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Box Score 2 SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University took over sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference softball standings with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Pacific University on Friday afternoon at Diana Marks Field.
The 24th-ranked Pirates won the opener 3-1 in a taut pitchers' duel, then rolled to a 12-1 win in the second game. Whitworth improved to 16-5 overall and 8-2 in the NWC. The Boxers fell to 16-9-1, 8-6.
The teams will complete the four-game series on Saturday with another doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.
Game 1 – Whitworth 3, Pacific 1
Kelsey Downey's pinch-hit single in the bottom of the fifth inning capped the scoring in a three-run rally and provided the margin of victory in the opener.
Madi Perez scattered nine hits over six innings and allowed one run to outduel Marissa Reichard for the victory in the circle.
Neither pitcher allowed a run until the bottom of the fifth and Whitworth was only able to garner a single hit off of Reichard through the first four innings. But the Pirates finally broke through with the three-run rally. Tessa Matthews led off the frame with a walk. Then Michelle Silva and Shannon Wessel followed with infield singles to load the bases with no one out. Desi Graham followed with another infield single to drive in Matthews and Whitworth had taken a 1-0 lead without hitting the ball out of the infield.
Downey came on as a pinch hitter and drove the ball up the middle to score Silva and Wessel with two key insurance runs. Reichard was able to work out of the inning without further damage, thanks in part to good defense when Graham was tagged out at home.
Pacific had chances to score in the second and fifth innings, but could not get a runner home in either frame. Ashley Mitchell led off the top of the second with a double and stole third with one out, but Perez worked out of the jam after Pacific had runners on the corners with only one out. The Boxers had the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, but Perez got Nalani Antonio to pop up to end the threat.
Pacific finally got on the board in the top of the seventh. Trisha Snydar and Rachel Roberts led off the inning with back to back doubles to chase Perez from the game. Makayla Lefever came on in relief and got in further trouble when she attempted to get Roberts at third base on a comebacker to the circle by Kaitlyn Donaca. But Lefever settled down to induce three straight pop-ups, including the final one by Mitchell who had doubled twice in the game.
Perez improved to 6-5 this season. She struck out only one batter and walked none. Lefever picked up her first save of the season. Reichard fell to 10-4 for Pacific after she allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
Wessel was the only Pirate batter with more than one hit, finishing 2-3 at the plate. Roberts, Mitchell and Snydar all had two hits each for the Boxers.
Game 2 – Whitworth 12, Pacific 1 (5 innings)
Morgan Portlock went 3-3 with four RBIs and Lefever improved to 9-0 in the circle this season to help the Pirates win easily in a run-rule shortened contest.
Myranda Ramirez and Portlock had RBI singles in the first inning to help the Bucs grab a quick 2-0 lead. Whitworth added eight more runs in the second, benefitting from a pair of Pacific errors. Wessel's two-run single and Megan John's two-run double were the big blows that broke the game open.
Portlock added a two-run double in the third for the final Whitworth runs in the game.
Pacific actually led 1-0 in the top of the first after Roberts led off with a double and Kylee Yamamoto doubled one out later. But Lefever got Antonio to pop up and Mitchell to strike out to avoid further damage.
Ramirez, Wessel and John all had two hits for the Pirates. Ramirez scored three runs, while Wessel and John each finished with two RBIs.
No Pacific player had more than one hit off of Lefever, who went four innings and allowed one run on three hits to stay unbeaten this season.
Alyssa Burns (2-3) started in the circle for the Boxers and gave up seven runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks in 1.2 innings. Allie Sims went only 0.1 of an inning and allowed four runs on two hits and three walks. Madison Hedlund (one inning, one run allowed) and Cassie Apple (one inning, no runs) finished up for Pacific.
