TACOMA, Wash. — Behind a sharp performance from starter Cal Johnson and clutch at-bats in the middle innings, Puget Sound secured a 4-1 victory over Whitman on Tuesday afternoon at home.  

Johnson (3-1) delivered five strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out five. He got key support from the bullpen as Mason Seay and Zach Robman combined for four scoreless frames to shut the door on the Blues.  

Whitman (1-3) struck first in the fourth with a double, and then sending a runner home on a sacrifice fly. But Puget Sound (3-1) responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, plating three runs. Makana Murashige's sacrifice bunt tied it up before Cody Hirano's RBI single put the Loggers ahead. Kellen Krebs capped the rally with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 3-1.  

An insurance run came in the eighth when Murashige manufactured a run with aggressive baserunning, scoring on a passed ball.  

Whitman had opportunities, collecting seven hits, but Puget Sound's pitching staff stranded nine runners while also striking out nine.  

Offensively, Ryan Spero paced the Loggers with a 2-for-3 day and a stolen base. Whitman's Ting went 2-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases in the losing effort.  

In the second game, the Logger offense erupted for 19 runs on just nine hits, taking full advantage of 18 walks and a variety of passed balls and errors to rout Whitman 19-1.  

The Loggers (10-7) wasted no time, responding to Whitman's early 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first before piling on three in the second, one in the third, and back-to-back six-run innings in the fourth and fifth.  

Catcher Matt Churchill led the charge with a grand slam as part of a six-RBI performance, while Jim O'Brien added a home run and drove in two. Charlie Deggeller reached base five times, scoring three runs and knocking in four. The Loggers showed patience at the plate, drawing a whopping 17 walks and capitalizing on four hit batters.  

Puget Sound's pitching staff was equally dominant. Braden Blackwell started and allowed just one run over an inning of work, while the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings. Kai Tokumaru tossed three shutout frames, striking out three while allowing just four hits.  

The win extends Puget Sound's strong stretch of play, sending Whitman home with three losses over the past four games.