By John Tveter, sports writer
The Lutes’ dominant pitching in the first game of the weekend turned against them in Game 2 of the doubleheader. After giving up three runs in the bottom of the first and another in the third, the Lutes had their backs against the wall headed into the ninth inning.
Refusing to go quietly, the Lutes’ Bo Pearson, a senior, started the inning with a hit. Sophomore Tyler Thompson followed up Pearson’s hit with a walk. With two on and no outs, the Lutes looked primed for a comeback. However, the next batter grounded into a double play. After another Lute runner got on base, a fly-out to centerfield ended the game with a final score of 4-0 in favor of the Pirates.
Pearson contributed to the Lutes with the team’s only two hits of the game. Even though Thompson, junior Collin Nilson, first-year Landon Packard and sophomore Maika’I Derouin drew walks, it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
Pitcher Chris Bishop, a junior, took the loss after giving up four earned runs and seven hits. He was able to record five strikeouts in five innings pitched. Sophomore Cory Nelson and first-year Kort Skoda combined to pitch three scoreless innings in relief to close out the game.
“Going into Sunday, it’s our biggest game of the year so far,” junior Trevor Lubking said. “Winning the series tomorrow would be huge, and would keep us atop the conference standings.”
