SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University baseball team closed its first Northwest Conference series with a 10-8 loss to Puget Sound at Paul Merkel Field on Sunday.
The Pirates (6-5 overall, 1-2 NWC) cut a significant early deficit to just one run but could not complete a series-winning comeback. The Loggers advanced to 7-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
UPS attacked the ball to start the game and put up eight runs in the top of the first inning. The frame included 12 batters, seven hits, three doubles, two fielder's choices, a walk and stolen base. Whitworth starter Quentin O'Connor was replaced by Conner Ashworth, who was able to record the final out in an inning to forget.
The Loggers added a run in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead.
Yash Gupta put the ball in play and an error allowed a run to score for the Pirates in the bottom half of the second. In the fourth inning, Dominic Giusti hit an RBI single to plate another.
The Pirates continued to chip away in the sixth after Aidan Morrison walked and Caleb Gray was hit by a pitch, both with the bases loaded. After a double play plated another run, Morrison scored on a controversial wild pitch to cut the deficit to 9-6.
In the seventh, Morrison singled and Gray came to the plate. He added to his standout offensive weekend with a two-run blast to left-center field, his fifth home run of the series. Ashworth struck out four and had not allowed a run in seven consecutive innings of work.
Puget Sound's Cody Hirano provided an insurance run with a solo homer in the top half of the ninth.
Kevin Corder got on base with a walk in the bottom half of the ninth, but a ground ball double-play cut the Whitworth comeback short.
O'Connor (2-1) got the loss in just two-thirds of an inning. Ashworth kept the Pirates in the game with two runs allowed on five hits in 7.2 innings of relief. Luke Stutesman finished the ninth for the Bucs.
Cal Johnson (2-0) was credited with a win and Zach Robman (1) earned a save for the Loggers.
Whitworth will host Saint Martin's in a four-game series starting with a double-header on Friday, March 7th at 11:00am.
