MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Whitworth swept a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Linfield University, winning the opener 2-0 in dramatic fashion and then running away with the nightcap 13-4.
Carson Coffield and Spencer Shipman hit home runs for the Pirates, who improved to 19-10 overall and 10-7 in the NWC while the Wildcats fell to 15-13, 6-8.
The teams will complete the three-game set with a single contest on Sunday at noon.
Game 1 – Whitworth 2, Linfield 0
Coffield's two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning was the difference in a tightly-contested pitchers' dual in the opener.
Pirate starter AJ Woodward (5-1) allowed no runs on three hits and two walks over 8.0 innings of work. He struck out eight Wildcats. Seth Mahler picked up his second save after leaving two runners stranded in the bottom of the ninth.
Caleb Gray drew a walk from Linfield starting pitcher Camden Oram (2-2) to open the ninth inning, the last batter Oram would face. Coffield followed with his eighth home run of the season off reliever Zack Hampson.
Mahler retired the first two Wildcats in the bottom of the ninth before two base hits had runners at the corners. Aidan Morrison caught pinch hitter Nate Kassler's deep drive to left field to end the game.
Coffield finished 2-3 at the plate in the game with two RBIs. Kyle Memarian also had two hits.
Game 2 – Whitworth 13, Linfield 4
Spencer Shipman hit two home runs as the Pirates scored in every odd-numbered inning and took advantage of four errors by the Wildcats to score seven unearned runs.
Whitworth got four runs in the first after two outs. Coffield singled in the first run and a Linfield error allowed Coffield to score and the first frame to continue. Another error by the Wildcats later in the first allowed Shipman and Kyle Memarian to score.
Brock Molenda's two-RBI single in the third inning increased the lead to 6-1. The runs were unearned because Linfield's third error of the game allowed the inning to continue past two outs.
Shipman drilled a two-run homer, his first of the year, in the fifth for an 8-1 lead. The margin increased to 10-2 in the seventh when two more unearned runs scored after the left fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Molenda.
Shipman's second homer of the game, a three-run shot, came in the top of the ninth. He finished the game 3-4 with five RBIs and four runs scored. Memarian took advantage of the Linfield errors to score five times despite having only one hit in the game.
Pirate starting pitcher Dylan Huntsman improved to 2-2 with five solid innings. He gave up two runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Luke Stutesman threw three innings of relief and allowed two runs on two hits. Nathaniel Kurano pitched a scoreless ninth.
Linfield starting pitcher Jake Swenson (4-3) took the loss after allowing eight runs in five innings, but only two of those runs were earned. Four Wildcat pitchers followed in relief.
