TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team dropped both ends of its Northwest Conference doubleheader to Whitworth University by the slimmest of margins on Saturday, falling 1-0 and 2-1.

The first game was a pitching showdown, with only one run allowed by either team throughout the nine innings. In the first two innings, there was only one batter per team who actually made it on base, and only one hit between the two teams.

In the top of the third inning, the Pirates (14-10, 11-3 NWC) took advantage of a trio of consecutive singles to put a run on the board, and they were able to take that lead through the end of the game.

For the Lutes, the first game was a story of players left on base.  In the bottom of the second inning, Michael Cesar was walked but left on base at the end of the inning. The same thing happened to Jacob Bockelie in the bottom of the fourth inning, Marques Carlson in the bottom of the sixth, and Dominick Zombik in the bottom of the seventh. Zombik was advanced to second on a Doten single, and Corey Ng came in to run for him.  Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but it wasn't enough to get the Lutes (16-10, 8-6 NWC) on the board.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Lutes pulled every card they could to try and win the game.  Cameron Clem came in to pinch hit for Alex Boyd, hitting a single to right field on the first pitch he saw.  King Jimenez-Cruz stepped in to pinch-run for Clem.  Max Cummings came in to hit for Connor Lemma, and was walked to move Jimenez-Cruz to second.  Jack Hannah came in to pinch-run for Cummings, ideally setting the Lutes up for a speedy combination on the base path.  However, the Lutes were unable to capitalize on their opportunities and fell with a score of 1-0 in Game 1.

"For a pinch hitter it's about staying engaged in the game and making sure you study whichever pitcher you might face," said Clem.

On the mound, the Lutes were fairly dominant, only allowing the single run in the third inning.  Starter Justin Armbruester pitched six innings for the Lutes, allowing six hits and one run but striking out nine batters.  Jacob Mortensen came in as relief, pitching three innings with no hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.

In Game two for the Lutes, the sun beat down as the low-scoring play continued.  Just like the first game, the first two innings were scoreless across the board, with the Pirates stranding a few players on base in the second inning. 

In the bottom of the third inning, the Lutes struck. Clem led of the inning with a single to right field, and stole second during the next at-bat, advancing to third on a throwing error.  A single from Tori Doten drove Clem in to score the Lutes' only run of the game, putting them ahead 1-0 at this point.

Unfortunately, the Lutes gave up two in the top of the fifth, and were unable to come back to retake their lead for the remainder of the game. Hits from Clem and Gormley were promising moments of opportunity, but the Lutes were unable to take advantage of them and ultimately fell 2-1 to the Pirates.

On the bump,  Justin Tucker pitched 4 1/3 innings for the Lutes, racking up two runs on two hits while getting three strikeouts. Andrew Curran came in to relieve Tucker in the fourth inning, getting 4 2/3 innings of play, three hits, and three strikeouts while allowing no runs.

"It was a tough day hitting but I thought our pitchers threw well and we fielded the ball well," said  Clem.  "We have to keep those aspects going into tomorrow and be more aggressive at the plate. Both games were close and could have gone either way. As for me I just tried to hit the ball hard when I saw a few good pitches to hit."

Whitworth put up some notable performances from the mound, with pitchers Austin Rice, Connor Grydtal, and Matthew Young each maintaining a dominant presence on the bump.  Rice and Young each added a win to their record, with Young going all nine innings, striking out nine on only four hits.

"We had great pitching performances and played great defense today," said Head Coach Nolan Soete.  "Unfortunately we had a rough day at the plate. We have to give credit to Rice and Young for Whitworth, they threw well today. We need to put all 3 phases together tomorrow to get back on track."

The Lutes will return to PLU field to play the final game of the 3-game series against the Pirates tomorrow, March 31 at 12 p.m.