Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 TUCSON, Ariz. – The Whitman College baseball team traveled south for the weekend to play in the Tucson Invitational. In the day's first game Whitman squared off against Marian University in a game that was played under protest, the Missionaries fell 6-5. However, after review, the protest was upheld and ruled in favor of Whitman. The game resumed play Sunday at 11:30 a.m. beginning in the top of the ninth and the score tied 5-5. The Missionaries were unable to get on the board in the ninth and in the bottom half of the inning Marian scored, capping off the 6-5 win for the Pipers. The second game was lopsided in favor of Whitman. The Missionaries jumped all over Hamline University collecting a 17-5 win.
 
The second game of the day was dominated from start to finish by the Missionaries. Joseph Zimmer stayed hot going 3-for-6 with four RBIs in the contest. Senior, Paul Heywood had a game to remember, contributing four hits and five RBIs on a double and homerun. Adrian Vela was 3-for-5 in the contest with two RBIs and Jake Wishart, Tyler Lewis, Court Osborn, and Cole Edwards all collected two hits apiece.
 
Whitman jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings of play. Heywood got the team rolling with a two-out RBI single to right center in the first. Hamline inched back into the game with one run in the 5th making the score 4-1. The Missionaries responded in the bottom half of the fifth; with runners on first and second and one out, Thrun drove a double down the left field line to score Wishart. Two batters later, Edwards singled sharply to right field which drove in Heywood. Osborn followed suit with a single of his own to bring Rainsford home. Zimmer then capped the stellar fifth inning with a 2-RBI single to left.
 
Whitman put the game away in the eight using their big bats. Zimmer doubled off of the left field wall and Heywood launched a three-run homerun to left-center as the Missionaries added four more runs in the inning. The strong offensive performance was the difference in the game that saw the Missionaries run off with a 17-5 win.
 
Robert Maislin got the starting nod in game one. He threw six innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits, but also collected seven strikeouts in the process. Zimmer had an astounding day at the plate, where he went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs. Designated hitter, Nick Johnson also contributed a big bat as he collected two hits, two RBIs and a run.
 
Marian jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Whitman got on the board shortly thereafter, cutting the Pipers' lead to one in the top of the second. A big fourth inning propelled the Missionaries to a 4-2 lead. After Zimmer singled into center field and advanced to second on a ground out by Milo Mincin, Johnson brought him home for the first run of the inning. Jasper Crusberg reached on a single later in the inning and an error by Marian's center fielder allowed both Johnson and Crusberg to cross home plate.
 
After adding another run the top of the fifth, Whitman held a 5-2 advantage and was in a good position to pick up the win. After Zimmer doubled to left-center and advanced to third on a pass ball, Mincin grounded out to short, but was still able to score Zimmer. In each the fifth, sixth and eighth innings the Pipers scored a run and slowly climbed back into the game. The run in the bottom half of the eighth tied the game 5-5 as the game entered the final inning of action in a deadlock.
 
After going scoreless in the top of the ninth, Whitman was unable to keep Marian from crossing the plate. The Pipers led off the inning with a walk. The runner advanced to second on an error and then scored on a single to left field.
 
Whitman plays again on Sunday against Bethany Lutheran College in a double-header contest at the Tucson Invitational.