TACOMA, Washington – Davis Franklin looked like a certified ace, and the Logger bats kept slugging, but the Puget Sound baseball team lost two out of three games at Whitman this week.
 
Puget Sound 9, Whitman 6
Davis Franklin struck out 10 batters, and Gio Parascondola hit his fifth home run of the season as the Loggers won the first game of the series, 9-6.
 
Franklin, a freshman southpaw, worked 4.1 shutout innings in his 10^th start of the season. He allowed only three hits and a walk. Franklin struck out the first eight batters he faced.
 
The Loggers broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning. With one out on the board, Clayton Waltz was hit by a pitch, Gabe Huante drew a walk, and Cody Hirano singled to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Waltz to score, and Shane Himeda was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 
The Loggers erupted for seven runs the following inning, and Parascondola got the big rally started with a one-out solo homer. Kyle Strash hit a two-run single, and Dylan Joyce added an RBI double in the frame.
 
Joyce locked down his fourth save of the season, allowing Chris Pullen to claim his second win of the year.

The game began Wednesday, but was suspended in the 7th inning due to rain, and resumed Thuesday. 
 
 
Puget Sound 7, Whitman 12
The Blues raced out to a 4-0 lead through three innings and held on for a 12-7 win.
 
Dylan Joyce and Jacob Ota both hit two-run homers in the sixth inning. Kyle Strash led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, and Joyce promptly followed with his 13^th home run of the season. Joyce hit 12 home runs in the 2021 season.
 
The next batter, Shane Himeda, reached base with a single, and Jacob Ota immediately followed with his fourth home run of the season.
 
Strash finished the game with three hits.
 
 
Puget Sound 9, Whitman 10
The Loggers had a 6-2 lead through five innings, but Whitman rallied for eight runs in the sixth innings and held on for a 10-9 win.
 
The Blues scored a run in each of the first two innings, but the Loggers took the lead in the third inning. Cody Hirano and Kyle Strash led off with consecutive singles, and Shane Himeda came through with a one-out RBI single.
 
Gio Parascondola and Jonas Kim both drew bases-loaded walks to put the Loggers ahead, 3-2.
 
In the fifth inning, Makana Murashige led off with a double and he scored on a hit by Parascondola. Later, Cody Hirano drew a bases-loaded walk, and Shane Himeda was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 
Parascondola belted a solo home in the eighth inning to cut the Loggers' deficit to 10-8, but Puget Sound added just one more run in the ninth.
 
The Loggers' next game is a non-conference bout against Pacific Lutheran in Cheney Stadium, April 28.