PARKLAND – Kyle Rossman threw his second complete-game shutout of the season and the Pacific Lutheran offense turned the game into a blowout with seven runs in the top of the eighth as the 21st-ranked Lutes defeated Whitman 11-0 Sunday afternoon at Borleske Stadium.

The win gave PLU its fifth straight Northwest Conference series win this season and improved the Lutes' record to 10-5 in the NWC and 17-7 overall. Whitman fell to 4-14 overall and 3-9 in conference play. PLU hosts cross-town rival Puget Sound in a nonconference game Wednesday at 4 p.m. before taking on George Fox in a three-game NWC series at PLU Field on Saturday and Sunday.

Three weeks after Rossman earned NCAA Div. III Pitcher of the Week honors for a one-hit shutout performance, the PLU sophomore nearly matched that pitching line with a four-hit shutout against Whitman. Rossman struck out eight Missionaries and allowed only one walk, throwing 65 of his 98 pitches for strikes in the win. Will Thompson took the loss for Whitman, allowing three earned runs in seven innings. Jack Coppinger came in to start the eighth and allowed all seven PLU runs in the inning, before Patrick Stanton came in to end the inning and Jackson DeStefano pitched the ninth for Whitman.

Collin Nilson and Tyler Thompson each homered for PLU, while Jacob Clements tallied four hits in five at bats to go with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Connor Cantu picked up two hits for the Lutes.

PLU got on the board in the top of the second, as Landon Packard reached on an error and Ben Welch brought him home with a triple to left center. The Lutes added another run in the top of the fourth on Thompson's third home run of the season, and Nilson cranked a two-run homer to left in the top of the sixth to make it 4-0.

Then came the eighth inning. PLU combined six hits and a pair of hit batsmen to put together its highest single-inning run total of the season. Drew Oord opened the frame with a double down the right field line, and he scored on Clements' single to right. Two hit batsmen and a fielder's choice loaded the bases with one out for Brett Johnson, who singled to right to score two. Welch reached on a fielder's choice that left the bases loaded once again, and Bo Pearson followed with another two-run single for the Lutes. Cantu hit a single up the middle for the sixth run of the inning, and PLU's final run scored on Clements' second RBI single of the frame.

Rossman lowers his earned run average to 1.57 in his first season at PLU while picking up his second win. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start this season.