WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Although Whitman College hosted Willamette University for a double-header Sunday, only the early game was counted as a Northwest Conference matchup. After a 12-inning battle, the Whits emerged victorious. After falling behind by two in the top of the 12th, Whitman rallied, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning and sealing the 7-6 win.
 
After back-to-back hits to lead off the 12th, Willamette walked two batters which cut the Whitman deficit to one. With two outs, Joseph Zimmer connected on a fastball and sent it to down the left field line, scoring Court Osbourne and Adrian Vela for the game-winner.
 
The game went back and forth for a good part of the day. The Missionaries grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning and extended that lead to three later in the 4th. The Bearcats cut the lead to two in the top of the 5th and then used a two run rally in the 6th to tie the game 3-3.
 
Whitman wasted little time regaining the lead as Zimmer scored on a single by Milo Mincin after starting the inning with a double. Willamette scored on a wild pitch in the eighth inning that tied the game again at four apiece. That is where the score would sit until the 12th when the Whits closed the gap on a two-run deficit.
 
Vela and Zimmer both went 2-for-5 in the game, Vela accounting for an RBI and the game-winning run while Zimmer contributed a run and the game-winning RBI. Pitcher Henry Lin got the start for the Whits and threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs in the process. Whitman used four other pitchers on the night and ended with Patrick Stanton, who collected the win on the night.
 
The second game saw similar action, but with Willamette taking first blood in the top of the first. Whitman answered with a run in each the first and second and took the lead back from the Bearcats. In the top of the 5th inning, Willamette scored three runs and gave itself somewhat of a cushion heading into the last innings.
 
In the top of the 5th the Bearcats added two more and pushed their lead to four. The Missionaries were unable to answer, falling in the final game of the double-header 6-3. While splitting the four-game weekend 2-2 with Willamette, Whitman took the NWC series two games to one.
 
The Missionaries will travel to Whitworth next weekend to a double-header Saturday and a single game Sunday in Spokane, Wash.