From staff reports

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Luis Salgado put his imprint on Whitworth’s victory with his first touch of the game on Saturday.

Salgado ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run on his first carry to give the Pirates an early lead en route to a 28-17 win over Pacific in a Northwest Conference matchup.

Salgado added an 18-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to extend the Pirates’ lead to 21-10.

A 5-foot-7, 190-pound freshman, Salgado finished with 17 carries for 108 yards.

Whitworth quarterback Jaedyn Prewitt completed 21 of 30 passes for 288 yards. His 11-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Peloquin gave the Pirates (6-3, 4-2 NWC) an insurmountable 28-10 advantage with 8:25 to play.

Whitworth largely grounded the Boxers’ offense until Pacific (4-4, 3-3) scored with Ryan Helt’s 69-yard pass to Jaden Ramos for the game’s final touchdown with 2:19 left.

The Boxers compiled 45 rushing yards on 32 carries. Helt led Pacific with 293 yards on 18-for-29 passing, and his 34-yard TD pass to Tyler Vargas pulled the Boxers within 14-10 with 21/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Logan Kitselman’s 6-yard run provided the Pirates with a 14-3 lead with 2:28 remaining before halftime.

Peloquin led Whitworth with five receptions for 73 yards. Prewitt completed passes to eight receivers.

Kai Bookland totaled seven catches for 87 yards, and Ramos finished with three receptions for 80 yards. Running back Kash Taylor chipped in 61 rushing yards.

Whitworth will complete its season at 12:30 p.m. Saturday by hosting George Fox.