Written by Student Assistant Sarah Cornell-Maier

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – In just two games, the Pacific Lutheran University Baseball team scored a total of 23 runs on Saturday, catapulting the Lutes to a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Conference rival Whitman College. The Lutes won the first game with a score of 10-6, and absolutely dominated the second game with a final score of 13-1.

The Lutes (15-8, 13-2 NWC) started off the day on the right foot, piling on eight runs in the top of the first. A lead-off double from Connor Cantu and an Anthony Gosline single drove in the first run of the game, and it didn't stop there. Jacob Bockelie, Gosline, Marques Carlson, Max Cummings, Matt Vick, Tori Doten, and Cantu again all scored in the top of the first, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Lutes scored an additional run in the top of the second. A combination of a walk to Cummings, a Vick single, and an Adam Stump single to center drove Cummings in to score, taking the PLU lead of 9-1 in just the second inning.

In what is turning out to be Bockelie fashion, the seventh inning featured a signature home run to left center field by the right fielder, adding to his streak and taking the Lutes to a 10-6 lead, which would be the score at the end of the game for the Lutes.

Chad Gideon pitched for the first game, pitching for 4 1/3 innings and striking out two before Andrew Curran came in for 1 1/3 innings, only allowing two runs in his time on the field. In the final pitching position, Alex Gregory did an incredible job at closing the game, striking out two and allowing no runs to maintain the win for the Lutes.

"I'm proud of my guys," said Head Coach Nolan Soete. "They played good defense today and continued to swing hot bats. Gosline, Bockelie, Johnson and Cantu had good days at the plate, and Gregory did an excellent job in relief in game one."

In the second game, the Lutes had a fantastic showing from pitcher Cole Johnson, with seven innings pitched and four strikeouts, and only one run allowed in his entire time on the mound.

"Today was a great day for the Lutes," said Johnson. "We had a chance to pick up some big road wins and we managed to do it."

On an offensive side, the Lutes decided that a 10-run first game was not enough, and came back to score a total of 13 runs in four separate innings.

In the top of the third, a Cantu walk and Gosline double put runners on second and third, and an intentional walk to Bockelie loaded the bases for Cole Johnson. Johnson popped a sacrifice fly into left field, bringing Cantu home to open up the scoring for the Lutes.

The fourth inning proved to be an absolute blowout for the Lutes, with five runs crossing home over a full lineup rotation for PLU. The inning started with a Cummings single, and was followed by a Vick single which moved Cummings to third. Stump reached first on a fielder's choice, Vick advanced to second on an error by the second baseman, and Cummings scored to start off the inning.

Tori Doten and Cantu both walked, loading the bases for Gosline. A single from Gosline drove Stump across the plate, keeping the bases loaded. Consecutive walks to Bockelie and Johnson drove in two more runs, and took the Lutes's score to 6-0.

In the sixth inning, pitcher and designated hitter Johnson proved just why he deserves to sit in both spots, as he hit a three-run home run to score Bockelie (who was intentionally walked for the second time on the night) and Cantu. The Lutes then sat on a 9-1 lead going into the seventh.

In the seventh inning, to add on to their already huge lead, the Lutes started off the inning with a Vick double, after which he advanced to third on a wild pitch from Whitman (12-14, 7-6 NWC). A Stump single drove Vick in to score one, and a Doten double drove in Stump to score another run for the Lutes. On top of that, a Cantu double drove in Doten. Towards the end of the inning, Bockelie hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Cantu across the bag, finalizing the PLU win with a score of 13-0 on 13 hits.

Cole Johnson's strength showed up in today's game, and he's hoping that this trend will continue for the rest of the year.

"I have been feeling pretty solid on the mound lately and I was happy to keep that going," he said. "In the box, I've been struggling a bit the last couple of weeks, so I was stoked to take some good swings. Our team is playing pretty well right now and we are hoping to keep it going."

The Lutes play the final game of the series Sunday at 12 p.m.