WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitman College played Linfield College tight Saturday afternoon in an extra inning, game two battle that ended with the Wildcats prevailing 6-3. After dropping game one 8-4, it seemed the Whits were going to collect a comeback win in game two, unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
 
Anthony Lim and Adrian Vela led Whitman offensively throughout the afternoon, each collecting four hits at the plate. Vela added three RBIs to his stat line and they both hit home runs, though in different games. Patrick Stanton hit well in game one where he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Paul Heywood was 2-for-4 with a run during game one.
 
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning of game one, Whitman bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the second. Lim tied the game with a solo home run in his first at bat of the afternoon, sending a fastball over the left field wall. Later in the inning Stanton singled to right field, bringing Heywood in for a run and the lead.
 
The Wildcats stormed back in the top of the next inning to take the lead back from the Whits. After the first out of the inning was erased due to a catcher's interference call, Linfield's Eric Lawson cleared the bases on a grand slam that put the Wildcats up 5-2. Before the inning ended Linfield added another run to extend their lead to four.
 
With the bases loaded again in fifth, Linfield tacked on two more runs pushing the Whitman deficit to 8-2. Opportunity knocked in the bottom half of the inning for the Whits who had runners on second and third with two outs. Lim's deep fly ball was tracked down and caught just shy of the wall in left center as the score remained 8-2.
 
Whitman cut into the Wildcat lead in the sixth inning as first year, Jake Wishart drove a fly ball to left center scoring Lucas Thrun and narrowing the deficit to five. The Whits' ninth inning comeback bid came up short as the score would finish 8-4 in favor of Linfield.
 
Game two of Saturday's doubleheader started with Whitman on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Vela doubled down the left field line, scoring Wishart and Joseph Zimmer, who both walked earlier in the inning, to grab an early 2-0 lead.
 
The lead did not last long as the Whits surrendered two runs to the Wildcats in the top half of the following inning.  Linfield then scored a run in the top of the fourth to break the 2-2 deadlock. Ryan Pladson's solo shot to left field boosted Linfield to a 3-2 lead heading into the final innings of the game.
 
Nick Johnson's solid pitching performance continued through the eighth inning, allowing just seven hits and three runs over the span. Unfortunately, for Whitman, Riley Newman was just as good for the Wildcats; keeping the Whits in check at the plate.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the eighth Whitman broke through with a towering home run to left field that tied the game 3-3. Senior, Robert Maislin relieved Johnson in the top of the ninth inning and worked his way out of a bases loaded jam, keeping the Wildcats from taking the lead.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, the Whits had a chance to win, with Court Osbourn on second and one out; however, Whitman was unable to bring him across the plate as the game headed to extra innings. Linfield rallied in the 10th, scoring three runs, which proved to be the difference in the day's second game.
 
Game three of the series is set for a 12 p.m. start Sunday afternoon. The team will honor its seniors in their final game tomorrow afternoon in the moments leading up to game time.