TACOMA, Wash. – Pitching took center stage for both teams as the Puget Sound baseball team took the doubleheader sweep of crosstown rival Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. The Loggers (9-13, 4-4 NWC) used some timely hitting to sneak past the Lutes (13-8, 6-5 NWC) in both games with wins of 3-1 and 4-2.

Kaulana Smith was the hero at the plate as he drove in the go-ahead run in both games of the twinbill.

Game 1 – W, 3-1

The early game lived up to its expectations of a strong pitching matchup with Matt Robinson taking the mound for the Loggers against the Lutes' Max Beatty. Both pitchers went the distance but Robinson came out on top for his fifth win of the season.

Robinson struck out seven batters in the complete game effort and issued just one walk. The Lutes tallied eight hits but stranded eight runners aboard. All eight stranded runners came in the first five innings as Robinson seemed to get stronger and stronger as the game went on.

The Lutes had advanced a runner to second base in each of the first five innings. However, only one reached third and he later came around to score. After the first two batters reached base safely in the fifth, Robinson retired the next nine in a row and faced the minimum over the final four frames. Only Curtis Wildung stood on base for the Lutes past the fifth inning before he was retired on an inning-ending double play.

Beatty put together a solid effort on the mound as well, striking out five Loggers and issuing just one free pass. Only two of the three runs to cross the plate were earned for Beatty.

The Loggers never trailed in the game as they got on the board first in the second inning. Lucas Stone and Nate Backes hit back-to-back doubles to score Stone for a 1-0 Logger lead. Drew Oord singled in a run for the Lutes in the fourth to tie it up at 1-1.

The tie wouldn't last long as the Loggers climbed back on top in the fifth. With two outs, Stephen Kelsey drew a walk and Connor Savage doubled for one of his three hits in the game to put runners on second and third. A slow roller down the third base line off the bat of Kaulana Smith snuck past a crashing fielder as Kelsey came in to score for a 2-1 lead.

Kelsey knocked in the insurance run in the seventh when his single into right field scored Jeff Walton from second.

Game 2 – W, 4-2

Logger pitching again took center stage in limiting PLU to just two runs on seven hits. The Lutes stranded 11 runners on base, including two in the ninth.

Steve Wagar and Lucas Stone provided some solid work out of the bullpen to help bring the Loggers back from a 2-0 deficit. The duo combined for four innings of relief and allowed just one hit. Wagar went three and struck out five for the win on the mound while Stone earned the save in pitching the final frame. Jarrod Beiser went five solid innings in the start and received a no-decision.

Trevor Lubking was nearly lights-out for the Lutes, not allowing a runner past second base until the sixth inning. He tallied 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings but was charged with all four runs in the loss.

The Lutes climbed on top first with two runs in the fourth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Jacob Olsufka hit a sinking liner into left center. The liner just snuck under the glove of a diving Stephen Kelsey as both runs scored and Olsufka ended up on third with a triple.

That would be all the Lutes would get as they went on to strand eight runners the rest of the way. The Logger bats finally came to life in the sixth as Christian Carter singled in Connor Savage and Nate Backes brought in Kaualana Smith with a sacrifice fly.

The Lutes had a good chance to regain the lead in the seventh as they put runners on second and third with no outs. Wagar got the next batter to swing and miss at strike three and then produced a groundout for the first two outs. A walk loaded the bases but the next batter also struck out as momentum continued to swing to the Loggers' side.

In the bottom half of the seventh, the Loggers sealed the deal. JB Eary sparked the rally with a single to lead off the inning. He later came around to score on Smith's double down the line for a 3-2 Logger lead. After Christian Carter was intentionally walked to load the bases, Bobby Hosmer delivered a sacrifice fly to pad the Loggers lead to 4-2.

Wagar pitched a perfect eighth and Stone got through the ninth unscathed despite walking the first two batters of the inning to secure the win.

The Loggers and Lutes face off in the series finale tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.