PARKLAND - Trevor Lubking struck out 14 batters in eight innings on Sunday afternoon to lead Pacific Lutheran to a 6-4 Northwest Conference baseball victory over the visiting Lewis & Clark Pioneers at the PLU field.

Pacific Lutheran improved its season record to 21-13, including an 11-10 mark in the Northwest Conference, while Lewis & Clark fell to 9-27 overall and 6-15 in the conference.

Lubking, among the Division III national leaders in strikeouts, improved his season record to 8-2 by allowing just four hits and one walk in eight innings of work. The three runs scored by the Pioneers against the sophomore left-hander were all unearned.

His teammates gave him a 3-0 lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning on just two hits. Collin Nilson led off with a base hit and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jacob Olsufka, Markus McClurkin walked and scored on Alec Beal's ground out, and Clay Trushinky reached on a bunt single and eventually scored on Curtis Wildung's sacrifice fly.

The Pioneers tied the game in the top of the third inning, making the most of two hits, two errors and a wild pitch.

The Lutes took the lead for good with a run in the fourth as Cory Nelson hit a single through the middle to score Jacob Olsufka, who had reached on a single and then stole second. They added another run in the sixth, and again it was Nelson who drove in the run with a base hit. Trushinky hit a single and went to third on a base hit before scoring on Nelson's single.

PLU added its final run in the seventh when Collin Nilson hit a two-out single and then scored all the way from first on McClurkin's double.

Lubking was done after 116 pitches through eight innings, making way for PLU closer AJ Konopaski. It wasn't easy, but Konopaski picked up his fifth save of the season.

Corey Davis led off with a single, and after a fly out, John Trupin and Cathcart hit consecutive single, with Davis scoring on Cathcart's base hit. A walk to Geoff Wertz loaded the bases, and it was then that PLU right fielder Nilson made the defensive play of the game, diving to snare a sinking line drive by Brad Lezak. With the tying run on second base, the game ended when Erin Hyun hit a slow roller to second base, allowing Olsufka to glove the ball and tag Wertz for the final out.

The Lutes finished with 12 hits, including two apiece by Beal, Nelson, Nilson, Trushinsky and Olsufka. Nelson drove in two runs and both Nilson and Trushinsky scored two.

Cathcart had three of Lewis & Clark's seven hits. Severiano Villarruel, who pitched 6 2/3 innings of relief, allowed three earned runs on nine hits and took the loss, his first piching decision of the season.

- PLU -