Written by Student Assistant Sarah Cornell-Maier

TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team took home a hard-fought victory against the visiting Whitworth University to open the three-game Northwest Conference series, winning 6-5 in the 13th inning off a Jacob Bockelie walkoff home run and owns a 15-7 lead heading into the eighth of game two before the contest was suspended due to darkness.

The series will continue tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in the eighth inning of game two with game three to follow immediately after.

The first game was a pitching showdown, with Pirate ace Hugh Smith limiting the Lutes (10-8, 8-2 NWC) to a single run during his seven innings on the mound.

"The energy was good all day today and we had good approaches at the dish. I was just trying to find good barrel and put the ball in play, especially against a good arm like Smith. We never give up as a team and we always feel like we have a shot to win a game no matter what, it's fun to be apart of," said Marques Carlson.

That first run for the Lutes came in the bottom of the 4th inning. Jacob Bockelie was walked, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cole Johnson. Then, Marques Carlson hit a single through the right side to bring Bockelie home.

In the bottom of the 8th, the Lutes trailed 4-1 before Johnson scored on a single through the right side by Max Cummings.

Down 5-2 in the ninth, Matt Vick hit a strong single up the middle to start the inning, but was followed by two fly-outs to put the Lutes in a two-out hole. Anthony Gosline then drove a single through the left side, advancing Vick to second. A Bockelie single to left-center drove in Vick and moved Gosline to third, and Cole Johnson got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Marques Carlson then came up to the plate, and singled to center to drive in two runs, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Through three extra innings, the Lutes and the Pirates (10-8, 5-2 NWC) battled back and forth, maintaining clean slates to take the game into the 13th inning. Then, in the bottom of the 13th inning, a familiar story repeated itself. Jacob Bockelie, last week's NWC Hitter of the Week, drove in a solo, walk-off blast over the left field wall to end the game with a Lute victory of 6-5.

"Game 1 was a battle," said Head Coach Nolan Soete. "Their starting pitcher Hugh Smith is a professional arm, and our guys did a great job grinding all day. Alex Gregory did great in relief and Jacob Bockelie had another huge hit for us."

Gregory tallied the win for the Lutes, allowing just three hits and no runs over the final four innings.

In what turned into the first segment of the second game of the series, the Lutes became more and more powerful as the innings progressed, peaking in a six-run fifth inning that catapulted the Lutes into a dominant lead and own a 15-7 advantage heading into the final two innings of the game.

"Game two has been a slugfest," said Soete. "Our lineup is really dialed in right now and Janson Pederson is throwing well. We have to come out tomorrow and play better defense."

The game was called after seven innings due to lack of light, and will be continued on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. at PLU field, and the third game of the series will be picked up after the end of the second.