WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The Whitman College baseball team had hoped to continue its string of Northwest Conference series wins, but the bats went quiet in a 7-1 series finale loss to Puget Sound on Sunday at Borleske Stadium.
Mateus Conaway suffered the loss, working five complete innings and allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts. The Blues barely had an answer for Brett Harvey who allowed one run in a complete-game shutout for the victory.
Halen Otte's ninth-inning home run, his third of the series, provided the lone offensive highlight for the Blues (19-9, 10-5 NWC).
Runs were at a premium in the early innings as the Loggers plated the only run through three and one half innings. Cody Hirano was issued a base on balls and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. He then scored on a Preston Crockett sacrifice fly to put UPS up 1-0.
The Blues had a golden opportunity to put multiple runs on the board in the fourth as Harvey walked Nate Wilson to load the bases with one out. Nick Teng was unable to scratch a run across for Whitman and popped out to Cooper Allen at third base to end the inning.
UPS added to its lead in the fifth with a pair of runs as Brock Makishima delivered a two-out bases loaded hit which drove a couple runs to extend to a 3-0 lead. The Loggers plated an additional two runs in the seventh off Russell Petersen who had entered the game to start the sixth.
Whitman is back in action next weekend, opening a four-game series at Whitworth which includes a Sunday matinee non-conference contest.
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