MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran baseball team snapped a four-game skid on Saturday afternoon against the Willamette Bearcats on the Linfield baseball field, taking a dominant 11-0 win in game one before ultimately splitting the Saturday series in a 3-1 loss in the evening game.

Alex Lopez gives @PLUBaseball their first Complete Game Shutout since 2022; splits Saturday doubleheader with Willamette. #GoLutes pic.twitter.com/koWGpjXj3c

— PLU Athletics (@golutes) March 30, 2025

 
"We had the best starting performances on the mound all year today. Alex Lopez was excellent in game one and Sherwood was good in game two. We also played great defense all day." Said Head Coach Nolan Soete.
 
GAME ONE
 
Senior Aaron Barber notched the first hit of the game, a two-out double down the left field line, but was stranded there. Freshman Alex Lopez made his second start of the week on Saturday, making quick work of the Bearcats through the first two innings, sitting six up, six down.
 
The Lutes put a crooked number up on the scoreboard in the top of the third, as Barber's two-out single put runners on first and second for Brody Phinney. Phinney's single up the middle scored two after a throwing error to third by the Bearcats shortstop. Senior Ethan Keintz drove in Phinney in the next at-bat with a single to the left-centerfield gap. The Lutes led 3-0 early.
 
Lopez allowed his first hit of the game to open the fourth inning, allowing a single, ultimately stranding a pair of Bearcat runners on the basepaths after a fly out to centerfield. He scattered just one more hit through six innings, allowing the offense to provide some insurance runs in the seventh, as Lukas Delisle opened the inning with a bunt single. Rutger Youch drove the Lutes catcher in with a single to right centerfield, putting the Lutes up 4-0. Youch stole second before Rochne Beecham drew a walk to end the Bearcat starter's outing. A Barber walk loaded the bases for a Phinney single and Keintz fielder's choice, making it 6-0 with the bases loaded and no outs. Carson Burke then singled, scoring Phinney and Barber, putting the Lutes up 8-0 through the away half of the seventh.
 
The Lutes starter walked his first batter of the game in the seventh, followed by an outfield single. Lopez worked out of the jam after an inning-ending double play between Braeden Lundberg and Barber.
 
Phinney opened the top of the ninth with a double for his third hit of the game, then scoring after Lundberg reached on a Bearcats error. Brayden Adcox drove in another with an RBI groundout to second base. Delisle notched an RBI with his groundout to third, making it 11-0 Lutes entering the final half-inning. Lopez ended his day how he started it, three up and three down, to earn the Lutes first complete game shutout of the season and the first shutout since March 9^th of last season when the Lutes beat Willamette 1-0 at home.
 
Phinney and Barber had three hits a-piece, with Phinney and Burke each driving in two runs. Seven different Lutes contributed to their 13 total hits, stranding eight base runners. Lopez's complete game shutout marks the Lutes first since April 23^rd, 2022, when Spencer Howell went led the Lutes to a 2-0 win over George Fox in the second game of the 2022 Northwest Conference Tournament. Lopez's final stat line saw four hits scattered over nine innings, walking a pair while striking out three; he just eclipsed 100-pitches with 102 total on the day.
 
A much-needed outing for the Lutes snapped their four-game losing streak, adding another conference win in dominant fashion, 11-0 over Willamette.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Lutes bats opened Saturday's final game with more scoring, as Barber drove in Youch on a single to left centerfield, giving the Lutes a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Matthew Sherwood got the starting nod on the bump in game two, sitting down three Bearcats with groundouts to open the game.
 
But the Bearcats responded in the home half of the second, scoring their first runs of the series thanks to four consecutive singles, taking a 3-1 lead over the Lutes. Both starters settled in, scattering just one hit in each of the next five innings, but neither could plate more runners.
 
Sherwood navigated the rocky second inning, able to go seven full innings, allowing just the three runs on nine hits, striking out three, and walking just one. He was relieved by Kamryn Swarts in the home half of the eighth. Swartz walked one, but faced the minimum as Delisle caught the runner trying to nab second base.
 
Down to their final three outs, the Lutes top half of the lineup failed to find the outfield grass, giving Willamette a 3-1 win and splitting Saturday's doubleheader.
 
The Lutes managed five hits in game two, scoring just the one run thanks to the Barber RBI single. Meaning Sherwood was credited with the loss although he went seven strong innings.
 
"Game two was tough because we underperformed from an offensive standpoint. We came down here with a goal of winning a series and getting back on the right track and we have an opportunity to do that tomorrow. We will need to pitch and play defense like we did today and be a little more productive at the plate to accomplish our goal. We definitely took some steps in the right direction today."
 
Baseball looks to win the series against Willamette tomorrow afternoon at 12 p.m. in McMinnville.
 
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