TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team earned a doubleheader split on Sunday in the home finale, downing Northwest Conference rival Whitman College 8-7 in the opener before stumbling 7-3 in the nightcap. 
 
The Lutes (21-14, 17-10 NWC) generated the game's opening run in the second inning. Andy Schmitz belted a leadoff double before advancing to third on a Conner Lemma sacrifice bunt. Schmitz would later score on a Ashton Barton RBI fielder's choice for the early 1-0 edge.
 
A Jordan Haworth sacrifice fly scored Alex Boyd in the third inning to double the Lute lead. Whitman (19-17, 16-12 NWC) plated a run in the top of the fourth only to see PLU answer in the bottom half of the frame as a Ashton Barton single up the middle scored Schmitz. 
 
The Blues took the lead in the fifth, piling on four runs before the Lutes countered in the seventh, reclaiming the lead thanks to a three-run outburst. An Alex Boyd single scored both pinch-runner Noah Claxton Ward and Ashton Barton before a Cole Trotignon sacrifice fly scored Boyd for the go-ahead run.
 
PLU solidified its lead in the eighth with a Boyd single scoring Barton while a Haworth base knock plated Kenton Robillard to take an 8-5 advantage. The Blues pushed across two runs in the top of the ninth and had the winning run on first before Justin Tucker tallied a strikeout to preserve the win and notch the save.
 
Boyd paced the Lutes at the plate in game one with three base hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Haworth, Schmitz, and Barton all finished with multiple hits. 
 
Trotignon earned the win on the hill, tossing 8 2/3 innings before Tucker came in and collected the final out of the game. 
 
Game two saw the Blues jump out and score two runs in the top of the first. A Jordan Haworth single scored Gormley in the bottom half of the inning before Whitman tacked on five more in the second for the 7-1 lead. 
 
A Schmitz single scored Haworth in the bottom of the third and an Armond Swanson bases loaded walk brought in Trotignon in the fifth but a Whitman double play ended the inning with the Lutes stranding three runners on base. PLU was unable to generate any more runs in the afternoon, succumbing 7-3 to Whitman who wins the series taking three of four.
 
Haworth and Connor Lemma led the Lutes at the plate, both finishing two-for-four.
 
Jonathan Cohen earned the start, striking out three in 1 1/3 innings of work. Trevor Mason tossed 5 2/3 innings of long relief, allowing just one walk and no runs. 
 
Pacific Lutheran honored its eight graduating seniors in a pregame ceremony on Sunday. The 2021 seniors that included Austin Gormley, Blake Wichert, Jack Hannah, Kenton Robillard, Armond Swanson III, Cole Forde, Justin Tucker, and Nathan Anderson won 75 games over the past four seasons, including winning the 2018 NWC regular season title. 
 
The Lutes are back on the diamond on Tuesday, making the short trek across town for a midweek non-conference tilt against the University of Puget Sound.