SPOKANE, Wash. – Spencer Shipman doubled and homered to lead Whitworth to a 10-7 win over visiting Pacific Lutheran on Saturday at Merkel Field, giving the Pirates their first Northwest Conference baseball sweep of the season.
Whitworth (22-11 overall, 13-8 NWC) has put itself in good position to qualify for the 2025 NWC tournament, and perhaps still challenge for the conference title with one NWC series left on the schedule (May 3-4 at Whitman).
PLU (12-18, 6-12) took the lead when Rutger Youch led off the game with a home run.
The Pirates took control by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the third. Carson Coffield had a two-run single and Shipman hit a two-run home run in the rally.
The Lutes got one back in the fourth on Brody Phinney's solo home run and trimmed the margin to 7-4 in the sixth when Hayden Kaiser hit a two-run shot to right field.
Whitworth extended the lead to 11-4 with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Aidan Morrison drove in the first run with an RBI double and Coffield added an RBI single.
Aaron Barber hit a two-run shot in the top of the eighth, but the Pirates took advantage of some sloppy PLU defense to add two in the bottom of the eighth. Shipman had a sacrifice fly to drive in Whitworth's 13th run.
The Lutes scored four in the top of the ninth after two were out. Phinny had an RBI single and Jaden Pieper drove in two with a single to make it 13-10. PLU had the tying run at the plate when Seth Mahler struck out Kaiser to end the game.
PLU outhit Whitworth 12-10, but the Lutes committed four errors and gave up five unearned runs.
Quentin O'Connor (6-3) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings with four strikeouts to get the win. Nathaniel Kurano (two runs, one earned) threw 2.1 innings of relief.
Chris Moreno (1-4) took the loss after giving up seven runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk in 2.1 innings.
The Pirates will go out-of-conference next weekend with a four-game series at NCAA Division II Central Washington.
