TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team muscled its way to the top of the Northwest Conference standings on Saturday, cranking out 30 hits, belting six home runs, and generating 25 runs in a doubleheader sweep of crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound. The Lutes rallied to win the opener 5-2 before coming away with a wild 20-13 victory in the nightcap to cement their spot atop the standings.
In game one,
Andy Schmitz led off the first with a base hit, later scoring on a Logger fielding error. A two-run home run put the Loggers (10-11, 7-7 NWC) up 2-1 in the sixth before PLU (14-6, 7-4 NWC) responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead.
Ashton Barton led off the sixth with a solo home run before
Tori Doten followed suit the next at bat, clearing the left field fence to give the Lutes the 3-2 advantage.
Jordan Haworth blasted a single up the middle later in the inning, scoring
Braeden Lundberg for a 4-2 lead.
PLU manufactured an insurance score in the eight en route to the 5-2 win.
Tommy Snyder went 7 2/3 innings and struck out four before
Noah Ferguson made the final four outs, striking out two and allowing just one hit for the save.
Schmitz finished three-for-five at the plate while Haworth and Doten both went two-for-four.
In the nightcap, PLU scored seven runs in the seventh inning while piling up four runs in both the second and fourth inning in the blowout 20-13 win to close the doubleheader. Windy conditions saw eight total home runs in game two, including
John Graham blasting a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning for his first career home run as a Lute.
Tori Doten notched his second homer of the day after going yard in the second inning while Barton tallied his second of the day in the sixth. Lundberg belted his first career four-bagger to lead off the seventh to open the floodgates, turning a tight 12-10 contest into a 19-10 blowout.
John Graham was on fire in the nightcap, going four-for-six at the plate with six RBIs and two runs scored. Doten was three-for-five with three RBIs and three runs scored while Schmitz was three-for-four with three runs scored in the leadoff position. In all 10 Lutes collected a hit in game two.
Jack Robinette earned the win on the mound for the Lutes, tossing two innings of relief work.
Jonathan Cohen pitched the final 1 2/3 innings of the night, striking out one and allowing just two hits and no runs.
The Lutes and Loggers finish off the series on Sunday with first pitch set for 11 a.m.
