PARKLAND – The Pacific Lutheran pitching staff limited the Whitworth offense to eight total hits with 23 total strikeouts as the 19th-ranked Lutes swept the Pirates in a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader Friday afternoon at PLU Field.

Pacific Lutheran improves to 14-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play, while Whitworth falls to 10-8 overall and 4-4 in the NWC. The Lutes will go for the series sweep Saturday, with first pitch set for 12 p.m.

The first game was a pure pitchers' duel for the first five innings, as Chris Bishop and Dan Scheibe combined to allow only five hits prior to the sixth. The Lutes broke through for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to chase Scheibe, while Whitworth scored its lone run off Bishop in the top of the seventh.

Bishop earned the win to improve to 3-1 this season for the Lutes. The senior right hander allowed only three hits and two walks in seven innings to go with seven strikeouts and the one earned run allowed. Cory Nelson threw the eighth and picked up a pair of strikeouts, allowing one unearned run after allowing a single to lead off the ninth. AJ Konopaski came in at that point to get the final three outs for the save.

Scheibe took his first loss of the season to fall to 4-1 after giving up four earned runs on seven hits and four walks to go with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Tyler VonDracek pitched the final 2.1 innings for Whitworth. Joshua Davis led Whitworth with two hits, while Ben Welch, Tyler Thompson and Jacob Bockelie each tallied two hits. Thompson finished with a two doubles to almost the exact same spot in deep center field.

Bockelie led off the Lutes' big sixth inning, setting the stage with a single to right field. Welch followed with a single to center, and Tanner Bogart came in to pinch run for Bockelie at second. Drew Oord walked on four straight pitches to load the bases, and Jacob Clements crushed a 1-0 triple into the gap in right center to clear the bases. He scored a few minutes later on Thompson's second double in as many innings, and the Lutes held a 4-0 lead.

Whitworth got one back in the top of the seventh. Thomas Wakem walked, and Nick Motsinger was hit by a pitch to put two on with two outs. Joel Condreay dropped a single in left center to score Wakem and pull the Pirates within three. Bishop escaped further damage by inducing a popup from pinch hitter JT Phelan for his final out of the day. The Pirates picked up one more in the ninth, as Davis singled and advanced all the way to third on a PLU fielding error. Wakem hit a fly ball to right for the sacrifice fly, and Konopaski struck out the next two batters to close out the win for the Lutes.

The second game maintained pitcher's duel status the whole way, as Garrett Brown struck out a career-best 10 over six innings to earn his second win of the season. T.J. Orchard took the loss for Whitworth after allowing one run on seven hits in 4.1 innings, while Nick Scourey pitched the final 3.2 innings for the Pirates.

Ty Donahou allowed one hit in two innings of relief before Konopaski came in for his second save of the day to stretch his league-leading total to six. He ended both games with a strikeout.

Bo Pearson led PLU with three hits in the second game, while Collin Nilson and Landon Packard each added two. Nilson and Bockelie each scored runs, while Clements and Packard drove them in.

The Lutes had numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game, stranding 11 runners on base through the first six innings. But PLU's pitching dominance was enough to make the Lutes' two runs stand up for the win. PLU got on the board in the bottom of the third. Bockelie singled to center and Welch was hit by a pitch to put two on with no outs. Oord set down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and Bockelie scored on a groundout to short by Clements.

PLU added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Nilson opened the inning with a single through the right side, and Thompson sacrificed him to second. Packard came through with a line drive single to center, and Nilson came around to score on the play and make it 2-0 Lutes.