SALEM, Ore. – Collin Nilson hit a three-run home run in the opener and added four more hits in the Lutes' second 14-run offensive performance in the past three games as the 23rd-ranked Pacific Lutheran baseball team swept a Northwest Conference doubleheader over Pacific Saturday afternoon at John Lewis Field.

Pacific Lutheran improved to 12-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play with 4-2 and 14-2 wins to jump to the top of the NWC standings. Willamette fell to 12-3 overall and 5-3 in the NWC. The Lutes will go for the three-game series sweep Sunday, with first pitch set for 12 p.m.

Chris Bishop picked up his second win of the season after throwing 6.1 innings while limiting Willamette to one earned run in the opener. Cory Nelson picked up five outs before handing the ball to AJ Konopaski to earn his fourth save of the season.

"The big story in Game One was Nilson with the home run and the combination of Bishop, Nelson and Konopaski on the mound," PLU head coach Geoff Loomis said.

Nilson's big hit came in the top of the sixth inning. Willamette had scored the first run of the day in the previous frame, combining a pair of singles with a PLU error to plate an unearned run and take a 1-0 lead. But that didn't last long, as Drew Oord was hit by a pitch and Jacob Clements reached on a fielder's choice with a fielding error leaving both runners on as Nilson stepped to the plate. He didn't waste any time in the at bat, turning on the first pitch he saw and sending the ball over the fence in left for his first homer of the season.

Willamette got one run back in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of walks and pulling within one at 3-2 on an RBI single. Nelson pitched the Lutes out of a potential bigger inning for Willamette, inducing a pair of ground balls with the bases loaded to preserve PLU's lead.

The Lutes added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Curtis Wildung drove a 3-1 pitch to right center for a double and scored on a single by Ben Welch. Konopaski struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to close out the win.

PLU's offense tallied 19 hits and five walks in the second game, as the middle of the Lutes' order combined for 11 hits in 15 at bats and Bo Pearson cranked a grand slam and drove in six runs. The Lutes scored two runs in the top of the second before breaking the game open with nine runs spread across the middle innings and adding two more in the seventh and one in the eighth.

"Our 4-5-6 hitters carried the load in Game Two," Loomis said. "Three guys in an order hitting with those type of numbers are always going to produce runs."

Garrett Brown earned his first win with six innings of two-run ball, and Ty Donahou struck out six in three innings of relief, allowing only one base runner over the final three frames to earn the first save of his PLU career. Nilson and Landon Packard each tallied four hits in the game, with Nilson scoring three runs and Packard driving in three and scoring two. Tyler Thompson totaled three hits, including a double, and scored three runs, while Pearson finished with two hits including his first homer of the season.

Nilson and Thompson opened the top of the second with singles, and following a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners Oord brought Nilson home with an infield single. Pearson picked up the first of his six RBI in the game with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.

PLU added another run in the top of the fourth and had a chance for more as the Lutes left the bases loaded. Packard led off with a single and Oord reached on an error. Kory VanderStaay walked to load the bases, and Welch walked to force in a run. Back-to-back fielder's choice groundouts prevented the Lutes from scoring more in the inning, but they followed with four runs in each of the next two innings to turn the game into a blowout.

Pearson's grand slam came in the top of the fifth inning. Thompson doubled to left with one out, Packard singled and Oord walked to load the bases for Pearson, who fouled off the first pitch before taking three straight balls. He unloaded on the 3-1 pitch for the grand slam, sending the ball over the fence in right to make it 7-0 PLU.

The Lutes scored four more in the sixth on the strength of six hits. Connor Cantu led off with a bunt single, and Clements and Nilson followed with singles to load the bases. Thompson and Packard continued the run with consecutive RBI singles, and one out later Pearson drove in his sixth run of the game with a single to right. The Lutes' final run of the frame scored on a wild pitch as the Lutes stretched their lead to 11-0.

PLU loaded the bases again the following inning, as Casey Dawes and Nilson each singled and Thompson walked to put a runner at each base. Packard scored Dawes and Nilson with a single to left center. Nilson brought home the Lutes' final run of the day in the top of the eighth, scoring Welch from second on a single up the middle.

The Lutes lowered their season earned run average to 2.65 while raising their team batting average to .298.