WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Isaaac Beaman and Brett Williams both posted a pair of hits, Anthony Nevoso added another and drove in a run, but it wasn't enough as the Whitman College baseball team fell to Willamette 5-4 in the team's NWC Round Robin finale on Saturday.

Matt Sox delivered a solid performance on the mound in the loss despite a shaky start where he surrendered four first-inning unearned runs. He tossed five complete innings, allowing three hits on the four unearned runs with nine strikeouts. 

Benjamin Whitten tossed six complete innings for the win, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out seven Whitman (1-6) hitters. The top of the Bearcat order did much of the damage as Joey Faudskar, Ethan Fischel and Eric Waldichuk all posted a hit and scored a run.

The Bearcats struck first and plated four runs on Sox and the Blues in their first at bats. Sox gave up a leadoff double to Faudskar then three batters later, loaded up the bases with a hit-by-pitch on Justin Scanlon. Sox, struggling with his control, walked home Faudskar for an unearned run. The big hit of the inning came on the next at bat when Samuel Daly cleared the bases with a three-run double.

In true veteran form, Sox regrouped and settled in. Tossing near perfect ball, he kept the Blues in the game before being spelled by Tristan Kalnins to start the sixth inning. Nevoso's run-scoring single got the Blues on the board in the second and Sox scored in the sixth after being moved to designated hitter. Whitman manufactured a run each in the seventh and ninth innings but came up just one shy.

Next up for the Blues is their home and Northwest Conference opening series against Linfield. The two teams meet up for a three game series beginning Saturday, Feb. 22 at Borleske Stadium.