April 12, 2008

PLU Wins Two Different Ways Against Whitworth

Game One
Game Two

Geoff Gabler - 7 RBI in second game

SPOKANE, Wash. - Despite the fact that Whitworth was enjoying only its third and fourth home games of the season under beautiful skies at Merkel Field on Saturday afternoon, it was visiting Pacific Lutheran that made itself right at home as the Lutes (16-12-2 overall, 13-9 NWC) swept the Pirates (11-21, 10-16) in a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader.

The Lutes used solid pitching and defense to win the opener, 4-0, and broke out the bats in a big way in the second contest, 23-5.

In the first game, Whitworth could not get the timely hit against PLU starting pitcher Robert Bleecker, who threw a complete-game shutout despite allowing 10 hits and four walks. Bleecker got help from three double plays and the Pirates left runners on base in seven of the nine innings.

Carl Benton singled home a run in the top of the fifth to get the Lutes on the board, Tyler Libadia and Sammy Davis added RBI hits in the sixth, and Matt Akridge singled home the final run in the seventh.

Bleecker (4-0) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first with a double play and got a ground out when the Pirates had two runners in scoring position in the seventh.

Brandon Sales went 3-for-4 for PLU with two runs scored, while Davis and Benton finished with two hits each.

Mitch Ramsey and Mac Collette had two hits each for the Pirates. Chad Flett (4-4) went the distance on the mound for Whitworth, allowing four runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Whitworth out-homered PLU, 3-2, in the second game, but that was about the only thing that went the Pirates' way as the Lutes scored 10 times in the third inning to break the game open before adding five more in both the fourth and sixth innings.

Mitch Ramsey homered in the first inning and Matt Monahan singled home a run in the bottom of the second to give Whitworth an early 2-1 lead.

But the Lutes broke through for 10 runs in the top of the third. Jordan Post began the onslaught with a two-run home run, and Geoff Gabler and Ryan Aratani added two-run hits to conclude the rally during the second at-bat of the inning for each.

Gabler added a three-run home run in the Lutes' five-run four inning to increase the lead to 16-2. Flett, now playing in the field, and Mitch Nelson each hit solo home runs for the Pirates in the bottom of the fourth and Dan Ramsey added an RBI single in the fifth to pull the Bucs within 16-5.

But PLU ended all hope of a comeback with another five run rally, this time in the sixth inning. Gabler, who finished with seven RBIs in the game, drove home two more with a single. The Lutes finished off their scoring with another pair of runs in the eighth.

Gabler finished 4-for-6 with four runs scored to go along with his seven runs batted in. Post added four hits of his own as the Lutes finished with 25 hits in the game. Post and Benton each drove in three runs.

Nelson finished 3 for 4 for the Pirates, the only Whitworth player with more than one hit.

Bret Handy (2-2) worked five innings and allowed five runs on eight hits to pick up the win on the mound. Whitworth starter Nathan Johnson gave up eight runs in 2.2 innings to fall to 2-3.

The teams will conclude the series with a pair of seven inning games on Sunday, beginning at noon.

(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information)