TACOMA, Wash. — One rocky inning derailed the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team's plans for a doubleheader sweep as the Lutes settled for a twinbill split on Saturday to open Northwest Conference play against Lewis & Clark College. The Lutes prevailed 8-6 in the opener but wasn't as fortunate in game two, stumbling 15-10 to the Pioneers at PLU Field.

"We had big time at bats all day that kept us in both games, including two home runs from Burke," said Head Coach Nolan Soete.

"Crawley was decent to start the day and Egge was absolutely lights out on the back end of game one. While we wanted to get a sweep it's always good to enter Sunday with a chance to get a series win."

The Pioneers (5-2, 1-1 NWC) opening the scoring in the fourth inning of game one, hammering out their first three hits of the game to take a 2-0 advantage.
 
Carson Burke tied the game with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fourth, blasting a two-run home run that also scored Rochne Beecham who got on base on a walk. Lukas Delisle put the Lutes up 3-2 later in the inning, belting a single up the middle to score Hayden Kaiser.
 
An Aaron Barber single scored Ethan Keintz in the fifth to make it 4-3 but the Pioneers struck back in the sixth, plating a trio of runs. 

Keintz tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a two RBI double, scoring Braeden Lundberg and Delisle. Keintz would later score on a Barber double later in the inning while a Beecham triple scored Barber to make it 8-6 and conclude the scoring for game one.
 
Jon Crawley tossed the opening five innings, striking out three. Logan Egge secured the win, tossing the final 3 2/3 innings and striking out six of the 13 batters he faced, allowing just one hit and no runs. 
 
PLU (2-4, 1-1 NWC) cranked out 13 hits in the opener with Barber finishing three-for-five with two RBIs while Keintz and Delisle both finished with a pair of base knocks. 

Game two saw the Lutes seize a 4-0 lead in the third inning, getting RBIs from Kenitz, Barber, Beecham, and Burke. The Pioneers pounced in the fifth inning, scoring eight runs to take a lead they would hold the rest of the game.

Lundberg belted a two-run home run in the sixth inning making it a 9-6 ballgame. The next inning it was Beecham going yard, narrowing the gap to just two runs at 10-8. Youch had an RBI single in the eighth and Burke tallied his second home run of the day in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn't enough as PLU fell short 15-10. 
 
PLU grinded out 14 hits in the nightcap with Beecham going three-for-five with three RBIs while Barber, Brody Phinney, and Lundberg all finished with a pair of base hits.
 
Chris Moreno was saddled with the decision, tossing the opening 4 1/3 innings and was one of eight pitchers PLU used in the second game of the afternoon.
 
The Lutes and Pioneers finish off the series tomorrow with another doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. The first game will be the final game of the NWC series with game two a non-conference game.