The Pacific University baseball team dropped a doubleheader to host Whitworth, 12-5 and 7-3 on Friday in Spokane.

The Boxers' (13-20, 7-16 NWC) Charlie Dietrich (Aberdeen, Wash.) had two hits in each game to lead Pacific, who had 12 hits in game one and nine more in the nightcap. Also, in the doubleheader, Pacific sophomore catcher Brandon Henderson pictured (Pearl City, Hawaii) had a career-high four hits in the nightcap.
 
The Pirates (21-13, 11-12 NWC) had 15 and 13 hits, respectively and rallied from a pair of early Pacific leads to pull off the doubleheader sweep.
 
Game 1
Pacific scored twice on RBI doubles by Joey Galeno (Auburn, Wash.) and Dylan Wright (Gilbert, Ariz.), respectively for an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.
 
A two-run home run in the fourth by the Pirates' Matthew Nelson tied the game at 2; then, the Boxers regained the lead on a RBI single by Wright that brought in Dietrich, who earlier in the inning picked up his second hit of the day.
 
The Pirates went back ahead and for the rest of the contest in the sixth, scoring three runs on three hits to take a 5-3 lead. Then, they added to their lead with seven runs on six hits in the seventh en route to the win.
 
The Boxers plated their final runs of the came in the ninth on a pinch-hit, two-RBI double by Drew Fagerness (Centalia, Wash.).
 
In the loss, Dietrich, Galeno, Wright, Kurtis Kloke (San Bernardino, Calif.) and Luke Peevyhouse (Phoenix, Ariz.) each had two hits for Pacific. Boxers' starter Spencer Backstrom (Bellingham, Wash.) went six innings, allowing nine hits and striking out four in the loss to fall to 3-2.
 
The Pirates' Nicholas Nerud and Jordan McGowan each had three hits; plus J.T. Phelan had four RBI in the win. Starting pitcher Matthew Nelson nearly went the distance for the complete game in the win to improve to 5-2 in 8.2 innings, scattering 11 hits and striking out six.
 
Game 2
In the nightcap, Henderson had a career-high four hits to go along with two RBI to lead Pacific in the 7-3 loss to the Pirates. Miles Jackson and Dietrich each had two hits to contribute to the offensive attack.
 
The Pirates had 13 hits with Joel Conderay and Garrett Hughes each with three hits in the win. Hughes scored three times and had a RBI, plus Tyler Bailey had a pair of hits and two RBIs.
 
Whitworth scored in the bottom of the first for an early 1-0 lead before Pacific took a 2-1 lead in the third inning. A bases loaded walk to Kloke and a RBI single by Henderson put Pacific ahead.
 
The Pirates tied the contest at 3 in its half of the third and went ahead 5-3 in the fourth on the strength of five hits.

Henderson helped the Boxers cut the deficit to one, 4-3, with a RBI single to score Wright, who had tripled earlier in the fifth inning. The Pirates add three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin.

Pacific starting pitcher Paul Wolfram (Las Vegas, Nev.) went 5.1 innings, allowing 11 hits and striking out one in the loss to fall to 4-6. Pirates' reliever Darren Crosby pitched the final 6.2 innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight in the win to improve to 2-1.
 
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday at noon.