SPOKANE, Wash. - Chad Flett drew a bases loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to drive in the game-winning run and lift Whitworth to a 9-8 win over visiting Lewis & Clark in the second game of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field. The teams split on the day as the visiting Pioneers won the opener 14-5.

The Pirates (4-14 overall, 2-11 NWC) broke a nine-game losing streak by defeating the Pioneers in the second game. L&C (2-13, 2-8) had ended a five-game losing streak of its own in the opener.

GAME 1: L&C 14, Whitworth 5 - Complete box score

Michael Ball homered twice and drove in seven runs to lead the Pioneers to the 14-5 win in the opener. Alex St. Pierre threw 7.2 innings to improve to 2-2 this season for L&C.

The Pioneers broke open a 1-1 game by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning after two were out. The big blow was a grand slam by Ball that just cleared the left field wall. Ball added a three-run homer in the seventh to increase L&C's lead to 11-2. Tucker Laurence added a three-run shot of his own in the eighth to give the Pioneers' their largest lead of the game at 14-2. JR Jarrell homered in the bottom of the eighth to give the Pirates a pair of runs back, and Whitworth added an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth.

St. Pierre allowed 10 hits, struck out four and walked one while allowing four runs. Peter Birdwell started for Whitworth and gave up eight runs, all earned, on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in six innings. He fell to 1-4 this season.

Ball, Laurence, Neal Finch and Ryan Kostecka all had a pair of hits for L&C. Mitch Ramsay had three hits for Whitworth, while Andrew Durant added a pair of hits.

GAME 2: Whitworth 9, L&C 8 - Complete box score

Whitworth gave up an 8-2 lead late in the game, but rallied for the winning run in the top of the ninth without the benefit of a hit. The Pirates scored their nine runs on only five hits, benefiting from 11 Pioneer walks and three other hit batters.

Luis Tovar capped a four-run first inning for the Pirates with a three-run home run to right field. His first home run of the season was the only hit in the inning for the Bucs.

L&C got a run back in the second on Sam Holman's RBI single and another in the third on Jordan Wlodarczyk's solo home run.

But Whitworth scored four more times in the sixth, three coming on a three-run shot by Chris Bartenhagen, to grab what seemed to be a comfortable 8-2 lead.

Whitworth starting pitcher Nathan Johnson was strong through seven innings, but tired in the eighth and the Pioneers broke through for five runs. Wlodarczyk doubled home a run and Laurence added a two-run double in the inning.

L&C tied the game in the ninth when Wlodarczyk hit his second home run of the game.

Wlodarczyk had pitched two innings of scoreless relief. But in the ninth he was unable to find the plate, walking five batters. The first was erased when Ramsay hit into a double play, but the next four batters also walked. Flett took the final ball for the game-winning RBI.

Wlodarczyk gave up one run on only one hit with five walks over 2.2 innings of relief to pick up the loss. Brent Flyberg pitched the ninth for Whitworth and improved to 1-1.

Landon Scott was 3 for 3 with two runs scored for the Pirates. Wlodarczyk went 5 for 5 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBIs for L&C.

The two teams will complete their series tomorrow with two seven-inning games Merkel Field. First pitch is scheduled for noon.