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Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Tacoma, WA 98447
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March 23, 2007

BASEBALL: Lutes Beat Loggers, Turn Attention to Pioneers

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran at Lewis & Clark (DH), Saturday, noon; PLU at Lewis & Clark, Sunday, noon.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Pacific Lutheran returns to the road this weekend to take on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in Portland, Ore., in a three-game Northwest Conference series. The teams will play a pair of nine-inning games starting at noon on Saturday and then conclude the series with a single nine-inning tilt at noon on Sunday – weather permitting, of course. The Lutes and the Pioneers are currently in a heated battle for third place in the Northwest Conference standings, though the two schools have played a significantly different number of conference games. The Lutes are 4-2 in the NWC standings – they are 14-5 overall – compared to the Pioneers at 7-4 in the NWC. The Pioneers have an 8-9 overall record this season. The Lutes still have their eyes set on competing for the conference championships and currently trail the NWC leaders, George Fox and Puget Sound, both of which are 8-1 in the conference. Lute fans can listen to the Lewis & Clark internet broadcast at the following site:
http://www.sportsjuice.com/broadcaster2.aspx?bid=NjA%3d-FeRRGAV8EmQ%3d.

MORE ABOUT LEWIS & CLARK: The Pioneers come into the game with a .267 team batting averaged compared to the .299 average carried by the Lutes. Sami Morgan leads the Pios with a .364 average and he has a team-high eight stolen bases. Corey Lowell is next in batting with a .319 mark. AJ Brown has a .250 average, two homers and 19 RBI, while Greg Williams has a .257 average, two homers and 17 RBI. Eric Maroncelli has a 3-1 pitching record and a 5.04 earned run average. Jordon Smiley is 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA, and Eric Muraoka has a 2-1 record and a 6.20 ERA.

ANOTHER WIN OVER UPS: Pacific Lutheran broke a 5-5 deadlock with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to defeat the visiting Puget Sound Loggers, 9-5, in a non-conference baseball game played Wednesday at the PLU Field. The win was the second for the Lutes in as many games against the Loggers this season. The Lutes took a 4-1 lead in the second inning, scoring four unearned runs on just two hits, highlighted by Jordan Post’s three-run triple. The hosts added another run in the third when Justin Whitehall, who was hit by a pitch leading off, eventually scored on a wild pitch. After UPS tied the game at 5-5, Pacific Lutheran broke through in the seventh inning against losing pitcher Dusty Kauflin, the third of six Puget Sound hurlers. Tyler Green hit a leadoff double, moved up a base on Whitehall’s sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a single by Logan Andrews. Tim Young followed with a base hit, and both runners moved up a base on a balk. Andrews then scored on a sacrifice fly by Geoff Gabler. The Lutes added some insurance runs in the eighth inning when Whitehall hit a two-run double. Trey Watt picked up his first win of the season for the Lutes, allowing two runs on two hits in two innings of relief. He entered the game in place of starter Jeff Caley, who allowed three runs on nine hits in five complete innings. Paul DiPietro and Kael Fisher both pitched a scoreless inning of relief for PLU

DIPIETRO WINS NWC AWARD: On Monday of this week, Joe DiPietro was named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week. DiPietro has been baffling opposing batters throughout the 2007 season, and last Saturday’s performance against Pacific was no different. What was different about it was that DiPietro earned the NWC honor for the first time this season. The right-handed senior out of Eisenhower High School in Yakima picked up his fifth win against just one defeat in a 4-2 PLU victory over the Boxers. DiPietro pitched eight innings, allowing one earned run on just three hits while striking out eight and walking one. In the process, DiPietro lowered his season earned run average to 2.05.

LUTES ADD A GAME: Pacific Lutheran baseball head coach Geoff Loomis has announced an addition to the schedule. The Lutes will play the Saint Martin’s Saints in a non-conference game at 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 27. That means that next week’s schedule shows the Lutes playing Tuesday at Saint Martin’s, Wednesday at home against Puget Sound, and next Saturday and Sunday at home in a three-game conference series against defending NWC champion George Fox.

- PLU -