MCMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Chris Savage hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to propel the LeTourneau baseball team to a 4-2 victory over Linfield in Saturday's first game of a doubleheader at Roy Helser Field.

LeTourneau (13-15) dropped the second game, 6-5. Linfield (15-8) took the series with three wins, but each game was decided by two runs or less.

GAME ONE: LeTourneau 4, Linfield 2

Trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning -- of a seven-inning game -- Savage blasted a three-run home run to give LeTourneau the lead and the YellowJackets hung on for a 4-2 victory in Saturday's opener.

Jack Kale got the rally started with a leadoff walk and Cody Brady followed two batters later with a single. Savage then belted a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run shot to give LeTourneau a 4-2 lead.

The homer was Savage's fifth of the year.

Cruz Cox came on in the bottom of the seventh and worked around a one-out single to record his fifth save of the season.

LeTourneau got on the board first with an RBI single from Brady in the third inning. Linfield responded with Ryan Gullard's RBI single in the home-half of the third inning. The host Wildcats then took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on an RBI single from Jackson Bui.

Colt McDowell made his second start of the week and tossed a season-high four innings allowing just two runs, while striking out three. Will Podsednik (3-1) got the win as he threw two shutout innings before Cox closed the door in the seventh.

Kale, Brady, and Savage all had two hits for LeTourneau.

Colton Oullette (0-3) got the loss in relief for Linfield as he went three innings. 

GAME TWO: Linfield 6, LeTourneau 5

Linfield broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the seventh and the Wildcats held off LeTourneau, 6-5, in the series finale.

Both teams had big innings early on. Linfield scored three runs in the first, highlighted by a Wyatt McClory RBI double, to grab a 3-0 lead.

That margin did not last long as LeTourneau scored four times in the top of the second to take a 4-3 lead. Blake Vice hit a two-run homer before an RBI single from Zach Baker and a sacrifice fly from Brady gave the YellowJackets a one-run lead.

The home run for Vice was his fourth of the season.

After Linfield tied the game in the second, LeTourneau regained the lead on an Austin Wiederhold RBI single in the third inning.

LeTourneau held a 5-4 lead until the sixth. A fielder's choice that turned into a LeTourneau error allowed the tying run to score. In the seventh, Nick Holm had a go-ahead RBI double that proved to be the difference.

LeTourneau outhit Linfield, 11-7, as Wiederhold went 3-for-4 with Jonah McDaniel and Vice each getting two hits.

Winn Harriss came on in relief to throw 4.1 innings allowing just one run with seven strikeouts for LeTourneau. Ben Mayorga (0-1) collected the loss.

Luke Schoeffler (3-0) got the win for Linfield as he went 1.1 innings late out of the bullpen and Zack Hampson notched his third save of the year.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau returns to SCAC play on Thursday at St. Thomas (6 p.m.).

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