TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team started their series against crosstown rivals University of Puget Sound in marathon fashion, besting the Loggers 11-9 in a 13-inning showdown.
 

The second inning started out the action for the Lutes (11-4, 3-1 Northwest Conference), with Marques Carlson reaching base on an error, and an Andy Schmitz single to center advancing Carlson to second. A single from Dominic Zombik brought Carlson around to score for the 1-0 lead.

The Loggers (2-12, 1-6 NWC) gained two runs in the bottom of the third, taking the lead but the Lutes came back swinging in the top of the fourth. King Jimenez-Cruz singled to left, and was advanced to second after Austin Gormley was hit by a pitch. A Jordan Hayworth single to left center brought in Jimenez-Cruz, and after walking Jacob Bockelie the Loggers gave up two runs on an error that put Carlson on base, driving in Haworth and Gormley. A single from Max Cummings drove in Bockelie, closing the inning with four runs under the Lutes' belt. 

The Loggers tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth, and it stayed that way through the next few innings. The Lutes gained a run on the Loggers in the top of the eighth via a Jimenez-Cruz single, Haworth reaching on an error, and a single from Bockelie. Unfortunately, the Loggers hit back with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, putting them ahead as the game headed into the ninth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, a Cummings single put the first Lute on base. Corey Ng came in to run for Cummings, and a Tori Doten double advanced Ng to third. A clutch Michael Cesar single drove in both Ng and Doten, tying the game up at 8-8. The Loggers were unable to answer in the bottom of the ninth, taking the game to extra innings. 

In the top of the 10th inning, a Gormley single and Haworth triple put the Lutes back on top, but they were quickly answered by a run from the Loggers to tie the game back up. Through the 11th and 12th innings, the Lutes and Loggers fought hard, stranding a combined total of seven runners on the bases. 

It wasn't until the 13th inning that the Lutes decided that the game had gone on long enough. A Doten single to left followed by a walk to Gormley and a single from Haworth loaded the bases for Bockelie, who singled to drive Doten in to retake the lead. To secure the win, Gormley went in to score on a wild pitch right after, taking the Lutes to the final score of 11-9.

"We had a lot of quality at bats today," said Head Coach Nolan Soete. "It was a team effort, players that came in off the bench did a great job today as well. Haworth has a huge day offensively and Michael Cesar has a big hit in the 9th."

Justin Armbruester pitched for five innings and struck out seven but the bats were the true star of the 13 inning show. Andrew Curran managed to roll with the punches, initially coming in to close the ninth inning but staying through the remainder of the game, nearly pitching to the amount of batters a starter normally would to earn the win.

"I was impressed with our defense and pitching in extra innings. Mortensen and Curran did a great job today working in pressure situations," said Soete.

"Today's game was definitely a grind for everybody, and it was great to see some guys come through in clutch situations," said Curran. "Our defense was solid today with Gormley and Lariza making some incredible plays behind me. It's a huge confidence booster as a pitcher seeing guys go all out the way they did. It also felt good to be able to go out there and get the job done knowing that no matter what we'll always have each other's backs."