By Christian Bond, PLU Sports Information Student Writer

PARKLAND – Cole Johnson gave Pacific Lutheran its third straight strong pitching performance, and he helped his own cause with a pair of hits as the Lutes closed out a three-game Northwest Conference sweep of Willamette with a 10-1 victory Sunday afternoon.

Johnson tossed seven strong innings, giving up only one run on seven hits to improve to 3-2 on the season. He threw 89 pitches on the day, getting 53 over for strikes. He also got it done with his own bat, going 2-for-3 with two hits – including a two-run double – and three runs batted in for the Lutes.

"This whole week, I've been struggling at the plate," Johnson said. "Coach and I were working on different things to try to get my rhythm back. As far as pitching goes, I've been feeling pretty strong lately. Today kind of capped that off. First couple innings were a little shaky, but as we went along we were able to hit more spots. I feel good about that."

PLU played solid defense behind its starting pitcher, as the Lutes did not commit an error and Landon Packard, Ben Welch and Drew Oord were able to turn a double play.

"Defensively we played excellent today," PLU head coach Nolan Soete said. "Especially with the wet weather, which made for difficult conditions early on, we got some really good play from the infielders. Cole did an excellent job today attacking the zone and working ahead of hitters. The pitching staff as a whole did well. We gave up three runs on the weekend. Every time you do that you should win all three games."

The Lute offense got the better of Willamette pitching for the third straight game, accumulating 12 hits on 10 runs. PLU also took advantage of poor Willamette defense, as four Bearcat errors helped contribute to four of the Lutes' runs. Frank Airey and Packard each drove in two runs, while Brett Johnson and Kyler Blades each drove in one. Brett Johnson added to his strong offensive performance Saturday with three hits Sunday, and he scored three times for the Lutes. Packard also finished with three hits, while Connor Cantu totaled two hits at the top of the lineup.

"We swung it well," Soete said. "Especially towards the end of the game. We were able to extend a lead and give a chance to other players to get a chance to play. Overall it was a good offensive weekend."

The three-game sweep improved PLU's record to 9-8 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Next weekend the Lutes will travel to Spokane to face the Whitworth Pirates for a three-game series. The Pirates are 12-2 on the season and are 4-2 in conference play.

"It's nice to be above .500," Soete said. "It's nice to sweep a good opponent like Willamette. We are back on track, and now we have to have a good week of practice. We are headed over to Spokane on Friday to play a good team in Whitworth. Overall it was a very good weekend, and I think we played well in all three phases of the game."