TACOMA, Wash. — Asa Reese came off the bench and blasted two home runs in the opener, guiding the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team to an 11-4 victory over Northwest Conference rival Whitman College on Saturday afternoon. The Lutes weren't as fortunate in game two of the doubleheader with a late rally cut short in an 8-6 setback at PLU Field. 

PLU (14-19, 7-13 NWC) cranked out 15 hits in the opener, headlined by a pair of home runs from Asa Reese. 

Lukas Delisle tallied the Lutes' first run of the day, belting a leadoff single to start the third inning and later scoring on a Whitman fielding error. A bases clearing double put the Blues (19-16, 10-10 NWC) in front in the sixth inning, part of a four-run outburst for the visitors. 

PLU answered with a scoring surge of its own, plating a half dozen in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead. A throwing error allowed Rutger Youch to score the opening run of the inning before an Aaron Barber RBI single closed the gap to just a single run. Rochne Beecham drew a bases loaded walk the next at bat, allowing pinch runner Cooper Moore to score and tie the game. 

A Hayden Kaiser single down the right field line scored two before a Delisle sacrifice bunt plated Beecham to make it 7-4 PLU. 

Reese belted his first solo home run in the seventh inning before a Delisle single scored Ethan Keintz to make it 10-4. Reese went yard again in the eighth, hitting another solo shot in the eighth inning for what turned out to be the final run of the game.

Barber finished three-for-four in game one while Reese was a perfect two-for-two coming off the bench. Delisle was two-for-three with three RBIs.

Alex Lopez went the distance on the mound, striking out five and issuing no walks to secure the win. It's Lopez's second complete game over his last five starts and the fourth time over his last five starts that he's tossed at least seven frames. 

"It was another great outing by Lopez," said Head Coach Nolan Soete.

"He gives us a good chance to win every time he takes the mound. It was great to see Asa come in off the bench and have great at bats today. We will need to put it all together to win the series tomorrow."

Youch led off game two with a single to left field, later scoring on an Ethan Keintz RBI fielder's choice. The Blues' tied the game in the third inning with AJ Romero leading off the inning with a solo home run. 

The Lutes' reclaimed the lead in the fifth inning with a Barber sacrifice fly scoring Braeden Lundberg only to see Whitman take the lead in the sixth after pushing across a pair of runs. 

Whitman expanded its lead in the eighth with Halen Otte hitting a three-run home run followed by a two-run triple to make it an 8-2 cushion.
 
 PLU closed to within two runs in the eighth inning, scoring four runs. Keintz led off the frame with qa double, later scoring on a Reese RBI single to right center field. An RBI fielder's choice from Braeden Lundberg plated Hayden Kaiser before a Youch single up the middle brought home Reese. Barber drew a bases loaded walk to score Lunberg, closing the gap to 8-6 but a flyout the next batter stranded three Lutes on base. 

PLU had the tying run at the plate in the ninth after a Beecham leadoff walk but two flyouts and a groundout cut the Lute comeback attempt short.

Youch and Lundberg both had two hits in the nightcap while Barber had a pair of RBIs.

Matthew Sherwood was hit with the decision, yielding three runs in five innings of work. Sherwood registered five strikeouts and issued no walks. Kamryn Swartz and Logan Egge each threw two innings of relief, combining for four strikeouts. 
 
The Lutes close out their home slate tomorrow, playing two more games against Whitman. First pitch for the NWC series finale is set for noon with a non-conference game to follow after the conclusion of that game.