WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Jack Bickerton and
Brandon Ting both homered to help the Whitman College baseball team pick up a doubleheader sweep over Pacific in Northwest Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Borleske Stadium. Whitman took game one 5-1 then completed the sweep with an 8-6 game two win.
Whitman 5 Pacific 1
Julien Hernandez (3-1) shook off a shaky start and delivered a fine six and one-third scoreless innings with five hits and nine strikeouts for the win. Starter Will Clark was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs in only two and one-third innings.
Brandon Ting (1 H, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Jack Bickerton (1 H, 2 R, 1 RBI) both homered for the Blues (11-6, 6-2 NWC) and Halen Otte (2 H, 2 RBI) doubled in a pair of runs in the second to put Whitman way in front.
Jack Rhea had two hits including a double for the Boxers and Jake Gallagher doubled home his team's lone run.
Ting's solo homer got the Blues on the board first, but it were the three runs one inning later that forced the Boxers to turn to their bullpen. Clark loaded the bases on three walks before giving up a run after hitting Ting on the next at bat. With Ayden Ruminski on to pitch for Pacific, Otte then ripped a pitch down the left field line for a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-0.
Pacific had an excellent chance to get back into the game but a stellar inning-ending double play from Beck Maguire kept the Boxers off the scoreboard. Hernandez issued a walk to load the bases with only one out before Billy Wall, on to pitch for Hernandez, forced a sharp grounder to Maguire at shortstop. He fielded the ball, stepped on second base, then fired a throw to Otte at first base to complete the play.
Whitman 8 Pacific 6
Bickerton (4 H, 3 R, 4 RBI) provided the sparks early in what turned out to be a monster game two for him. He homered on his team's first at bat then, one inning later, doubled home Ting (3 H, 2 RBI, 2 dbl) from second to put Whitman up 2-0 through two innings.
Pacific responded in its top half of the third and tied the game when Lewis and Matt Gibbs both delivered RBI hits to make it a 2-2 game. The damage could have been more if not for Jack Hostetler picking off his second base runner earlier in the inning. One inning later, Dawson Tokishi put the Boxers on front for the first time in the doubleheader after belting a solo homer over the left field wall.
The fifth inning saw the Blues load the bases and manage to scratch across a run to tie the game. Garrett Runyan and Ting hit safely to open the inning before Otte drew a walk to load the bases. Though unable to drive home multiple runs, Runyan was able to scamper home on a wild pitch to even the score.
The Blues took control from there, adding three runs in the sixth inning and another two in the seventh. Ting doubled home a pair of runs to put Whitman up by three runs and Bickerton logged his second rountripper, a two-run shot that extended the lead to four.
Pacific sliced the lead in half in the ninth, but Rylan Burigsay came on to record the final two outs and pick up the save.
Hostetler worked five complete innings for the win, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
Whitman and Pacific conclude their series on Sunday with a single game set for 12:00 p.m.
#GoWhitman
