Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Whitworth University

McMaster Logo
Aaron Clogston hits a two-out double vs. Willamette in NWC baseball tournament
1
Whitworth WHITWORT 26-12
5
Winner Willamette WILLAMET 25-13
Whitworth WHITWORT
26-12
1
Final
5
Willamette WILLAMET
25-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Whitworth WHITWORT 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 4
Willamette WILLAMET 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 X 5 7 0

W: L. Wagner (9-3) L: Dryden, Hunter (6-3)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Pirates fall in NWC baseball tournament opener

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates had no answer for Willamette pitcher Layton Wagner in the first round of the 2024 Northwest Conference baseball tournament on Friday afternoon at Whitman College's Borleske Stadium.

In a match-up of first team All-NWC starting pitchers, it was the Bearcats' Wagner who came out on top in a 5-1 win.  Wagner (9-3) went the distance while allowing only five hits and striking out 11 Pirates.

Whitworth (26-13) falls into a losers' bracket contest against Pacific University (25-15) on Saturday morning at 10:00 am.  Willamette (26-13) advances to play Whitman (26-15) in a winner's bracket game at 1:30 pm.

A shaky Pirate defense allowed the Bearcats to score in the bottom of the first. Dryden hit the leadoff hitter with a pitch and the next batter reached on an error at short stop.  Rocco Granucci followed with an RBI single and runners moved up to second and third after the ball got away in leftfield.  But Dryden worked out of the jam by getting the next three batters without another run scoring.

Whitworth scored in the top of the second when Aaron Clogston doubled with two outs and moved to third on Kevin Corder's infield single.  After Corder broke for second to draw a throw, Clogston scampered home while Corder stayed in a run-down before the third out was recorded.

Neither team scored again until Willamette broke through with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Another hit by pitch opened the inning before Granucci's single moved the runner to third.  Carl Lawson came through with an RBI single and both Granucci and Lawson moved up on a fielding error in center field.  After a strikeout, both runners scored easily on Clint Walker's RBI single.

That was enough support for Wagner, who retired the final 11 Pirate batters in a row.

Hunter Williams came on for Dryden for a scoreless sixth and seventh innings in relief.  The Bearcats got to Evan Williamson with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.  Aidan Smith closed the game with the final three outs for the Bucs.

Dryden fell to 6-3 after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings.  He struck out five, Williams fanned four and Smith got two.

Print Friendly Version