By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Samuel Daly (So., RF, El Dorado Hills, CA/Jesuit HS) hit two home runs and two doubles while going 6 for 8 at the plate, as Willamette University won a pair of high-scoring games against Whitman College, 12-8 and 11-9, on Saturday, April 17 at John Lewis Field. Daly finished the doubleheader with five runs and seven RBIs for the Bearcats, who improved to 21-9 overall, 15-7 in the Northwest Conference. Whitman ended the day with a 13-13 record, including 10-8 in the NWC.
Willamette created big leads in both games and then held off the Blues to sweep the twinbill. In the first game, Willamette held an 8-3 advantage after five innings. In the second game, the Bearcats were in front 10-1 after four innings.
The Bearcats blasted four home runs during the two games, while Whitman connected for three homers. Willamette has hit 53 homers on the season.
In the opener, WU starting pitcher Layton Wagner (So., INF/RHP, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) went six innings and allowed just eight hits and three runs -- all unearned. He struck out five batters and gave up one walk, while improving to 6-1 on the season. In the second game, starter Justin Miller (Sr./Jr., RHP, Poway, CA/Poway HS/Palomar CC) picked up the win for WU, as he tossed 5 1/3 innings and struck out three batters. JD Willis (Fy., Chandler, AZ/Perry HS) earned his first collegiate save after throwing the final 1 2/3 innings.
"We had some big two-out RBIs," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick noted. "Layton had a good outing. We turned some huge double plays (3 in Game 1) when we needed to. Sam continues to be a threat in any situation. It was good to get two wins on the first day."
The Bearcats and the Blues will complete the series with a doubleheader on Sunday, April 18. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. (PDT).
Willamette scored two runs in the first inning and five more in the second to grab a 7-0 lead in the first game. In the opening stanza, Michael Nelsen (Sr., C, Folsom, CA/Vista Del Lago HS) reached base on a fielder's choice and went to third on a two-out double by Daley. Ethan Fischel (Jr., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) reached base on an error at third, allowing Nelsen and Daly to score.
Sean Little (Sr., INF, Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley HS) drove in the first run of the second inning with a single to center. Little went to second on a throwing error by the pitcher and reached third on a wild pitch. He scored when Luke Werkmeister-Martin doubled to left center. A bit later, Daly pounded out a 3-run homer to left field.
Whitman cut the margin to 7-3 with three runs in the third inning. The first run scored on a throwing error, with Ethan Sitzman and Leo Rivera each adding an RBI single. After 2 1/3 innings, all 10 runs by both teams were unearned.
The Bearcats expanded the lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth Daly's second home run. The score remained the same until the top of the seventh, when the Blues plated two runs. Whitman added a run in the top of the eighth to pull within 8-6, but Willamette pulled away again with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
WU's first run in the eighth reached home when Little walked with the bases loaded. Two runs crossed the plate on a single by Werkmeister-Martin, and one run scored on a single by Ethan Dunnam (So., C, El Cajon, CA/Valhalla HS). Whitman tallied two runs in the ninth, but couldn't catch the Bearcats.
Daly's 3-of-4 performance with three runs and four RBIs led WU during the game, while Werkmeister-Martin went 3 of 5 with a run and three RBIs. David Johnson was 3 of 4 with a run and an RBI for Whitman. Ben Parker drove in three runs, including a 2-run homer in the ninth, while Sitzman went 3 of 5 with a run and an RBI.
Fischel smacked a 2-run homer in the first inning of the second game for Willamette. Daly, who singled down the right field line with two outs, also scored on the play. Johnson homered for Whitman to start the second inning and reduce the lead to 2-1. The Bearcats surged out to a 5-1 lead with three runs in the third. Little doubled and later scored on a throwing error, while Jeff Hoffman (Fy., 3B, Salida, CA/Joseph A. Grigori HS) belted a 3-run homer.
WU appeared to have the game in hand after plating five runs in the fourth inning for a 10-1 advantage. Big hits during the frame were a 2-run triple by Daly and an RBI double by Hoffman. The lead remained the same throughout the fifth inning, but the Blues exploded for eight runs in the sixth stanza to pull within 10-9. Garrett Runyan provided a solo home run and Parker blasted a 3-RBI double. Runyan added a 2-run single later in the inning.
The Bearcats scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Werkmeister-Martin walked with one out and went to second on a wild pitch. Daly drove Werkmeister-Martin across the plate with a double to right center. Willis, who went to the mound midway through the eighth inning, faced just three batters in the ninth. The final two outs were great plays by the defense, as Fischel made a long throw to first after fielding a grounder between shortstop and third, and Joey Faudskar (Grad., CF, Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle HS) completed a long run with a catch in center field.
