Keith Mader
After giving up 34 runs and 40 hits, Linfield recovered to sweep the Lutes March 1 in two seven-inning games. By winning games with scores of 13-8 and 7-4, the ’Cats captured two important Northwest Conference victories.
“We knew that it was really important for us to get those two wins and pull a split out of the series,” junior outfielder Tyson Smith said. “Being that it was the first series of the year and against one of the better teams in the league we didn’t want to lose and be put in a big hole from the very start.”
Smith was a catalyst for the Wildcats in the games, he combined 5-7 with six RBI.
“Every at bat I was going up trying to be aggressive, I was seeing the ball well and got some good pitches to hit and made solid contact and put it in play,” he said.
Freshman outfielder Zach Boskovich was another important player for Linfield in both games as he went 4-7 overall and had two homeruns in the first game.
“Hitting is a day to day thing, there are going to be peaks and valleys, I just kept the same approach and was seeing the ball well on Sunday,” Boskovich said.
Solid pitching performances by senior pitcher Reese McCulley and sophomore pitcher Evan Hilberg helped the ’Cats’ success.
“On Sunday our pitching and defense kept PLU from having too many big innings like they did on Saturday,” Smith said.
McCulley received the victory for the first game as he threw five consecutive innings.
“My mindset was really no different than any other game,” he said. “Heading into Sunday, it was really about throwing my game and keeping us close because our hitters have proven so far that they are going to put runs on the board.”
With 62 runs scored off the Wildcat pitching staff so far, McCulley said he’s not worried.
“Although our staff has had periods of success, we all know that we’re capable of doing better,” McCulley said. “We obviously had a lot of success last year, but I don’t think there is reason for concern this early in the season.”
The Wildcats hope to build on the wins against the Lutes and will continue to improve pitching, coach Scott Carnahan said.
“Obviously the wins against PLU were huge. PLU is one of the top teams in the league but we need to become consistent. It’s all about taking it one game at a time and taking care of business,” he said.
Linfield’s game against Whitworth University March 7 and 8 were snowed out. The games will be rescheduled for a later date as they are NWC play.