TACOMA, Wash. -
Halen Otte had a monster day with three hits and three RBI,
Julien Hernandez struck out a career-high 14 hitters and the Whitman College baseball team topped Pacific Lutheran 3-1 in Northwest Conference action on Friday afternoon.
Otte's big day came in a game where runs were at a premium. His two-run single in the third inning and RBI double in the eighth accounted for all three Whitman (12-7, 7-3 NWC) runs. Jack Bickerton scored on two of the base knocks and finished the game with two hits, a double and two runs scored.
Otte and Bickerton's offense was all the Blues needed as Hernandez (4-1) had his way with the Lute order. In striking out a career high, he scattered six hits in a complete game effort while giving up the one run in the ninth inning.
Lucas Delisle led PLU (8-14, 4-5 NWC) at the plate with a pair of hits and Aaron Barber posted a hit and scored his team's lone run off a wild pitch in the ninth inning. Jonathan Cohen (2-3) suffered the loss in a fine outing of his own, tossing seven and two-thirds innings and allowing one earned run with four strikeouts.
Otte's leadoff double in the second inning never materialized, but his two-run base hit one inning later plated the first runs of the game. With the bases loaded and two outs, he drove home Bickerton and Beck Maguire to put Whitman up 2-0.
The Blues got their third off a pair of doubles in the eighth inning. Bickerton led off with a double and two batters later scored off Otte's second two-bagger.
Whitman and PLU conclude their three-game set with a Saturday doubleheader set to start at 12:00 p.m.
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