NEWBERG, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran Baseball team battled through 20 innings in Saturday's doubleheader, ultimately coming away with the sweep over the Bruins by scores of 12-5 and 5-4. A three-run blast in each game off the bats of Rutger Youch and Ashton Barton lifted the Lutes to extend their winning streak to three games.
 
In game one, the Lutes continued their streak of scoring in the first inning, as Youch and Aaron Barber hit consecutive one-out singles, setting Rochne Beecham up to score Youch on a single to centerfield to take a 1-0 lead early. The Bruins answered right back though, as the leadoff single would come around to score on a two-out double.
 
The starter for the Lutes, Kamryn Swartz, would settle in after the first, shutting the Bruins down for the next two innings. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, following a leadoff walk and a pair of singles. With the bases loaded and one out, the Lutes would turn-two on a ground ball to the shortstop but the leadoff walk came around to score before the second out was recorded at the plate.
 
Not long after the Bruins captured their first lead, Carson Burke and Brayden Adcox led-off the fifth with a pair of singles, setting up Youch to turn on the full-count pitch and send it over the left field wall. Asa Reese opened the sixth with a double, later coming around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Burke.
 
George Fox got to Swartz once again in the home half of the sixth, cutting their deficit to 5-4 thanks to a two-out, two-run, blast. Swartz would go eight total innings, throwing one shy of 100 pitches. The righty allowed eight hits, earned four runs, walked five, and struck out three.
 
Anthony Adams came in to relieve Swartz, allowing a leadoff home run, knotting the game at 5-5. Adams would strand two as he got out of the inning, sending the game to extras.
 
In the top of the 10^th, Barber and Barton opened with a pair of singles to the outfield grass and would be moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Peter King. Brody Phinney walked to load the bases and Reese followed with a walk of his own to put the Lutes up 6-5. Hayden Kaiser ripped a pinch-hit single, scoring two more runs for the Lutes. Burke later reached on a fielder's choice, followed by a Youch sacrifice fly and Barton two-RBI single. The Lutes explosive inning gave them a lead they could not surrender, 12-5, as Adams closed the door in the home half of the 10^th.
 
The second game opened with a Barton three-run home run of his own, scoring Adcox and Youch who earned free bases to start the game. With a 3-0 lead early, starter Chris Moreno had earned some insurance runs to help boast his outing.
 
Moreno kept the Bruins off the basepaths for the majority of the first four innings, but he began the fifth frame with four-straight singles allowed, scoring the first run for the Bruins in the game. Moreno was relieved by Jonathan Cohen who gave up a sacrifice fly and a walk, scoring two more Bruins in the process; the Bruins knotted the game once again at 3-3.
 
George Fox's bats came alive again in the seventh, where a leadoff single came around to score on a two-out base hit to center field, giving the Bruins a 4-3 lead with two frames left. The Bruins would hold this lead into the ninth, where Burke opened the inning with a leadoff walk and would advance to second on a wild pitch. Youch's bat came through once again, ripping a double to left field to send the game into extra innings tied at 4-4.
 
Yet again one inning is all it took for the Lutes to secure the victory, as Phinney's solo home run to leadoff the 10^th and give the Lutes a 5-4 victory and second Saturday in a row earning a NWC sweep.
 
Barton went four for ten with four runs batted in over the two games, highlighted by a three-run home run to open game two. Youch went three for nine with five runs batted in as he also added three runs to the Lutes tally with a home run. Cohen went the majority of the second game, going six full innings, allowing just three hits and earning one run.
 
"Two big wins! Swartz set the tone in game one. He really did a great job going deep into the game. Several guys had success at the plate in game one. Beecham, Youch, Barton and Burke had many good at bats. In game two Cohen really did a great job out of the pen for the second week in a row. Brody Phinney finished if off with a huge solo blast. The team really showed toughness today." Said Head Coach Nolan Soete after the Lutes 20 innings of play on Saturday.
 
The Lutes return to action tomorrow at Noon to round out the three-game series against the Bruins in Newberg, Ore.
 
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