By Christian Bond, PLU Sports Information Student Writer

TACOMA – Difficulties on the mound and in the field cost Pacific Lutheran Wednesday in a midweek nonconference rivalry game against Puget Sound, as the Loggers defeated the Lutes 12-1.

Jacob Gleichman got the start for PLU on Wednesday, but a seven-run scoring outburst by Puget Sound in the fourth inning ended his day. Gleichman had four runs charged against him in 3.1 innings of work. Lee Larson came on in relief, but he also gave up four earned runs in 3.1 innings. Jacob Mortensen picked up the final four outs of the game for the Lutes. Three errors in the field cost PLU as UPS scored four unearned runs..

"We struggled on the mound today," PLU head coach Nolan Soete said. "We had a few opportunities to minimize damage, and we failed to make plays"

As a team, the Lutes hit the ball well, accumulating nine hits. However, the Lutes went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Tanner Bogart finished 2-for-4 on the day, while Connor Cantu was 1-for-3 with a walk. Tyler Thompson supplied the lone run of the day for PLU, as he crushed a solo home run to right field in the second inning. Thompson finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate.

"Offensively we really struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, especially early in the game," Soete said. "This has been a problem for us recently; we need to have quality at bats when we have the chance to take a lead or extend a lead."

PLU hosts Whitman this weekend for a three-game Northwest Conference series. Saturday is a doubleheader, with the first game scheduled to start at 12 p.m. The series wraps up Sunday with a game scheduled for 12 p.m.

"Whitman is a good ball club," Soete said. "In order to win a series this weekend, we will need to play better across the board."