SPOKANE, Wash. - Finally getting an opportunity to play on its own field, the Whitworth University baseball team celebrated with a Northwest Conference doubleheader sweep of visiting Pacific University on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field. The Pirates won the opener 5-4 and took the second game 13-9.

GAME 1 - Box score

Dan Ramsey's two-run home run in the fifth inning highlighted a three-run rally that put the Pirates in the lead for good. Chad Flett improved to 3-1 for the Pirates on the mound.

Nick McNealy homered twice for the Boxers, the first a two-run shot that gave Pacific a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth.

Whitworth rallied with three in the bottom of the inning. Mitch Ramsey doubled home Dan Belet, who had led off with a double. Then Dan Ramsey drove home his brother with his second home run of the year to give the Bucs a 4-2 lead.

Belet's second double of the game drove home Matt Monahan in the sixth for a 5-3 Pirate lead. McNealy's second home run pulled the Boxers within 5-4 in the seventh. But Flett (3-1) pitched a perfect eighth and Colin Gibbs allowed only one hit in the ninth to earn his first save.

GAME 2 - Box score

Saturday's second game was an offensive shootout. Pacific led 4-2 after three innings, but the Pirates rallied for five runs in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead they would never give up.

McNealy's third home run of the day, a three-run shot in the third, gave Pacific a 4-2 lead. But Mitch Ramsey's two-rbi double highlighted Whitworth's five run fourth inning that gave the Bucs the lead.

Whitworth took advantage of two bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the seventh during a four-run rally that gave the Pirates an 11-6 lead. Zack Gantenbein's two-run home run pulled the Boxers within 11-9 and capped a three run rally in the eighth. But the Pirates answered back in the bottom of the inning on RBI doubles by Mitch Nelson and Belet.

Nathan Johnson pitched seven innings to earn his first win of the season. He gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits. Jason Weatherman pitched the final two innings for a save. He allowed the three runs in the eighth, but only one hit in a scoreless ninth.

Whitworth had been scheduled to host Puget Sound on March 1-2, but the series was moved to Lewiston, Idaho because of snow on Merkel Field. In fact the Pirates were not able to practice outside this season until March 13th.

With the sweep, Whitworth improves to 5-11 overall and sits at 4-6 in Northwest Conference play. Pacific drops to 5-9 on the season and 4-6 in the NWC. The teams will complete the four game NWC series on Sunday with a pair of seven-inning ball games.