PORTLAND, Ore. - The Whitman College baseball team opened up its series with Lewis & Clark on Saturday, handily winning the opener 12-1 before falling in game two 9-7.

Game 1
Kevin Nakamura belted two homeruns and Dexter Aichele tossed a complete-game beauty for the big game one win.

Nakamura's first blast was a three-run roundtripper in Whitman's first at bats with his second coming in the seventh and final inning. Aichele (2-1) was solid in his seven-innings of complete game work. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out five Pioneer hitters.

The Blues (4-6) led by two runs heading into the third inning and put three across the plate to put Lewis & Clark behind the eight ball. Teague Conder drove in Ben Parker and Leo Rivera with his run-scoring hit, then Simeon Downing delivered an RBI single before Whitman teed off on LC pitching for three runs in the seventh.

Monzon suffered the loss allowing three earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Kon (1 H, 1 R) and Benbow (1 H, 1 RBI) provided the offense for the Pios.

Game 2
The backend of the doubleheader saw the Blues jump out to another early lead but Lewis & Clark rally for the 9-7 win. 

Mateus Conaway struck out a season-high nine hitters but did not factor in the decision after allowing two earned runs on four hits in four and one-third innings of work. Travis Craven (0-3) was tagged with the loss in one inning of relief work.

The middle of the order did most of the damage at the plate for the Blues as David Johnson (2 H, 2 R, 1 RBI), Leo Rivera (2 H, 1 R, 1 RBI) and Jerick Nomura (2 H) all posted multihit games.

Whitman jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. Parker provided the big hit of the early-inning scoring, belting a three-run homer to put the Blues up by three runs in their first at bats.

LC cut the lead to one run then exploded with four runs in the fifth inning. Craven struck out Gannon but a pair of Pio runners scampered home on a passed ball to tie up the game, then Ghammachi ripped a two-run triple to put the Pios up 7-5. 

LC added a pair of runs in the sixth, and Whitman's seventh inning rally came up short.

The Blues and Pioneers close their weekend series with a Sunday doubleheader slated for 10:00 a.m.

 

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