April 21, 2007

Fisher Pitches Lutes to NWC Doubleheader Split With Whitworth

Game One
Game Two

Kael Fisher - four-hitter for Lutes

SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth ended a pair of long Pacific Lutheran winning streaks with a 5-4 victory in the opener, but the first-place Lutes rebounded behind Kael Fisher's four-hitter to beat the Pirates, 14-0, in the nightcap of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field.

PLU (28-7, 17-3), which had won 10 straight overall and its last 15 NWC games in a row coming into today, remains in first place in the conference.

In the opener, Whitworth took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning and then held off a late Lute rally to pull the upset. Chad Flett went the distance on the mound for the Pirates, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He improved to 4-2 with his fourth straight win in as many starts.

The Lutes took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Tyler Green, who had doubled to lead off the inning, scored on Kris Hansen's fielder's choice.

Whitworth rallied for four runs in the third against 2006 NWC Pitcher of the Year Joe DiPietro, handing the Lute right-hander his first conference loss against six wins. Dan Ramsey singled home two of the runs and Joel Tampien followed with his fifth home run of the season to drive in Ramsey. It was only the second long ball allowed by DiPietro all season.

Tampien added a sacrifice fly in the seventh that brought home Jon Whiteside for a 5-1 Pirate lead. Whiteside's double set up the run.

Jordan Post doubled home Ryan Thorne in the top of the eighth, then scored on Green's single before a runner was out, pulling the Lutes within 5-3. But Justin Whitehall grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and Logan Andrews grounded out to end the inning. Similarly in the 9th, Flett allowed a leadoff single before getting Bryce Depew to ground into a 6-3 double play, which proved very important when Chris Bowen followed with a home run to pull PLU within 5-4. Flett got the next batter to end the game.

DiPietro (9-2) will have to wait until next week to become the first pitcher in PLU history with a 10-win season. He allowed five earned runs on 12 hits in seven innings with no strikeouts and one walk. Hunter Simpson pitched the final two innings in relief.

Green, the only PLU hitter with more than one hit, was 3-for-4 to lead the Lutes.

PLU wasted little time putting its first loss in 10 games behind it, jumping to a 12-0 lead after four innings and cruising to a 14-0 win behind Fisher's first complete game of the season. In going the distance to improve to 4-0, Fisher allowed only four hits and struck out 12 batters with only two walks.

Matt Akridge led off the game with his first home run of the season. Then in the third, Green hit a grand slam to highlight a seven-run inning. It was Green's seventh homer of the year. Akridge added an RBI single later in the third.

PLU scored four more in the fourth inning to lead 12-0. Kris Hansen had an RBI single to start the scoring and Brandon Sales finished it with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season. Tim Young led off the 9th with his first home run of the season for the Lutes.

Whitworth starting pitcher Brandon Zimmerman allowed eight runs on eight hits in two innings of work.

Logan Andrews led PLU with three hits, while Akridge, Thorne, Post, Whitehall and Hansen all had two for the Lutes, who totaled 17 in the game. Green finished with four RBIs.

PLU and Whitworth will conclude the three game series with the finale on Sunday at noon, and the Lutes will try to lower their magic number of two. Any combination of PLU wins or George Fox losses adding up to two will clinch not only the NWC title for the Lutes, but the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

- PLU -

(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information Office.)