McMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Whitman College baseball team was unable to slow a hot Linfield offense Saturday afternoon, dropping both ends of a Northwest Conference doubleheader at Roy Helser Field. The Blues fell 16-2 in the opener and 6-0 in the nightcap.
In game one, Whitman stayed close through three scoreless innings before Linfield broke the contest open with three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and four more in the sixth. The Wildcats finished with 16 runs on 13 hits.
Luke Malzewski doubled and scored in the eighth and finished 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base to lead the Blues at the plate. Nick Teng added an RBI single up the middle in the eighth as Whitman scratched across its two runs late.
Russell Petersen took the loss for Whitman, allowing seven runs over five innings while striking out two. The Blues used three relievers in the final four frames.
Linfield's offense was paced by Cole Snidow and Wyatt Hurley, who each homered as part of a middle-innings surge that put the game out of reach. Ely Kennel added two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases for the Wildcats.
In game two, Whitman's pitching kept the Blues within striking distance for most of the afternoon, but Linfield again did its damage early and added insurance late. The Wildcats scored three times in the second inning and added single runs in the fifth and seventh on the way to a 6-0 win.
Whitman was held to two hits, with singles from Jordan Montemayor and Halen Otte. The Blues put a runner in scoring position in the second, third and eighth innings but could not come up with the timely hit.
Starter Oliver Brown worked five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Jack Finn covered the final three innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Linfield starter Colton Ouellette went seven shutout innings, scattering two hits and striking out eight, and the Wildcats' bullpen recorded the final six outs to complete the sweep.
With the losses, Whitman drops to 10-22-1 overall, while Linfield improves to 21-11.
The Blues and Wildcats wrap up their three-game set on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
#GoWhitman
