TACOMA, Wash. — Three home runs. 11 total hits. 12 runs scored. But the biggest number on Sunday afternoon was 200 as the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team vanquished Chapman University 12-4 to sweep the non-conference series, giving Lute Head Coach Nolan Soete his historic 200th victory.

The host Lutes (12-15) broke things open in the middle of the game, plating six runs over a two-inning stretch to collect their third consecutive win over the Panthers (7-23).

"I thought we did a good job playing hard today. The game was a little sloppy early on, but we kept grinding and finished the right way," said Soete.

Aaron Barber got things rolling in the bottom of the first, belting a solo home run over the right field wall. Brody Phinney and Carson Burke led off the second with back-to-back singles, both swiping a bag and scoring on Chapman errors to make it 3-0. 

The Panthers struck back with two runs in the fourth before tying the game in the fifth on an infield single.

PLU responded in the bottom half of the fifth with Braeden Lundberg blasting a two-run home run, scoring Lukas Delisle to reclaim the lead, Ethan Keintz added a solo shot later in the frame to make it a 6-3 advantage.

PLU added three more runs in the sixth with a Delisle sacrifice fly scoring Rochne Beecham before Peter King and Phinney scored on a Rutger Youch single to center field.

Chapman had a solo home run in the seventh but PLU plated three more in the eighth off a bases clearing double from Keintz to make it a 12-4 ballgame.

Keintz finished two-for-three at the dish with four RBIs and one run scored while Phinney had two hits and two runs scored. 

"It was great to see us hit with some power. Barber, Lundberg, and Keintz set the tone offensively."

PLU's pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts on the day. Chris Moreno had five in the opening 3 2/3 innings before giving way to Jon Crawley who registered the win after tossing 1 1/3 innings of middle relief. Logan Egge tossed the next three innings, fanning five and allowing just two hits while Cade Hamel tossed a scoreless ninth to clinch the win.

Soete, a 2016 PLU graduate, has been on the Lute coaching staff since 2006 and took the helm as the head coach prior to the 2016 season. Under his direction the Lutes have made six trips to the Northwest Conference Tournament, winning the title in 2016 while earning the NWC regular season championship in 2018, a season he was tabbed the conference's Coach of the Year. 

"200 wins means that I've been coaching a long time and I've had a lot of great players and great assistant coaches. Big thank you to Geoff Loomis for giving me the opportunity to start my coaching career as an assistant for him back in 2006. I learned a ton from him and he left a great program for me to take over in 2015."

The Lutes are back on the diamond on Friday, leaving Pierce County for the final time during the regular season for a three-game series against Whitworth University. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader in Spokane is set for noon.