WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitman College's baseball team came out on the wrong end of a Northwest Conference doubleheader against visiting Whitworth University Saturday afternoon at Borleske Stadium, falling to the Pirates 8-1 in Game 1 before dropping a 29-6 decision in the nightcap. First-year shortstop Adrian Vela clubbed his first collegiate home run in the opener then scored two runs in Game 2 for the Missionaries.

Whitman (1-8, 0-5 NWC) and Whitworth (7-3, 2-0) close a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Borleske with a single game slated for a noontime start.

Starting pitcher Robert Maislin (1-1) had a strong outing for Whitman in Game 1, tossing six innings for the M's and surrendering only two earned runs plus one unearned tally on six hits and three walks while fanning six. He gave way to Garrett Atkinson to start the seventh but Atkinson had a tough two innings in relief as Whitworth was able to break open a 3-1 game with five runs, including a pair of unearned markers.

The Pirates scored an early run off Maislin following one of his few mistakes, a one-out walk issued to Dalton Carter. A stolen base moved Carter up to second where he was able to race all the way home on a single to right field by Joshua Davis.,Davis factored into Whitworth's second run off Maislin when in the third Davis scored from third on a wild pitch.

The unearned run off Maislin came in the top of the sixth to push Whitworth's lead to 3-0 but Vela bashed a one-out serving from Pirates starter Dan Scheibe over the left field wall to cut the lead to two runs on Vela's first home run as a Missionary.

Two runs in the top of the eighth and three more in the ninth padded Whitworth's cushion and reliever Carson Blumenthal was able to finish the job for Scheibe as he only surrendered a walk to Anthony Lim in the bottom of the eighth and a walk to Peter Charmichael in the ninth.

Game 2 looked like it had the makings of a runs-fest early on as each team scored a run in the first, Whitworth added two more in the top of the second frame with Whitman responding with a run of its own in the bottom half, an the Pirates adding three more in the third followed by two more Missionaries runs in the back half of the inning.

The problem for Whitman was that Whitworth's scoring didn't stop while the Missionaries' bats cooled off. In all Whitworth struck for 29 runs off 30 hits against five different Whitman pitchers.

The Missionaries' Paul Heywood was a difficult out for Pirates pitchers in the nightcap as he rapped out a 3-for-4 game and scored twice. Vela scored two runs as well, reaching base both times before scoring on Whitworth fielding errors.

Whitman starter John Lyon (0-2) took the loss while Whitworth reliever T.J. Orchard picked up the win after coming in for starter Nick Scourey with two outs gone in the fourth inning.

Pirates starter Dan Scheibe (3-0) remained unbeaten on the year with his Game 1 victory against a hard-luck Maislin.
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