puget Sound scored a run in the second inning by way of fielder's choice with bases load. Huntsman got out of a busy inning on the basepaths with a double play.
Over the next three innings, the Pirates blew open the game with nine runs scored. Brock Molenda got the scoring started with an RBI single with the bases loaded. Gray followed with his third home run of the day, this time a grand slam from the right side of the plate.
In the fourth, Dominic Giusti singled home Ty Komoda to take a 6-1 lead. With two runners on in the fifth, Gray stepped up to the plate and added to his career day with a fourth home run that put Whitworth up 9-1.
UPS added two runs in the top of the ninth with a homer from Ryan Tobler.
Huntsman (1-1) earned the win after a 7.1 inning, six hit, one run and two strikeout performance. Freshman Rylen Blair gave up two runs on one hit in 1.2 innings in relief. He struck out three batters.
Charlie Decker (1-1) was credited with the loss after giving up six hits and six runs in four innings.
Head coach CJ Perry had positive things to say about the team's power at the plate after a four-home run day.
"It's pretty impressive," Perry said. "Caleb Gray's day at the plate was one of the most impressive I've ever seen here. The next step is getting more runners on base, but it was a good day offensively for us."
Gray finished the day 4-9 with four runs, four home runs and 10 RBIs.
