April 13, 2008

PLU Completes Series Sweep of Whitworth

Game One
Game Two

Matt Akridge

SPOKANE, Wash. - Pacific Lutheran finished a four-game Northwest Conference baseball series sweep of host Whitworth on Sunday by taking 12-5 and 15-2 victories. The visiting Lutes, who won Saturday's games by 4-0 and 23-5 scores, improved to 18-12-2 overall and 15-9 in the NWC while the Pirates dropped to 11-23, 10-18.

Whitworth pulled within 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning of the opener before PLU outscored the Pirates 7-1 over the final two frames. Trey Watt (4-1) went the distance for the Lutes, allowing five runs (four earned) on 12 hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven complete innings. Ryan Snell (1-6) was credited with the loss, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 15 hits in 5.2 innings.

Matt Akridge had a pair of doubles and hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh, to complete the PLU scoring. He finished 3-for-5, leading the team with three runs batted in and three runs scored. Jordan Post went 4-for-5, while Ryan Aratani and Matt Wolford each drove in a pair of runs.

Dan Ramsey led the Pirates, going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs driven in, while Jon Whiteside went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

PLU built a 6-0 lead after five inning and added nine runs in the final two frames in the series finale. Lead off hitter Josh Takayoshi, along with Akridge, provided the spark at the top of the order. Each finished with three hits and three RBIs. Akridge, batting second, hit his second home run of the day, while Takayoshi scored three times.

Whiteside and Ben George each had a pair of hits for the Pirates.

Brett Brunner threw the first six innings for PLU to improve to 2-3 this season. He allowed one run on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Collin Gibbs fell to 1-6 for Whitworth, allowing six runs on 11 hits in 4.1 innings.

The Lutes play their final home series of the year next weekend when they host Whitman, winless in the Northwest Conference, on Saturday and Sunday. The teams play a pair of nine-inning games on Saturday and two seven-inning games on Sunday, with the doubleheaders beginning at noon.

(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information)