TACOMA, Wash. — Two big innings powered the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team to a doubleheader split of Northwest Conference leader Whitworth University on Saturday afternoon at PLU Field. The Lutes fell 8-1 in the opener before scoring early and often in a 15-9 victory in the nightcap.
 
The NWC-leading Pirates (21-13, 16-3 NWC) struck early in game one, plating three runs in the first inning. Whitworth added single runs in the second and fifth inning before pushing across three more in the eighth.

Carson Burke earned a free pass the hard way to leadoff the eighth inning, absorbing a pitch to the body. Burke moved to second on a Kaleb McNeely walk before advancing to third on a wild pitch. A Braden Lundberg sacrifice fly to center field scored Burke in what proved to be the Lutes' lone run of game one.

PLU (9-17, 7-9 NWC) finished the opener with just four hits, each coming from a different Lute. Alex Lopez absorbed the decision on the mound, allowing seven hits over six innings of work while striking out one.

The Lutes were on fire in the bottom of the second in game two, piling on seven runs to seize an early lead. Burke hit a single to right center field, later scoring on a Tyler Yarger single. Ethan Keintz belted in Lundberg while a Kyle Tat single scored two making it 4-0 PLU. A Brody Phinney single plated both Tat and Dallas Phipps before a McNeely sacrifice fly scored Rochne Beecham to make it a seven run lead.

Whitworth responded in the third, getting a three-run home run and an RBI single to whittle the gap to just three runs. 

Phinney went yard in the fourth, a solo blast to make it 8-4. Both teams pushed across a run in the fifth inning with a Keintz single scoring Lundberg to make it 9-5. 
 
The Pirates scored a pair of runs in the sixth inning before tying the game in the seventh on a two-run home run.  

Beecham broke the deadlock with an RBI double in the eighth inning, part of a six-run Lute scoring surge. Phinney doubled in Beecham before Asa Reese scored McNeely on a bases loaded walk. Keintz made it 14-9 with a two-RBI hit while a wild pitch scored Reese for a 15-9 lead, a score that would hold up the rest of the way. 
 
PLU cranked out 18 hits in game two with Keintz going four-for-five with four RBIs while Phinney was three-for-five with four RBIs. 

Matthew Sherwood had the start and struck out six in five innings while Cole Becker earned the win, allowing one hit over the final two innings.

The Lute and Pirates resume the series tomorrow at noon, playing the NWC series finale before playing a non-conference game to close the weekend.