Willamette Piles Up 29 Hits to Down Pioneers, 13-3 and 13-7, Clinch NWC Series

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Willamette University Bearcats accumulated 29 hits and scored 26 runs in the final two games of their Northwest Conference baseball series at Lewis & Clark College, as the Bearcats won a game previously suspended due to darkness, 13-3, and then closed out the series with a 13-7 victory on Sunday, March 1. The Bearcats won the NWC series two games to one. Willamette improved to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark fell to 3-9 on the season, 1-5 in the NWC.

Samuel Daly (Fy, RF, El Dorado Hills, CA/Jesuit HS) of Willamette was 2 for 5 with a run scored in the first game, and went 3 of 4 with three runs, two doubles, a home run, and five RBIs in the second game. In the two games, Daly was 5 of 9 overall.

During the second game, Daly and two other first-year players made a big difference for the Bearcats. While Daly went 3 of 4, scored three times, earned three extra-base hits, and recorded five RBIs, teammates Layton Wagner (Fy., 3B/RHP, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) and Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Fy., DH/UT, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) also excelled. Wagner went 4 of 5 with three doubles, three runs and two RBis. Werkmeister-Martin was 4 of 5 with a double, three runs and one RBI. The trio combined to go 11 of 14 (.786) with six doubles, one homer, nine runs scored and eight RBIs.

"We really hit the ball well. The three freshmen carried us offensively. Nathan Billings (Fy., RHP, Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Rancho Cucamonga HS) gave some good innings out of the bullpen. It was good to get a series win on the road."
— Willamette Head Coach Aaron Swick

The suspended game, which began on Saturday, was stopped due to darkness in the bottom of the sixth inning with Willamette holding a 10-0 lead. Hits on both days helped the Bearcats finished the game with 14 hits overall. In Sunday's regularly scheduled game, Willamette pounded out 15 hits, including eight extra-base hits.

Seven Runs in Second Inning Sends Bearcats to 13-3 Win

The Willamette offense exploded for seven runs in the second inning of Saturday's suspended game. The inning included five hits. Three of the hits were singles by Nick Di Fiori (Jr., INF/RHP, Monrovia, CA/Bishop Amat HS), Wagner and Tyler Vandemark (Jr., LF, Modesto, CA/Joseph A. Gregori HS) which loaded the bases with one out. Michael Nelsen (Jr., C, Folsom, CA/Vista Del Lago HS) walked to drive in Di Fiori with the first run of the game. With two outs, Ethan Fischel (So., SS, Eureka, CA/Eureka HS) hit an two-RBI single to center.

A bit later in the second inning, Werkmeister-Martin walked with the bases loaded to bring home a run. Di Fiori batted for the second time during the inning and cleared the bases with a three-run double to left field. The Willamette lead increased to 10-0 in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Fischel and a two-run double by Justin Scanlon (Sr., 2B, San Jose, CA/Leigh HS/West Valley College). Neither team scored in the fourth, fifth, or sixth innings. The game was suspended with Lewis & Clark batting in the bottom of the sixth, but the Pioneers didn't score when the inning resumed.

The Bearcats tacked on three runs in the top of the seventh for a 13-0 margin. Fischel brought in the first run with a single, Scanlon blasted a double to left center to drive in the second run, and Jonny Suchor (Fy., DH/UT, Boulder, CO/Boulder HS) knocked in the third run with a ground out toward first. 

Lewis & Clark scored its three runs in the eighth inning. A double by Michael Contreras and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Contreras scored when Zack Kon was hit by a pitch. The remaining two runs crossed the plate when Cole Petters hit into an error at first base, with the ball going through in to the outfield. The trio of runs weren't nearly enough for the Pioneers, as Willamette won the game, 13-3.

Starting pitcher Benjamin Whitten (Sr., RHP, Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) advanced his record to 4-0 for Willamette. He threw five scoreless innings and allowed just three hits and two walks. He struck out four batters.

Three First-Year Players Lead Willamette to 13-7 Victory

As mentioned above, the combined efforts of first-year players Daly, Wagner and Werkmeister-Martin played a key role in Willamette winning the final game of the three-game series by a 13-7 margin. They provided 11 of the Bearcats 15 hits during the game. Also contributing to Willamette's victory was a solid middle relief effort by Billings, who is another first-year player. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed three hits and three runs, while earning his first collegiate win.

Willamette led 3-0 after plating three runs on three hits in the second inning. The three first-year players provided all three hits, with Werkmeister-Martin connecting for a leadoff single, Wagner adding a double to right center, and Daly hitting an RBI double to left center. Wagner and Daly scored when Vandemark reached base on an error at shortstop.

L&C scored a run in the bottom of the second and recroded three runs in the third to grab a 4-3 lead. Kon and Sammy Benbow each hit an RBI single in the third.

The Bearcats charged back with a pair of runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to move in front, 8-4. With one out in the fourth, Wagner singled and Daly smacked a two-run homer. In the fifth Werkmeister-Martin, Wagner and Daly each registered an RBI, with Werkmeister-Martin hitting a single, Wagner belting a double, and Daly hitting a sacrifice fly.

Sam Helms hit a solo home run for the Pioneers in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 8-5, but Willamette pushed across four runs in the top of the seventh for a 12-5 advantage. WU's seventh-inning success included a double by Werkmeister-Martin, plus RBI doubles by Wagner and Daly. Vandemark added an RBI single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Benbow drove in two runs for Lewis & Clark in the eighth inning to reduce WU's edge to 12-7. The Pioneers threatened to score additional runs, but left the bases loaded. The Bearcats added a run in the top of the ninth to complete the scoring.

Willamette will host Linfield College in a three-game series on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. The Bearcats and Wildcats will play two games on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. (PST), before completing the series with one game on Sunday at 12 p.m.