WALLA WALLA, Wash.  First-year Brendan Henry's second straight complete-game victory opened Sunday's Northwest Conference doubleheader between Whitman and visiting Lewis & Clark College. Henry and the Blues took Game 1 by a 4-3 count before the Pioneers would earn a split with their 3-2 win in the nightcap at Borleske Stadium.

Whitman (16-17, 11-9 NWC) remains in the hunt for one of the four spots in the league's postseason tournament, finishing Sunday in third place within the league standings -- a half-game up on fourth place George Fox University and Willamette University, which are both 10-9 in NWC play.

The doubleheader split leaves the Pios with a 9-25 mark overall and a 5-15 record in the conference.

Henry tossed a nine-inning gem on March 27 in a 2-1 victory over Whitworth University, and was just as sharp Sunday against L&C.

Not until the fourth inning were the Pios able to put a runner on base, and that first instance was via a fielding error in the infield.

Lewis & Clark didn't pick up its first hit until the fifth, but Henry shut down the mild threat with a pair of ground outs to end the inning and preserve the Blues' 2-0 lead.

Alex Behrman had led off the Whitman second inning with a single through the left side, then moved around to third on a perfect hit-and-run from Matthew Sox who singled through the hole vacated by the shortstop.

Pios starting pitcher Nick Kennison induced a fly out into short center field from the next batter but gave up the run soon after with Jake Wishart's RBI-sacrifice bunt.

Tyler Lewis kicked off the Whitman third by reaching on an error. He stole second and easily advanced to third with the sailing throw into center from the Pios catcher.

Joseph Zimmer's sacrifice fly into left plated Lewis and handed Henry the two-run lead he carried into the sixth.

The Pios finally, at least for a half inning, figured out Henry and generated a one-out double followed by a two-out home run from Sean Shepherd to knot the game at 2-2.

Whitman gave back Henry his lead in the seventh with Lewis' two-RBI triple into the right-center gap, enabling Brett Williams and Jake Wishart to circle the bags for two runs.

Lewis & Clark scratched out a run in their eighth, but Henry closed the door, and then again in the ninth to secure the win for Whitman.

Henry (4-1) picked up the win, allowing seven hits without a walk while fanning five. Kennison (1-7) went eight innings and surrendered four runs, one was unearned, on eight hits and one walk.

Sox pounded out three hits in the victory, with Lewis and Behrman earning a multi-hit game with two hits apiece.

Game 2 was a pitchers dual between Whitman's Tristan Kalnins and Lewis & Clark's Robert Reaser.

The pair kept the game scoreless until the sixth inning, when both teams put something up on the scoreboard.

A lead-off single, sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk put runners at first and second with one out. The Pios executed a double steal but got more than they'd hoped for as an error on the play moved one runner home and the other up to third.

The error proved inconsequential, however, as Max Gordon dropped the next Kalnins offering behind the left-field wall for a two-run home run and a 3-0 L&C lead.

Zimmer led off the bottom half of the sixth with a single and eventually came around to score on an infield RBI groundout from Behrman. An important run was left at third, though, after Lucas Thrun had walked and later advanced to within 90 feet of home plate.

The deficit narrowed in the seventh after Williams led off the frame with a single.

A walk to Court Osborn moved Williams up, and a sac bunt from Anthony Lim moved the pair up another base. Lewis hit a fly ball into right field that was dropped, allowing Williams to ignore the tag-up play and saunter home for another run.

The Blues left the tying run at third in that inning, though, and had the tying run at second base in both the eighth and ninth without being able to squeeze out one extra hit.

Kalnins (2-3) lasted a solid 7 2/3s innings, allowing three runs on just five hits and a pair of walks.

Reaser (2-7) earned the win for the Pios going six inning innings and giving up just the two runs. Austin Conniff came on in relief for the final three frames and earned his fourth save of the year.

Prior to Sunday's opener Whitman baseball celebrated its 11 departing players.

Seniors Steven Ainsworth, Jasper Crusberg, Braden Hussey, Anthony Lim, Henry Lin, John Lyon Court Osborn, Alec Rainsford, Adrian Vela and Joseph Zimmer were joined by junior Jimmy Smiley -- a 3-2 engineering student -- and their families as the team and fans in attendance honored the group for their contributions to the program.

With one more NWC victory the departing players will have increased Whitman's conference win total each of their years in the program. And two more victories from the final five regular-season games will mark an increase in overall wins each of those same years.

The seniors, Smiley, and the Blues will look for two more wins Monday in a doubleheader against the Pios. The opener will begin at 11 a.m. with Game 2 to follow afterward.