By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University amassed 17 hits and piled up 14 RBIs as the Bearcats defeated Pacific Lutheran University 19-17 on Sunday, March 12 during an offensive explosion by both teams at John Lewis Field. PLU finished with 14 hits, including six doubles and five home runs. Willamette had just three extra-base hits -- doubles by Carl Lawson (Jr., RF, Whittier, CA/Lutheran HS/Cal Poly Pomona), Ethan Fischel (Grad., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS), and Jackson Garrett (Jr., UT, Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad HS/Palomar College). The Bearcats walked seven times and four WU batters were hit by pitches. The Bearcats continued their trend of productive at bats and timely hits.
The result was Willamette's third series win in NWC play this season, as the Bearcats won two of three games with the Lutes. Earlier this spring Willamette was 2-1 against Pacific University and 3-0 versus George Fox University in NWC action. The Bearcats are 11-4 on the season and 7-2 in the NWC. Pacific Lutheran fell to 7-10 overall, 2-7 in the NWC.
"It was really good to see the offense come to life," said Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick. "Everybody contributed and we played good defense to minimize innings against us."
The offense stats for both teams were impressive. Four Bearcats each provided WU with three hits, while two more players earned two hits. Fischel was 3 for 3 with a double, three runs, and four RBIs. Lawson went 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, and a game-high five runs scored. Also accumulating three hits and adding three runs were Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Sr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS), and Jonny Suchor (Sr., OF, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS). Garrett went 2 of 4 with a double, one run and a game-high five RBIs.
For PLU, Aaron Barber went 3 of 5 with a double, two runs, and an RBI. Braeden Lundberg was 2 of 4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Three other Lutes also registered two hits.
Willamette surged out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Werkmeister-Martin provided a leadoff single for the only hit during the inning, which also featured three walks. Fischel and Garrett each hit a sacrifice fly. PLU answered with five runs in the top of the second. All five runs scored on homers, as Ashton Barton hit a solo shot, while Rutger Youch and Carson Burke each connected for a two-run blast.
The third inning included an RBI double by Lunderg for PLU plus an RBI double by Fischel for the Bearcats, leaving the Lutes with a 6-5 lead. The Lutes added a run in the top of the fourth for a two-run cushion.
In Willamette's half of the fourth stanza, the Bearcats scored six runs with two outs. The first two runs were scored on a single by Fischel. After Drew Baskin (So., 2B, Eagle, ID/Arroyo Grande HS) walked to force in the third run, Garrett followed with a bases-clearing double. Willamette led 11-7.
PLU cut the margin to 11-9 on a two-run homer by Lundberg in the top of the fifth and the Lutes moved within 11-10 when Cole Trotignon belted a solo homer in the sixth. Willamette tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 13-10 advantage as Suchor and Rocco Granucci (So., OF, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS) registered RBI singles.
The Bearcats put together another six-run inning in the seventh frame. The outburst included five hits, including a two-RBI single by Baskin and an RBI single by Garrett. Two of the runs scored on wild pitches. With a 19-10 lead, Willamette was able to maintain a comfortable margin even after PLU scored two runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Barton and an RBI single by Barber. The Lutes sent just three batters to the plate in the ninth inning.
Three Willamette relief pitchers helped the Bearcats earn the win. for the win. After PLU scored five runs with no outs in the second, Pruitt Spritzer (Sr., RHP, Missouri City, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) entered the game and got out of the inning without allowing another run. Spritzer also pitched in the third inning before giving way to Brady Joyner (Jr., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS).
Joyner tossed the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. He received the pitching victory, his first of the season to go along with six saves. JD Willis (Jr., LHP, Chandler, AZ/Perry HS) pitched the last three innings to earn his first save of 2023.
Willamette will play two games at the University of Puget Sound on Saturday, March 18. First pitch in the opening game is set for 12 p.m. (PDT). The three-game series will conclude with one game on Sunday, March 19 at 12 p.m.
