by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant

TACOMA, Wash. – The Whitworth softball team opened Northwest Conference play with 11-6 and 7-4 wins over Puget Sound on Saturday in Tacoma.

Whitworth (4-10, 2-0 NWC) and Puget Sound (0-6, 0-2) will conclude the series with two games on Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m.

Haley Montoya and Sara Gayer led the Pirates offensively. Montoya hit 4-7 with four RBIs, while Gayer finished 5-7 with three RBIs. Drea Schwaier-Wolf, Kylie Harris and Corinne Vasiloff did not walk a single batter in the two games.

Game 1 – Whitworth 11, Puget Sound 6

The Pirates led by nine runs after the top of the third to take control of game one. The Loggers got within five after the bottom of the fifth, but the deficit would stay there. The Pirates had eight stolen bases on the game, three by Kaylie Lowery.

Whitworth got out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring three runs with two outs. The Pirates had four stolen bases in the frame. Jazz Johnson singled in two of the runs and scored on Mattea Nelson's double.

Gayer hit a two-run homer in the second to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead. The Loggers grabbed a run in the bottom half to bring the score to 7-1.

The Pirates responded with three more runs in the third, highlighted by Nashoni Boyd's two-run homer, to bring the lead to 10-1. UPS scored a pair of runs in the third and fifth innings to cut its deficit to 10-5, hitting a home run in both frames.

The Pirates and Loggers would score one more run each through the final two innings.

Seven Pirates drove in at least one run on the game. Gayer finished 3-3 with three RBIs. Schwaier-Wolf got the win in the circle, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits in six innings. She struck out seven Loggers. Harris closed the seventh, allowing one run on three hits.

Savanna Smith led the Loggers at the plate, batting 2-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Maddy Garcia took the pitching loss, allowing 10 runs (six earned) on eight hits in 2.2 innings. Noelle Kerr pitched the next 4.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits.

Game 2 – Whitworth 7, Puget Sound 4

Vasiloff pitched a complete game to earn her first win in the circle for the Pirates. The first-year pitcher allowed four runs on 10 hits and struck out four. Montoya led the Bucs at the plate, hitting 2-4 with three RBIs. Gayer and Julia Dillon also had two hits apiece.

Mikayla Newman hit her second home run of the day to lead off the third inning for UPS. A sacrifice fly gave the Loggers a 2-0 lead entering the fourth.

Gayer reached base with a double, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it a one-run game in the top of the fourth. Whitworth then took a 3-2 lead in the fifth after a two-run single by Montoya.

The Pirates added a run in the top of the sixth, but the Loggers answered with another solo home run, this time from Kelsie Sullivan to bring the score to 4-3.

A pair of RBI doubles from Montoya and Maddy Thomas followed by an RBI-groundout from Heather Menzer brought the Pirate advantage to 7-3 in the top of the seventh.  

Vasiloff pitched two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh before UPS got three straight hits to narrow the Whitworth lead to 7-4. The Loggers had the game-tying run at the plate but Vasiloff forced a flyout to end the threat.

Smith allowed seven runs on 10 hits in the circle for the Loggers.