TACOMA, Wash.  Getting runners on proved to not be much of a problem Monday for Whitman baseball, but securing that one extra -- and timely -- hit was more difficult in the Blues' 10-3 Northwest Conference loss to host and 18th-ranked Pacific Lutheran University.

Whitman (11-15, 6-9 NWC) scattered 10 hits throughout the game, and added three more base runners via the walk, but the Lutes (17-5, 15-3) seemed to have the answer for every Blues threat.

Three times in the first four innings PLU escaped a Whitman threat with inning-ending double plays. And twice during the game the Blues had the bases loaded but came away with only two runs from that pair of opportunities.

A trio of Blues -- Lucas Thrun, David Johnson and Jake Wishart -- rapped out extra-base hits during the contest. Wishart's two-out double to right-center field in the second inning scored Johnson, who had doubled into the left-center gap with one out in the inning.

Thrun's one-out two-bagger down the left-field line after a lead-off walk from Wishart put runners at second and third in the top of the eighth. And Joseph Zimmer loaded the bases upon being hit by a pitch to jam the bags for the second time in the game.

The first time, and earliest opportunity for the Blues, was in the top of the first when Brett Williams, Thrun and Zimmer had started the game off with consecutive singles. A fielder's choice infield grounder cut down Williams at the plate for the first out, and then a double-play grounder to second extinguished the threat.

In the eighth, though, the Blues found a way to cash in on the golden opportunity.

An Adrian Vela single into center field plated Wishart, and then a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Alex Behrman allowed Thrun to add a run. But the Lutes once again put out the fire, this time with a strikeout to end the frame.

The Blues put a runner on in the third, a Zimmer single, but PLU's second double play of the game quieted that potential pitfall before it grew. And then in the forth the Lutes' third double play ended a budding crisis after Nick Johnson and David Johnson sandwiched singles around a walk to Anthony Lim.

Unfortunately for the Blues, Pacific Lutheran would find ways to take advantage of the chances they were producing.

The Lutes pushed three runs across in the bottom of the first, added single runs in each of the second, fifth and sixth innings, then cemented the game away with a four-run eighth after Whitman had pulled closer with its pair of runs in the top of the inning.

Six different Blues toed the rubber in the game, but starter Travis Craven (2-3) took the loss after surrendering five runs over 4 and 2/3 innings of work.

The Lutes' Cole Johnson (1-0) started and picked up the win, allowing two runs over his 7 innings on the mound.

Thrun, Zimmer and David Johnson each banged out two hits in the loss for Whitman, while Vela, Behrman and Wishart recorded one RBI apiece.

The Blues are back in action Thursday afternoon at home, taking on Lewis & Clark College in a 4 p.m. non-conference game at Borleske Stadium.