By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Rocco Granucci (So., OF, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS) blasted a grand slam and provided Willamette University with seven RBIs as the Bearcats defeated Whitman College, 21-6, in the first game of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader at Borleske Stadium on Saturday, April 1. Ethan Fischel (Grad., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) added a two-run homer during the first game. In the second game, Willamette rallied from a 4-0 deficit after two innings to edge out the Blues, 8-6, as Fischel and Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Sr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) each hit a double.
The pair of wins advanced Willamette's record to 17-7, including 12-5 in the NWC. Whitman slipped to 17-11, 8-8 in the NWC. The Bearcats and the Blues are set to complete the series with one game on Sunday, April 2, starting at 12 p.m. (PDT).
Starting pitcher Layton Wagner (Sr., RHP/INF, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) tossed the first six innings in the opener and improved to 3-2 on the season. He struck out three batters and did not allow a walk, while limiting Whitman to five runs on six hits.
In the second game, reliever Pruitt Spritzer (Sr., RHP, Missouri City, TX/Strake Jesuit College Prep) pitched 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run, as he upped his record to 6-0. Brady Joyner (Jr., RHP, Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS) threw the final 1 2/3 innings and earned four strikeouts to register his seventh save.
"It was a really good offensive day," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "We had some big hits with guys on bases and we pitched well with guys on base. We had a total team effort."
Bearcats Win Opener with 21 Runs and 15 Hits
While Granucci's grand slam and seven RBIs highlighted the first game, he was just part of an offensive explosion for the Bearcats. Willamette's 21-6 win featured 15 hits. The Bearcats trailed 4-0 entering the fourth inning, but plated a run in the fourth and scored eight runs in the fifth for a 9-4 lead. WU tacked on five runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.
The Bearcats held a 17-6 lead through seven innings. Willamette completed the offensive surge with two runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth. After the fourth inning, Whitman managed to score one run in the sixth and one run in the seventh.
Granucci, in addition to earning four RBIs on his grand slam in the five-run sixth inning, contributed an RBI on a fielder's choice in the fourth, an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh, and another RBI when he walked in the eighth. He also scored two runs. Fischel belted a two-run homer for the game's final two runs in the ninth.
Willamette's scoring in the eight-run fifth inning began with an RBI single by Jeff Hoffman (Jr., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Grigori HS) and a three-RBI single by Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Sr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS). Later, Wagner hit an RBI single to shortstop and Drew Baskin (So., 2B, Eagle, ID/Arroyo Grande HS) blasted a three-run double to left field.
Several Bearcats achieved impressive totals to enhance Granucci's stats. Jonny Suchor (Sr., OF, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) was 4 of 5 with three runs scored, Hoffman went 2 of 5 with five runs and an RBI, and Werkmeister-Martin was 2 for 2 with three runs, three walks, and five RBIs. Baskin drove in three runs. A total of seven Bearcats scored at least two runs.
Willamette Moves Past Blues in Second Game
In the second game, the Bearcats outscored the blues 8-2 after the second inning to rally from a 4-0 deficit. Willamette achieved seven hits and also took advantage of seven walks and three Whitman errors. The Blues accumulated nine hits and seven walks, but finished with 14 runners left on base.
After plating one run in the first inning, the Blues scored three runs in the second on a homer by Ben Parker. WU cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth, as Suchor drove in one run on a groundout and Werkmeister-Martin produced an RBI single. Parker gave the Blues a 5-3 advantage when he drove in Brock Williams with a double in the bottom of the inning.
Willamette surged into a 6-5 lead with two runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth. In the fifth, two walks and an error allowed the Bearcats to score twice without a hit. In the sixth, Werkmeister-Martin hit an RBI double and Suchor later scored on a wild pitch.
Fischel, who hit into the error in the fifth inning, supplied Willamette with a sacrifice fly in the seventh for a 7-5 lead. The Blues scored once in the bottom of the eighth, but Joyner recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. The Bearcats added an insurance run in the ninth inning for an 8-6 margin as Fischel hit an RBI double. Joyner faced just four Whitman batters in the bottom of the inning.
