NEWBERG, Ore.  The bottom of Whitman's lineup played a crucial role in helping to salvage a split against host Lewis & Clark in a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader at Morse Athletic Fields Saturday.

No. 7 batter Tyler Lewis, 8-hole batter Alex Behrman and 9-hole batter Anthony Lim may also have helped save the Blues' season.

The last three hitters in Whitman's order were a combined 8-for-13 with seven RBIs, and each contributed base hits during a five-run, two-out rally in the pivotal third inning of the Blues' 11-7 victory in Game 2. The victory atoned for Whitman's listless offensive performance in a 5-2, Game-1 loss -- and lifted the Blues into sole possession of fourth place in the conference.

"Lewis and Behrman did a great job working their approaches and driving the ball the other way," Whitman head coach Brian Kitamura said. "Anthony Lim is one of our captains, and it was great to see all his hard work this season paying off today."

Whitman (16-16, 10-10 in NWC) began the day tied for fourth place with rival Whitworth, but the Pirates were swept by Linfield on Saturday and slipped to 9-11 in conference. With just four NWC games remaining -- one tomorrow against Lewis & Clark, three against Linfield next weekend at Borleske -- the Blues have a one-game lead over Whitworth and George Fox for the fourth and final berth in the postseason conference tournament, which begins April 21.

"I'm proud of the way our guys bounced back and got a win that was big for our program," said Kitamura. "That said, our ceiling remains extremely high. There's still untapped potential, as long as we stay focused on our process."

The Blues needed every run in securing the nightcap win, including the five-run down payment generated during their momentum-snatching rally in the third. With two outs and runners at second and third, Jake Wishart (4 for 5, two RBIs, two runs scored, two stolen bases, double) lit the spark with a crisp base hit up the middle to plate Lucas Thrun. David Johnson coaxed a walk, and Lewis (3 for 5, three RBIs, two runs scored, stolen base, double) doubled to left to score Wishart. Behrman's single to center knocked in Johnson and Lewis, and Lim's single scored Behrman (3 for 4, three RBIs, run, walk), who had scampered into second base on the throw home following his hit.

The barrage flipped a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead, and the Blues would not trail again. Nine of Whitman's 11 runs in Game 2 came with two outs -- a marker of focus that did not escape Kitamura, given the importance of clutch hitting in the ever-looming shadow of the postseason.

"It was great to see a lot of our guys step up with two outs and lock in their approach," he said. "It's always great to see two-out RBIs. At the same time, I think it's a testament to the work our hitters have been putting in to execute when necessary. It shows that we have a lot more in the tank.

"We've really been talking about having a sense of urgency," added Kitamura. "We're trying to do everything we can to have a "family-first" at-bat, a quality at-bat to get to the next guy."

Strong family values abounded in Whitman's two-run fifth. Lewis singled, stole second and scored on Behrman's ensuing hit. Lim yanked a double down the left field line to move Behrman to third, and Williams plated Behrman with a groundout for a 7-3 lead.

It was 7-4 entering the top of the sixth when Whitman struck again, a two-run single by Lewis driving in Zimmer and Wishart for a 9-4 cushion.

Garrett Atkinson replaced reliever Steven Ainsworth with runners at second and third, two outs, and Lewis & Clark (6-27, 5-15) behind just 9-6 -- and snuffed the threat with a strikeout.

"(Atkinson) came in in a big spot and got a strikeout to end the inning. That really got momentum back in our favor," said Kitamura.

The Blues scored twice in the top of the ninth to extend an 11-6 lead, and Milo Mincin -- the fourth pitcher deployed by Kitamura in Game 2 -- shrugged off Akira Abderrahman's solo home run in the ninth to seal the victory.

Whitman starter Eric Ma rationed nine hits and allowed five runs (four earned) over six innings to earn the win and improve to 4-0 this season. The first-year righty struck out three and walked two.

Game 1 on Saturday began auspiciously for the Blues, when Whitman junior Joseph Zimmer greeted the ninth pitch of the game with a ferocious cut that left the baseball embedded and moldering in a scorched divot on the forest floor behind the center-field wall.

But Zimmer's solo home run -- his fifth dong of the season -- proved a curio, a footnote, rather than an omen. Whitman would manage just two more hits -- including an RBI single by Zimmer during a last-gasp push in the top of the eighth. The Blues failed to generate a baserunner with fewer than two outs until Lim coaxed a leadoff walk in the eighth.

The paucity of opportunities cuffed Kitamura tactically and allowed Pioneers starter Robert Reaser to spend most of his complete-game, three-hit performance pitching out of a full windup, his defense undistracted by movement on the basepaths poised in support. Reaser thrived in his myopia, whiffing 10 Whitman hitters.

"Reaser did a great job of keeping us off balance and of commanding both sides of the plate," Kitamura said. "We tip our cap to him. Our hitters did a great job adjusting in the second game."

The Game-1 loss snapped Whitman's four-game winning streak.

The doubleheader on Saturday was contested in Newberg because Lewis & Clark's home ballpark, Joe Huston Memorial Sports Complex in Portland, was unplayable due to the weather. Sunday's doubleheader is slated for Huston -- "It's Lewis & Clark's Senior Day,"

Kitamura noted -- and includes the conference rubber match at 12 p.m. and a nonconference game at 3.

"It's sunny here, now," Kitamura said after the split on Saturday. "Knock on wood."