Despite strong outings from hurlers Steve Johnson and Hunter Simpson, who combined to scatter seven hits over nine innings, the Whitman men's baseball opened its season with a 2-1 loss to Whitworth as the DIII Arizona Desert Classic got underway Friday amid wet and uncertain weather conditions in Chandler, Ariz.
With the game knotted at 1-1, Whitworth scored what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning. After Kyle Henderson drew a walk to open the inning, pinchrunner Dustin Frank took second on a sacrifice and sprinted home when Van Lierman singled behind the second base bag.
Whitman started a second game on Friday, but it was suspended by heavy rain in the top of the fourth inning with Nebraska's Hastings College holding a 5-0 lead over the Missionaries. Weather permitting, the game will resume Saturday.
Whitman also has games against Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound set for Saturday, although the original schedule is expected to change due to Friday's problems with wet fields and rain showers.
Johnson, a senior, tossed the first six and one-third innings in Friday's opener against Whitworth, surrendering six hits while striking out four. "He threw great," Whitman coach Casey Powell said. "He threw a lot of strikes, got ahead in the counts, and made good pitches when he needed them. I was very happy with the way he and Hunter threw the ball. If we get outings like that all the time from our starter and bullpen, we're going to do well."
Simpson, a freshman, walked three, fanned two and allowed just one hit in closing out the game.
After Whitworth tallied an unearned run in the first inning, Whitman evened the score at 1-1 in the third frame. Simpson walked, moved around to third base on a botched pick-off attempt and a Spencer Fox single, and then scooted home on another single by freshman Kramer Phillips.
Fox, a senior catcher, had a pair of singles. He also reached base when he was hit with a pitch.
Juniors J.D. Fischer and Simon Pollack also had singles for the Missionaries.
"The pitchers on both sides threw well," Powell said. "We did more good things than bad, but we made some little mistakes that cost us. We probably beat ourselves more than the other team beat us."
The weather forecast for Chandler calls for rain showers through the rest of the weekend. "They've already had a lot of rain this week, so it doesn't take much to see standing water on the fields," Powell said.
Playing its first game in the Jugs Baseball Spring Classic, the Whitman men's baseball team was no match for Linfield Friday evening, falling 12-0 in McMinnville, Ore. The Wildcats, who share the Northwest Conference title with eventual NCAA Div. III national champion George Fox, pounded out 10 hits against Whitman, which saw its early season record fall to 0-2. Linfield improved to 3-3 on the season.
The Missionaries managed just four hits on the day, one of them a fourth-inning double by junior first baseman J.D. Fischer. Fischer advanced to third base on a wild pitch but was left stranded there.
Sean Kinney, Drew Pearsall and Cole Smead had one single each for Whitman. Smead singled to open the second inning and moved to second base on an Andrew Shultz sacrifice. A wild pitch advanced Smead to third, where he was also left stranded.
Whitman continues its tournament play with two games on Saturday and then one more on Sunday.
J.D. Fischer's three-run double capped a five-run second inning to power the Whitman men's baseball team to a 7-5 victory over Central Washington University Saturday morning at the Jugs Baseball Spring Classic in McMinnville, Ore.
Matt Jungmann picked up the win on the mound, surviving a rocky first inning to throw seven strong innings. After giving up three runs on three hits in the top of the first, the junior right-hander scattered three hits and held Central Washington scoreless over the next six innings. With his team staked to a 7-3 lead, Jungmann was touched for an infield single to start the eighth frame and gave way to the Missionary bullpen.
With the help of an infield error, the Wildcats eventually pushed across two runs in the eighth to pull within 7-5 on the scoreboard. But Thomas Kost, Whitman's sophomore closer, retired Central Washington in order in ninth to seal the win.
Simon Pollack singled to ignite Whitman's five-run second inning. Pollack moved to second on Cole Smead's sacrifice and scored on a Spencer Fox single. Singles by freshman Brice Crayne and Andrew Shultz, sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt by freshman Chad Frisk, produced another run. After Sean Kinney walked to load the bases, Fischer cleared the sacks with a double to right field.
Whitman extended its lead to 6-3 with a run in the sixth inning when Frisk singled and scored on Kinney's double. The Missionaries tacked on a seventh run in the seventh frame. Drew Pearsall took second base on an infield single and error, advanced to third on Pollack's single, and scored on a double-play grounder.
Kinney had a perfect day at the plate for Whitman, collecting three hits and a base on balls. Pollack and Frisk each added two hits to Whitman's 13-hit attack.
Whitman jumped in front 4-1 after two innings, but a porous Missionary defense helped Portland's Concordia University rally for a 7-5 victory Saturday night at the Jugs Baseball Spring Classic in McMinnville, Ore.
The Missionaries committed four errors, two of which allowed Concordia to erase a 5-2 Whitman lead with three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cavaliers scored twice more in the eighth inning to complete its come-from-behind win.
Whitman took charge early, scoring three runs in the top of the first. After Sean Kinney led off with a single, J.D. Fischer clubbed his first home run of the season. The Missionaries added its third run when Cole Smead, striking out for what should have been the third out, reached first base when the third strike got past the Concordia catcher. Smead later scored on Mike Rathwell's single.
The Missionaries made it 4-1 with a single run in the second inning. Kinney led off again with a single and scored on Simon Pollack's double.
Whitman moved in front 5-2 with a run in the top of the sixth. After opening the inning with a base on balls, Chad Frisk stole second base with two outs and scored on Fischer's double.
Kinney, Fischer and Rathwell each finished with two hits.
Sophomore lefty Pat Johnston hurled the first seven-plus innings for the Missionaries. He gave up eight hits, two of which came before he was pulled in the top of the eighth inning.
Playing its fourth game in three days, Whitman pounded out 16 hits and scored eight runs Sunday afternoon against Western Baptist College in the Jugs Baseball Spring Classic in McMinnville, Ore. But a tired Missionary bullpen failed to hold a late lead as the Warriors pulled out a 9-8 victory.
Whitman plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to grab an 8-7 lead. Freshman Mike Rathwell capped the outburst with a two-run single. Earlier in the inning, Sean Kinney tripled in a run and then scored on J.D. Fischer's double to left field.
With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, an infield single and hit-batsman helped Western Baptist load the bases. After a second Warrior batter was hit by a pitch, forcing in the tieing run, what proved to be the winning run scored on a passed ball.
Whitman had its chances but failed to score in its final two at-bats. Fischer led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and moved to second on an Andrew Shultz sacrifice. A ground-out and flyball ended that threat.
The Missionaries loaded the bases after two were out in the ninth. Brice Crayne was hit by a pitch, Simon Pollack singled and Kinney reached first on an infield error. But Warrior reliever Jordan Emergy got the final out give Western Baptist the win.
Five pitchers, including starter Pat Thomas, worked off the hill for Whitman. Western Baptist tallied its nine runs on just eight hits, including two solo home runs.
Fischer sparked Whitman's offense with four hits in six trips to the plate. Kinney knocked in three runs with two hits. Kinney knocked in three runs with two hits, while Shultz, Pollack and freshman Kramer Phillips also had two hits each.
Whitman dropped both ends of a baseball twinbill Saturday afternoon at Borleske Stadium, falling 10-1 and 18-1 in games that opened the Northwest Conference Season for both teams.
In the opener, Missionary starter Steve Johnson held Pacific Lutheran hitless through the first three innings before surrendering an unearned run in the fourth. But the Lutes cranked their offense into high gear in the fifth, scoring seven runs, two of them unearned. Nathan Soete, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound first-baseman, triggered the outburst with a solo home run.
The only bright spot offensively for Whitman came courtesy of junior first-baseman J.D. Fischer's sixth-inning home run, his second of the season. Junior third-baseman Drew Pearsall rapped two singles for the Missionaries.
The second game was more of the same, as the Lutes used the big inning to break open the contest. Leading 3-1 after three innings, Pacific Lutheran exploded for nine runs in the fourth frame, capitalizing on six hits, three walks and a Missionary error.
Whitman's only run came in the third inning when freshman Kramer Phillips tripled and scored on Sean Kinney's single. Kinney and Phillips finished with two hits each for the Missionaries.
Pacific Lutheran scored six runs in the eighth inning to break open a close game and hand the Whitman men's baseball team a 10-3 Northwest Conference loss Sunday afternoon at Borleske Stadium. The win gave the visiting Lutes a weekend sweep of the three-game series, dropping Whitman to 1-7 on the season and 0-3 in conference play. Pacific Lutheran is 6-4 to start the season.
The Missionaries evened Sunday's game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first inning. After Sean Kinney and J.D. Fischer singled to start the inning, freshman Kramer Phillips singled with two outs to score Kinney.
Phillips cracked a run-scoring double in the fourth frame to give Whitman a short-lived 2-1 lead. Whitman's Simon Pollack had tripled ahead of Phillips.
Pacific Lutheran regained the lead in the top of the fifth, parlaying a base on balls, stolen base and three hits into a pair runs. The Lutes added an unearned run in the seventh inning to make it 4-2.
Whitman's Pat Johnston, a senior right-hander, kept the Missionaries in the game with six-plus innings of effective relief. After issuing a lead-off walk in the top of the eighth, however, Johnston was pulled and the Lutes pushed across six runs on five hits.
Whitman plated its final run in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Shultz doubled and scored on a fielder's choice.
Phillips and Kinney led Whitman's attack with two hits each. Drew Pearsall also doubled for the Missionaries.
Whitman returns to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts Eastern Oregon in a non-conference game.
Scoring twice on wild pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Whitman men's baseball team pulled out an 8-7 non-conference victory over Eastern Oregon University Wednesday night at Borleske Stadium.
The victory gives Whitman a 2-7 season record headed into a three-game Northwest Conference series this weekend at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. Wednesday's loss drops Eastern Oregon to 5-9 on the season.
Senior Sean Kinney drew a base on balls and stole second base to ignite Whitman's ninth-inning rally. With one out, junior Simon Pollack singled and freshman Hunter Simpson walked to load the bases. With freshman pinch hitter Chad Frisk at the plate, Kinney scored the tying run on the inning's first wild pitch.
After Frisk was intentionally walked to reload the bases, Eastern Oregon hurler Michael Windle fanned his second batter of the inning to push the game to the brink of extra innings. But with Whitman freshman Luke Marshall batting, Windle uncorked his second wild pitch of the night to send home Pollack with the winning run.
Sophomore Thomas Kost, the seventh Missionary pitcher of the night, hurled a hitless top of the night to pick up the victory.
Whitman managed just six hits in the game, including Pollack's two-run homer in the first inning, but the Missionaries also benefited from nine walks, two hit batters and three Eastern Oregon errors. Pollack was two for three at the plate with a walk. Senior right fielder Andrew Shultz, hitting in the lead-off spot, also had two hits and a walk.
Eastern Oregon took charge early, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, but Whitman scored three times in the bottom of the frame. After junior J.D. Fischer's two-out double scored one run, Pollack clubbed his first home of the season.
With the Mountaineers leading 7-3, Whitman scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the game close. Junior Drew Pearsall walked, Shultz singled and Kinney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After Fischer walked to force home one run, Simpson doubled home two runs with two outs. Simpson also pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, striking out four while giving up just one hit.
Freshman Keali'i Forsberg and junior Adam Maldonado also made solid contributions to Whitman's bullpen effort. Both pitchers tossed an inning of scoreless relief.
With senior right-hander Steve Johnson hurling seven innings of shutout ball and junior J.D. Fischer cracking his third home run of the season, the Whitman men's baseball team posted a 7-4 victory over Pacific in the opener of a Northwest Conference twinbill Saturday afternoon in Forest Grove, Ore.
The Missionaries nearly pulled off a sweep in game two, finally losing 8-7 after surrendering single runs in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings.
The split leaves Whitman with records of 3-8 on the season and 1-4 in the NWC. Pacific is 7-6 and 2-3. The two teams complete their weekend series with a single game at noon Sunday.
In Saturday's opener, Johnson scattered five hits in his seven-inning stint, striking out four while walking one. With Whitman leading 6-0, Pacific rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth. But sophomore Thomas Kost, Whitman's third pitcher, got the final six outs to nail down the victory.
Whitman plated its first two runs with two outs in the top of the first inning. After senior Sean Kinney walked, Fischer ripped a two-run shot over the center field fence. The next two Missionary runs came with two outs in the third inning. After Kinney and Fischer walked and moved up a base on a Pacific throwing error, junior Simon Pollack knocked home both runners with a single to right field.
Junior Drew Pearsall's two-run double in the sixth frame staked Whitman to a 6-0 lead. Pacific rallied to within 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth, but the Missionaries tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Kinney reached on a bunt single, moved to second base on a ground-out, and scored on freshman Hunter Simpson's single.
Pacific grabbed the early advantage in game two, scoring three runs, two of them unearned, in the first inning. Whitman bounced back to take the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth. After Kinney and freshman Kramer Phillips singled, Fischer was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pollack's fielder's choice scored one run and Simpson's sacrifice fly plated another. After Pearsall singled and freshman Mike Rathwell walked to reload the bases, freshman Bryce Crane slapped a two-run single to right field.
The Boxers jumped back in front, 6-4, with three runs in the fifth inning. But the Missionaries rallied for a 7-6 lead with three runs in the sixth. Pollack doubled to ignite the comeback, moved to third on Simpson's single, and scored on Pearsall's sacrifice bunt. Crayne's double and a single by Phillips scored the final two runs.
Pacific evened the score at 7-7 in the eighth, scoring the tying run courtesy of a hit batter, stolen base, wild pitch and single up the middle. The Boxers then won the game in the ninth on Cedric Steinshouer's lead-off home run to center field.
Sophomore Pat Johnston tossed the first five innings for Whitman, giving up six runs on eight hits. Only two of those runs earned.
A ninth-inning comeback bid fell just a little short as the Whitman men's baseball team dropped a 5-4 Northwest Conference decision to Pacific Sunday afternoon in Forest Grove, Ore. The Missionaries, losing by a run for the second time in two days, slipped to 1-5 in the NWC and 3-9 overall. Pacific raised its record to 3-3 in conference and 8-6 on the season.
With Pacific leading 5-3 in the top of the ninth, Whitman's Cole Smead singled, took second on an Andrew Shultz single and scored when freshman Kramer Phillips singled to right-center field. After Sean Kinney reached on a bunt single to load the bases, the Missionaries had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. But Pacific reliever Derek Haner got the next two outs to defuse the Whitman rally.
Matt Jungmann started on the mound for the Missionaries and turned in a strong effort, scattering eight hits over seven and two-thirds of an inning. Jungmann was touched for five runs, only one of them earned due to a handful of Whitman errors.
The Missionaries scored three runs in the first inning to take the early lead. After Phillips doubled and Kinney singled with one out, Fischer poked an RBI-single to center. Simon Pollack and Drew Pearsall followed with two more run- scoring singles.
Pacific evened the slate with three unearned runs in the third inning. With two outs, a Missionary fielding error and base on balls put two runners on board for Aaron Svarthumle, who homered to right field.
Another Whitman two-out error in the fourth frame led to another Pacific run and 4-3 lead for the home team. Matt Hendryx homered in the seventh to give the Boxers a 5-3 lead.
Kinney finished with three hits for the Missionaries, who out-hit Pacific 12-8. Pearsall, Phillips and Smead had two hits each.
The Missionaries return home to host George Fox in a three-game series next week.
Defending national champion George Fox pounded out 27 hits and collected 16 walks en route to sweeping a pair of Northwest Conference games from Whitman Sunday afternoon at Borleske Stadium. The Bruins took the opener 10-1 and won the nightcap by a 15-6 margin.
George Fox takes a 12-6 season, which includes a 6-2 mark in the NWC, into the series finale at noon Monday at Borleske. The Missionaries are 3-11 overall and 1-7 in conference play.
Whitman held the early advantage in Sunday's second game, leading 1-0 after four innings. Freshman Brice Crayne got the Missionaries on the board, leading off the third inning with a single, taking second on freshman Luke Marshall's sacrifice bunt, and later scoring on Sean Kinney's RBI-groundout.
Sophomore lefty Pat Johnston started on the mound for the Missionaries, holding George Fox scoreless through the first four innings while scattering three singles. A base on balls and infield error, however, opened the floodgates for seven Bruin runs in the fifth inning.
Whitman rallied in the bottom of the fifth, rapping six hits while scoring four runs to narrow its deficit to 7-5. Singles by Marshall, freshman Kramer Phillips and Kinney produced the first run. After junior Simon Pollack singled to load the bases, freshman Hunter Simpson doubled home three runs.
George Fox pulled away with four runs in the top of the seventh. The Bruins capitalized on four walks, two hits, a fielding error and hit-batsman.
With Kinney ripping four hits, including a first-inning triple, Whitman outhit George Fox 18-15 in the second game. But while four Missionary hurlers were walking 10 batters and hitting three others, four George Fox pitchers issued just one free pass.
Simpson and senior Andrew Shultz contributed three hits each for Whitman. Both players smacked a two-bagger. Phillips and Pollack added two hits apiece.
George Fox jumped in front 10-1 after six innings of game one. Derrick Jones, last week's NWC Pitcher of the Week, hurled the first seven innings for the Bruins, holding Whitman to three hits while fanning nine.
Whitman's Adam Maldonado, a junior left-hander, turned in a strong relief effort, giving up just one hit and one unearned run over the final 3.2 innings. With a pair of doubles, junior first-baseman J.D. Fischer had two of Whitman's four hits.
Daniel Downs and C.R. Braniff had career days at the plate Monday afternoon, sparking George Fox to a 27-2 Northwest Conference baseball victory over Whitman at Borleske Stadium.
Downs, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore outfielder, rapped hits in six of his seven at-bats, collecting nine RBI on the day. Downs smacked a two-run double in the second inning, clubbed a three-run homer in the sixth frame, and then added his fifth round-tripper of the season -- a two-run shot -- in the seventh inning.
Braniff, a junior second baseman, was a perfect five for five, knocking in five runs and scoring five more. Braniff, who poked two doubles and three singles, raised his team-leading batting average to .444.
Whitman picked up its two runs in the fifth inning when senior Sean Kinney walked in front of junior J.D. Fischer's fourth home run of the season. Senior Andrew Shultz and junior Simon Pollack had two hits apiece for the Missionaries.
Kinney, who had one hit in three official at-bats (he walked twice), finished the day hitting .397 on the season. Freshman Kramer Phillips, who was one for two plus a walk, is hitting .395 on the season.
George Fox broke the game open with seven unearned runs in the second inning. All seven runs scored after a two-out Missionary fielding error.
The Bruins amassed 28 hits in all. Drew Johnson, Dan Wentzell and Marc Mason each had three hits for George Fox, which upped its record to 7-2 in the NWC and 13-6 overall.
Whitman, now 3-12 and 1-8, heads to western Oregon later this week to play a three-game series at Linfield. A twinbill is set for noon Friday, followed by a single game at noon Saturday.
Linfield bunched six of its eight hits in the third and fifth innings, scoring all of its runs, en route to a 6-0 Northwest Conference baseball victory over Whitman Thursday evening in McMinnville, Ore.
The game, played on a soggy field and originally scheduled for Saturday, was moved to Thursday to avoid a forecast for rain over the weekend. Weather permitting, the two teams are slated to play a doubleheader starting at noon Friday.
Linfield, a defending NWC co-champion, raised its record to 15-5 overall and 5- 2 in conference. Whitman is 3-13 and 1-9.
The Wildcats grabbed a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on a base on balls, single, RBI-double and two-run home run. Linfield added a pair of unearned runs in the fifth, aided by two Missionary errors.
Two Linfield pitchers combined to shut out Whitman on five hits. Missionary center fielder Sean Kinney, who had two of those hits, also walked once.
Linfield, a defending co-champion of the Northwest Conference, stayed in the hunt for this year's baseball title by sweeping a pair of games from Whitman Friday afternoon in McMinnville, Ore. The Wildcats won the opener 16-2 and took the nightcap 9-1.
The Wildcats improved to 17-5 on the season and 7-2 in the NWC. Whitman slipped to 3-15 and 1-11.
Linfield scored seven times in the first three innings to take charge of game one. Whitman scored its two runs in the third frame when senior Sean Kinney rapped a two-out, two-run single. Alex Justus started on the mound for the Wilcats, throwing seven innings to run his record to 6-0.
In game two, junior J.D. Fischer had two of Whitman's four hits. The Missionaries avoided the shutout when freshman Kramer Phillips walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on junior Cole Smead's double.
Whitman travels to Ellensburg, Wash., Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference game with Central Washington. Earlier this season, Whitman beat Central 7-5.
The Missionaries host Whitworth next weekend for a three-game NWC series, starting with a noon twinbill on Saturday, April 2.
Avenging an early season loss to the Missionaries, Central Washington rolled to an 18-9 non-conference baseball victory over Whitman Wednesday afternoon in Ellensburg, Wash.
The win gives Central Washington a 15-10 record on the season. Whitman dropped to 3-16 overall.
Whitman jumped to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when senior Sean Kinney reached on a bunt single, took third on a single by freshman Kramer Phillips and scored on junior J.D. Fischer's single to right field. Central Washington struck back in a hurry, however, scoring seven times in its half of the inning. The Wildcats sent 12 batters to the plate, with senior Ryan Rockhill belting a two-run homer and an RBI-sacrifice fly.
Whitman closed the gap to 7-3 with two runs in the top of the second. With two outs, freshman Luke Marshall singled and Kinney walked, setting the stage for Kramer to double home both runners.
The Wildcats made it 10-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the two sides traded runs the rest of the way. In the Whitman fifth, Fischer doubled and senior Andrew Shultz walked. Freshman Brice Crayne singled home Fischer and Shultz scored on a throwing error. Three more Wildcats errors in the sixth frame paved the way for two more Whitman runs, one of which scored on freshman Hunter Simpson's RBI-ground out.
In the Missionary seventh inning, Marshall reached on an error, moved up to second when Kinney drew his second base on balls of the game, and scored on a Phillips single, his third hit of the game. In the eighth, freshman Mike Rathwell's one-out fly ball to center field scored Whitman's final run. Walks by junior Cole Smead and Crayne, sandwiched around a Shultz single up the middle, set the table.
With his three hits, Phillips upped his batting average to .356, second-best on the team. Kinney's two hits raised his average to .397. In his four at-bats, Marshall had a pair of hits and a base on balls, and he scored three runs.
Whitman returns to Northwest Conference action this weekend when it hosts Whitworth in a three-game series at Borleske Stadium. Saturday's twinbill begins at noon. A Sunday single game is set for noon Sunday.
J.D. Fischer belted his fifth home run of the season but the Whitman offense struggled overall as the Missionaries dropped both ends of a Northwest Conference double-header, 10-5 and 6-2, to Whitworth Saturday afternoon.
Whitman drops to 3-18 overall and 1-13 in the NWC. Meanwhile, the Pirates improve to 10-9 on the year, with a 5-6 conference mark.
Whitman, trying to avenge its season-opening loss to Whitworth in Arizona, played the Pirates close in the first game until the middle innings. Starter Pat Thomas had limited Whitworth to one run until Caleb Reaber's two-run triple knocked him out of the game in the fifth inning. The visitors exploded for seven runs in the next three innings to take charge. Whitman mounted a late charge, including Fischer's solo shot in the eighth, and three runs in the ninth, but it just wasn't enough.
Whitman's offense couldn't do much for starting pitcher Pat Johnston in the second match-up, who tossed a strong 8.3 innings. After falling behind 3-0 on an RBI-single by Dustin Frank, Johnston settled himself and pitched three scoreless innings before giving up a two-run blast to Whitworth's Kyle Snell in the top of the eight. Simon Pollack, who was 3-4 for Whitman, had an RBI- single in the Missionary eighth, as did freshman Chad Frisk.
The two teams play the final game of the series Sunday at noon at Borleske Stadium.
Unleashing 14 hits, including three home runs, Whitworth rolled to a 20-5 Northwest Conference victory over Whitman Sunday afternoon at Borleske Stadium.
Whitman slipped to 3-19 on the season and 1-14 in the Northwest Conference. Whitworth moved to 11-9 on the year and 6-6 in conference.
The Missionaries took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on consecutive singles by freshman Chad Frish, senior Sean Kinney and junior J.D. Fischer. But two home runs by Whitworth put the Pirates in charge 5-1 headed to the bottom of the third inning, when the Missionaries added their second run on singles by junior Simon Pollack and Kinney.
Whitworth made it 8-2 in the top of the fourth and then blew the game wide open with eight runs in seventh. Whitman plated its final three runs in the bottom of the eighth. After Frisk walked and Fischer doubled, senior Andrew Shultz singled home both runners. Shultz later scored on junior Cole Smead's double.
Fischer finished the day with three hits in five trips to plate. His first-inning RBI gives him a team-high 20 for the season. Kinney had two hits, upping his team-best batting average to .393.
Whitman hits the home diamond again this Wednesday when it faces Central Washington. The twinbill begins at 4 p.m. at Borleske Stadium.
Flexing the muscle that comes with being an NCAA Div. II school, Central Washington cruised to a pair of lopsided non-conference victories over the Whitman baseball team Wednesday night at Borleske Stadium. After winning the opener 24-1 in nine innings, the Wildcats took the nightcap 13-3 in seven innings.
Central Washington wasted little in rolling up the score in game one, jumping in front 10-0 after three innings and eventually scoring in every frame except the sixth. Whitman scored its lone run in the bottom of the ninth. After seniors Andrew Shultz and Spencer Fox walked, junior Cole Smead rapped an RBI-single. Shultz and senior Sean Kinney each had two hits in the game.
Game two was much more competitive. Whitman freshman Mike Rathwell singled home a run in the bottom of the third inning, trimming Central's lead to 3-1. Junior Simon Pollack and freshman Hunter Simpson singled ahead of Rathwell.
After the Wildcats extended their lead to 7-1 after four innings, Whitman countered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. After Smead was hit by a pitch, freshman Kramer Phillips tripled him home. Phillips then scored on Kinney's RBI-groundout. Simpson finished with two hits in three trips to the plate.
Central widened its lead in its last at-bat, scoring six times.
Whitman takes this weekend off before resuming Northwest Conference action April 16-17 with a three-game series at Willamette in Salem, Ore.
Shaking off a long rain delay, Hunter Simpson hurled Whitman to a 3-2 complete game victory over Willamette Sunday afternoon in Salem, Ore. The freshman right-hander limited the Wildcats to seven hits, six of them singles, while striking out five and walking three.
With Whitman leading 2-1, the game was halted a few pitches into the bottom of the sixth inning. After a rain delay of 92 minutes, Willamette capitalized on an infield hit, base on balls, wild pitch and RBI ground-out to even the score at 2-2 in the sixth.
Whitman regained the lead with a run in the top of the ninth. With one out, senior Andrew Shultz beat out a bunt single and continued to second base on the pitcher's throwing error. With two outs, junior Drew Pearsall singled through the left side to score Schultz.
Simpson then pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth. With runners at the corners and one out, Willamette bunted into a game-ending double play. Whitman first-baseman J.D. Fischer caught the bunt attempt in the air and then tossed to third to double off the runner.
Whitman scored its first two runs in the fourth inning. After junior Simon Pollack doubled and Shultz walked, freshman Mike Rathwell loaded the bases with an infield hit. Pearsall then singled to left field to plate two runners.
Shultz and Pearsall each had a pair of singles for the Missionaries. Pollack also had two hits.
Whitman saw its hopes for a second straight win dashed as Eastern Oregon scored five times in the eighth inning to rally past the Missionaries 6-4 Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference baseball game in La Grande, Ore.
The victory snapped Eastern Oregon's 19-game losing streak, making the Mountaineers 7-29 on the season. The Missionaries, who snapped their own 16-game skid with a win on Sunday, are now 4-24 on the year.
Whitman jumped to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when senior Andrew Shultz reached on an infield single, scooted all the way to third base on junior Cole Smead's sacrifice bunt, and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Kramer Phillips.
Whitman extended its lead to 4-0 with three runs in the third frame. Freshman Brice Crayne doubled to open the inning and moved to third on freshman Luke Marshall's single to center. Crayne was thrown out at home on a subsequent ground ball, but Marshall scored on an Eastern Oregon throwing error. Phillips then laced a two-run single into center field.
Meanwhile, senior Steve Johnson shut out the Mountaineers on three hits through the first five innings. Junior Adam Maldonado tossed the next two innings, surrendering one run on three hits.
Whitman's late-inning pitching woes continued, however, as Eastern Oregon roughed up the Missionary bullpen in the eighth inning, taking advantage of three walks and three base hits to score five runs, moving in front 6-4.
In the top of the ninth, Whitman threatened when senior Sean Kinney led off with a single and freshman Chad Frisk walked. Junior Drew Pearsall bunted both runners into scoring position, but Eastern Oregon reliever Jered Evans got the next two outs to nail down the victory.
Marshal finished the game with two hits in three trips to the plate.
Whitman returns to Northwest Conference action this weekend when it hosts Lewis & Clark in a three-game series at Borleske Stadium. A twinbill is set for noon Saturday, followed by a third game at noon Sunday. The games are Whitman's final home contests of the season.
The bats came alive as Whitman scored a total of 20 runs in splitting a Northwest Conference twinbill with Lewis & Clark Saturday afternoon at Borleske Stadium. The Missionaries won the opener 15-10 before falling to the Pioneers 12-5 in the second game.
The split left Whitman with records of 5-25 overall record and 3-17 mark in conference.The visiting Pioneers move to 9-25-1 on the season and 1-21 in the NWC.
Whitman's offensive barrage in the first game saw five players collect two or more RBI. The Missionaries trailed early, falling behind 5-2 headed into their break-out sixth inning. That's when Lewis & Clark starting pitcher Tyler Smit collapsed as two hit-batsmen, two walks and three errors contributed to seven Whitman runs. Reliever Scott Brown surrendered the final four runs -- including one on freshman Hunter Simpson's sacrifice fly and two on a double by senior Andrew Shultz.
Whitman extended its lead to 13-5 with four more runs in the seventh. Senior Sean Kinney and freshman Kramer Phillips both singled and swiped a base to get the inning going. After a one-hour rain-and-lightening delay, Kinney scored from third base on a balk and junior Simon Pollack crushed his second home run of the season. Then, with two outs, Simpson singled, stole second and scored on junior Drew Pearsall's single.
Whitman plated its final two runs in the eighth. Junior J.D. Fisher and Simpson both rapped RBI-singles in the inning. Down 15-6, Lewis & Clark scored four times in the top of the ninth to complete the scoring.
Shultz finished with three hits and three RBI to pace Whitman's 14-hit attack. Pollack had a perfect yet somewhat painful game at the plate, getting plunked by pitches three times while combining two hits and a walk in his other three at-bats. Pollack scored three runs and knocked in three.
Fischer also had three RBI, while Kramer scored three times. Both players had two hits.
Senior Steve Johnson got the win on the mound for the Missionaries, taking over for senior starter Pat Thomas with one out in the fifth inning. Freshman Thomas Kost got the final outs to nail down the win.
In game two, Pollack cracked his second home run of the day, and third of the season, in the fourth inning to knot the score at 1-1. After Lewis & Clark jumped back in front with three runs in the top of fifth, the Missionaries countered with two tallies in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, freshman Mike Rathwell singled and scored on junior Cole Smead's double. Phillips then doubled home Smead to make it 4-3 Lewis & Clark.
The Pioneers added three more runs in the top of the sixth to lead 7-3. The Missionaries rallied with two runs in the eighth inning. Kinney led off with a double and later scored on Simpson's sacrifice fly. Pollack, who drew a base on balls after Kinney's double, stole second base and scored on freshman Brice Crane's single.
Lewis & Clark put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth, however, scoring five runs on four hits and two walks.
Freshman Hunter Simpson won his second consecutive start, checking the opposition on just two earned runs through seven and one-third innings, as Whitman edged Lewis & Clark 4-3 in Northwest Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at Borleske Stadium.
And for the second Sunday in a row, junior Drew Pearsall had the game-winning hit for the Missionaries.
As the designated hitter, Simpson helped his own cause at the plate, smacking a seventh-inning double and later scoring what proved to be the winning run. In Whitman's two-run third inning, Simpson was hit by a pitch and scored.
In his seven-plus innings on the mound, Simpson scattered eight singles while striking out four and walking four. Sophomore Thomas Kost relieved Simpson with one out and two runners aboard in the top of the eighth. One of those runners scored, trimming the Missionary lead to 4-3.
Kost had no difficulty protecting that lead in the ninth, getting three quick infield outs.
After Lewis & Clark scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning, Whitman wasted a scoring opportunity of its own in the bottom of the first, failing to score after loading the bases with no outs.
Missionary frustrations mounted in the second frame, when they failed to score despite three singles and a base on balls. Whitman busted through for two runs in the third, however. Junior Simon Pollack walked, stole second and, after Simpson was hit by a pitch, scored on a single by Andrew Shultz. Simpson then scored on Pearsall's single.
Whitman upped its lead to 3-1 with a run in the fourth. Freshman Kramer Phillips singled, swiped second and scored when Simpson's groundball to third base was misplayed for a two-base error.
After Lewis & Clark trimmed its deficit to 3-2 with a run in the fifth inning, Simpson helped give himself some breathing room in the seventh. He led off with a double, took third on a Shultz single and scored on Pearsall's sacrifice fly.
Pearsall had the game-winning hit a week ago when Whitman edged Willamette 3-2 behind Simpson's complete-game pitching effort. That outing earned Simpson Pitcher of the Week honors in the NWC.
In Sunday's game, Shultz paced Whitman's 12-hit attack with three hits in four trips to the plate. Pearsall, Phillips and senior Spencer Fox each had two hits.
Now 6-25 on the season and 4-17 in the NWC, Whitman closes out its season next weekend with a three-game set at Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.
After splitting a pair of Northwest Conference baseball games Saturday, Whitman College and Puget Sound will take their battle for seventh place to the final game of the season Sunday afternoon in Tacoma.
Senior Pat Thomas hurled Whitman to a 6-3 victory in Saturday's opener before Puget Sound took the nightcap 4-3 in 10 innings. The split left both teams with 5-18 NWC records headed into Sunday's season finale.
Slowed by shoulder problems all spring, Thomas tossed eight and two-thirds innings in the first game to pick up the win. He limited the Loggers to just one run through eight innings and missed his shot at a complete-game victory after allowing a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. Sophomore Thomas Kost got the final out in relief to notch his fourth save of the season.
Whitman jumped in front with two runs in the third inning, made it 3-0 in the third, and then pushed its lead to 6-1 in the fifth. Hitting lead-off, senior Sean Kinney rapped a pair of hits and knocked in a run. Juniors J.D. Fischer and Simon Pollack each collected two RBI. Pollack stroked a double, as did juniors Drew Pearsall and Cole Smead.
The Missionaries fell behind 3-0 in game two but rallied with a run in the fourth and two more in the eighth to even the score at 3-3. Senior Steve Johnson turned in a fine relief effort, taking over in the fourth inning and shutting out the Loggers on two hits through the ninth inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, a single and hit-batsman gave the Loggers runners at first and second with no one out. After Puget Sound's Brent Weidenbach dropped down a quality bunt, Johnson and Pearsall failed to make connections on attempted force-out at third. The runner rounded third on the play and scored the winning run.
Freshman designated hitter Hunter Simpson paced Whitman's offense with a double, single and one RBI. Senior Andrew Shultz added a pair of singles.
Closing out the season in rousing fashion, Whitman whacked Puget Sound pitching for 20 hits in posting a 10-8 Northwest Conference victory Sunday afternoon in Tacoma, Wash. By taking two of three games from the Loggers over the weekend, the Missionaries finished in seventh place in the final standings with a 6-18 NWC record. Puget Sound slipped to eighth place, finishing at 5-19 in conference play.
Whitman won five of its final eight games to end the season with an 8-26 mark overall.
Junior first-baseman J.D. Fischer sparked Sunday's outburst at the plate, collecting four hits in six trips and two RBI. Senior shortstop Sean Kinney had three hits in six plate appearances to win his third consecutive team batting title. Kinney finished among the NWC leaders with a .381 batting average.
Senior Andrew Shultz also continued his late-season hitting surge, belting three hits Sunday to raise his batting average to .295.
Puget Sound jumped in front 3-0 after Sunday's first two innings. Whitman evened the slate in the top of the third inning by scoring three two-out runs. Junior Drew Pearsall was hit by a pitch and Kinney singled to set the stage. After junior Simon Pollack singled in one run, Fischer singled in two more.
The Loggers scored twice in the bottom of the third to lead 5-3, but the Missionaries bounced right back with two more runs in the top of the fourth. Shultz singled to open the frame, took second on senior Spencer Fox's sacrifice bunt, and advanced to third base on Pearsall's single throught the left side of the infield. After Shultz scored on a Puget Sound error, freshman Kramer Phillips doubled home another run to make 5-5.
Whitman extended its lead to 10-5 with two runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth. Puget Sound countered with three runs in its half of the eighth, chasing Whitman starter Hunter Simpson, but sophomore Thomas Kost got the five five outs to close out the victory. Simpson got the win, his third victory in his last three starts.
In Whitman's seventh inning, Fischer led off with a single and was erased at second base when Simpson reached on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Fox singled to center, sending Simpson to third. Pearsall and freshman Luke Marshall followed with back-to-back RBI-singles.
In the Missionary eighth, Phillips singled, Pollack was hit by a pitch and Fischer singled to load the bases. All three runners eventually scored, thanks to RBI-singles by Simpson and Shultz.
Four Missionaries ended the game with two hits each: Phillips, Pollack, Pearsall and Marshall. Every batter in the Whitman line-up had at least one hit. Phillips finished second in the team batting race, hitting .330 on the season. Fischer, who led the Missionaries in home runs with five and RBI with 30, hit .292. Pollack's final season batting average was .290.