TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University baseball team flashed its power at the plate on Saturday, getting home runs from Kaleb McNeely, Carson Burke, and Ethan Keintz in a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Conference rival Willamette University. The Lutes rallied to a 5-2 victory in game one before pounding out a 9-5 victory in the nightcap for the sweep.
 
The visiting Bearcats (4-14, 2-6 NWC) drew first blood in game one, capitalizing on a Lute error that extended the top of the second inning, a frame Willamette scored a pair of unearned runs. 

The score remaining 2-0 until the seventh inning. Rochne Beecham led off the inning with a single to center field before moving to third on a Brody Phinney double down the right field line. Kaleb McNeely cleared the bases and put the Lutes' (8-8, 6-5 NWC) in the driver's seat, blasting a three-run home run to give PLU the lead. 
 
Pacific Lutheran padded its advantage in the bottom of the eight, getting an RBI single from Beecham to score Tyler Yarger while a throwing error allowed Beecham to score making it a 5-2 PLU lead. 
 
Matthew Sherwood struck out nine and allowed just four hits in seven innings of work to register the win. That included six shutout innings and allowing no earned runs. Chris Moreno earned the save after throwing two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. 

"Sherwood was great in game one. I thought this was his best outing of the season," said Head Coach Nolan Soete.
 
"Burke, McNeely, and Phinney set the tone at the plate. We played clean defense and Becker had a good outing as well. We're looking to carry this over to tomorrow for us as we have two more against the Bearcats."
 
PLU cranked out 12 hits in game one with Beecham leading the way, going three-for-four at the plate and scoring two runs. McNeely was two-for-three with both hits going for extra bases.

Kaleb McNeely (@kaleb_m11) puts @PLUBaseball on the board and out in front with a go-ahead 3-run homer. The @TacCCbaseball alum has gone deep in back-to-back games for the Lutes. @golutes pic.twitter.com/e1tpfIMAOm

— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) March 28, 2026

 
The Lutes wasted little time establishing a lead in game two, generating four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Carosn Burke blasted a three-run home run, scoring Braeden Lundberg and Ethan Keintz before a Youch single scored Beecham later in the inning.
 
The Bearcats got on the board with a run in the third inning but a Phinney RBI double in the bottom half of the frame scored Beecham to make it 5-1 PLU. That lead swelled to 7-1 in the fourth courtesy of a Keintz two-run home run that also plated Kyle Tat.
 
Willamette tightened the game with three runs in the fifth but PLU added two in the sixth as a Burke double scored Keintz and a Asa Reese sacrifice fly scored Lundberg. Willamette added another run in the seventh but it wasn't enough as the Lutes cruised to the 9-5 victory. 
 
Keintz led the way in game two, going three-for-five with two RBIs and scored three runs while Phinney was three-for-four. Burke collected two hits and had four RBIs.

Connor Tutino made his first career start on the mound, tossing 2 1/3 innings and striking out two. Osei Kimura earned the win with 2 2/3 innings of middle relief. Cole Miller earned four outs while Cole Becker tossed the final 2 1/3. Collectively the Lute pitching staff had seven strikeouts and allowed eight hits.
 
The Lutes and Bearcats finish the series tomorrow with another doubleheader beginning at noon.