PARKLAND – Derrick Mahlum limited an imposing Whitman offense to five hits in seven shutout innings at Pacific Lutheran defeated the Missionaries 4-1 on a very wet Saturday afternoon. Game Two of the schedule doubleheader was postponed until Sunday.

Pacific Lutheran improved to 8-4 overall and 3-0 in Northwest Conference play, while Whitman fell to 9-6 overall and 1-3 in the NWC. The teams will hope to conclude the scheduled three-game series on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m., when the forecast looks to lighten up for the afternoon.

Mahlum allowed all five of his hits in the first four innings and twice stranded a pair of runners aboard in that time as Whitman put pressure on the PLU freshman early in the game. A pair of double-play grounders helped prevent any Missionaries' runs, and Mahlum retired the final 10 batters he faced to finish with eight strikeouts and three walks in seven innings on 124 pitches. Jake Otness pitched the eighth for the Lutes before AJ Konopaski closed it out in the ninth.

The Lutes put a run on the board in each of the first two innings, but both frames ended with a pair of runners stranded for PLU. Dominick Courcy opened the bottom of the first with an infield single and stole second and third, the first two of his four stolen bases in the game. With two outs a fielding error by Whitman allowed Drew Oord to reach safely, with Courcy coming in on the play to give PLU the early advantage.

Bo Pearson opened the second with a double to left center and advanced to third on a bunt single by Ben Welch. Courcy brought him home with a fielder's choice groundout to make it 2-0. The Lutes added their final two runs in the fifth inning, piecing together four hits in the frame. Collin Nilson started the rally with a one-out double to right center, and after Oord reached on a fielder's choice Curtis Wildung singled through the right side to put runners on the corners with two outs. Pearson singled to right to bring Oord home, and Welch followed with a single that loaded the bases. Wildung scored PLU's fourth run on a wild pitch.

Whitman finally broke through for its first – and only – run of the game in the top of the ninth, and the Missionaries left the bases loaded as they tried to put together a late rally. A walk and hit batsman combined with a pair of hits set the stage, with Kyle Buckham's single through the left side ending the shutout before Cameron Young flew out to center to end the game.

Welch finished with three hits in four at bats, while Courcy added two hits and the four stolen bases. Pearson also had a pair of hits for the Lutes in the win, while Buckham was the only Whitman player to finish with two hits. Mahlum improved to 3-1 this season with the win, while Brett Lambert fell to 1-2 while yielding three earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.