TACOMA, Wash. — It was a day of mixed results for the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team on opening day. The Lutes rallied to a 5-3 victory in the opener against Bushnell University but was unable to complete the sweep, squandering an early advantage in a 17-7 setback to split the series on Saturday afternoon. 

"We played good baseball in game one. Their starting pitcher was tough and he really kept us in check most of the game. Barber and Reese swung the bat well and we had some clutch hits by Youch, Phinney, King and Adcox. Sherwood didn't have his best stuff, but he grinded for us. Prewett, Egge and Swartz did a great job on the back end," said Head Coach Nolan Soete.

"Game two was rough. We were not good on the mound. We gave up too many free passes and they made us pay for our mistakes."
 
The visiting Beacons (4-4) struck first in game one, plating a pair of runs on a double in the top of the third before manufacturing another in the fourth to build a 3-0 lead.
 
After a sluggish offense start the bats came alive in the bottom of the seventh for the Lutes (1-1), piling on five runs to take the lead. Asa Reese led off the inning with a single up the middle before advancing to third on a Peter King single. Brody Phinney singled in Reese for PLU's first run of the season before a Brayden Adcox single plated King. A Rutger Youch single scored Phinney to tie the game before pushing ahead thanks to RBI singles from Ashton Barton and Rochne Beecham.
 
PLU finished the game with 10 hits after mustering just two through the first six innings of play. Barber and Reese led the Lutes, both finishing two-for-four with a run scored.
 
Five Lutes saw action on the mound with Wyatt Norris registering the win after striking out one in 1/3 innings of middle relief. Matthew Sherwood had the start, going 4 2/3 in his PLU debut before Jake Prewett tossed two innings of scoreless relief. Logan Egge and Kamryn Swartz both pitching scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth with Swartz getting the save in his first outing in a Lute uniform.
 
In game two, the Lutes scored twice in the bottom of the first with an RBI double from Barber scoring Youch before a Beecham sacrifice fly scored Barber. Bushnell answered with 11 unanswered runs from the second through seventh innings, taking an 11-2 advantage.
 
PLU cut into the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, getting a two-RBI single from Phinney a sacrifice fly from Lukas Delisle. The Beacons continued to add to their tally in the eighth, scoring six. PLU added two more in the ninth, getting an RBI double from Gunnar Sebright and an RBI single from Sam Richardson but it wasn't enough as the Lutes fell short 17-7. 
 
PLU finished game two with eight hits all coming off the bat of a different Lute. PLU threw seven arms in the nightcap with starter Jonathan Cohen tagged with the decision, striking out four and allowing five runs in four innings of work.
 
The Lutes resume their homestand tomorrow afternoon, hosting Division II Saint Martin's University with first pitch set for 2 p.m.