by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant

SALEM, Ore. – Drea Schwaier-Wolf shut out the Bearcats in the opener, while Sara Gayer and Maddy Thomas hit a home run in both contests to help the visiting Whitworth softball team sweep Willamette in Saturday's Northwest Conference doubleheader.

Whitworth (11-21, 9-11 NWC) won 8-0 and 11-2 over Willamette (4-28, 3-23) to move into fourth in the NWC standings. The Pirates will look to hold on to this spot as the Bucs and Bearcats finish the series with another doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.

Game 1 – Whitworth 8, Willamette 0 (6 innings)

Schwaier-Wolf pitched six scoreless innings as the Pirates opened the weekend series with a win and their first shutout of the season. The Bucs did not allow a Bearcat runner past second base in the victory.

Jessica Rusconi went 2-3 at the plate for the Pirates with two RBIs, a double and a triple. Heather Menzer also had two-extra base hits, a double and a home run, to finish 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Gayer hit a solo home run in the first to give Whitworth a 1-0 lead.

Whitworth extended its lead to four in the top of the fourth. Menzer led off the inning with a double and Rylee Gentner followed with a single to put two runners on with no outs. Rusconi drove in the pair with a one-out triple down the left field line. Kaylie Lowery scored Rusconi with a single to bring the Pirates' advantage to 4-0.

Menzer hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to bring the Pirates' lead to 5-0. Whitworth added on in the sixth with a three-run homer from Thomas, her ninth of the season, and the Pirates held on to this eight-run lead in the bottom half to end the game early.

Schwaier-Wolf (5-8) pitched a complete game, allowing no runs on five hits for the Pirates.

Shaye Mott (2-16) took the loss in the circle for the Bearcats, allowing eight runs on 12 hits in six innings pitched. She struck out seven Pirates.

Game 2 – Whitworth 11, Willamette 2 (5 innings)

Brynn Radke, Gayer and Thomas finished with three RBIs apiece in the second game. Lowery and Gayer both went 3-4 at the plate and Kylie Harris pitched four scoreless innings of relief for the Pirates.

Thomas scored Lowery with a single to bring the Whitworth lead to 1-0 in the top of the first.

Whitworth put six runs on the scoreboard in the top of the second. Julia Dillon and Jazz Johnson led off the inning with singles, before advancing on Mattea Nelson's sacrifice bunt. Lowery singled in Dillon and Radke followed with a two-run double. Gayer drove in Radke with another double before Thomas closed the explosive inning with a two-run homer to bring the score to 7-0.

Willamette scored its first runs of the day in the bottom of the second. Cassie Cosler drove in two Bearcats with a double to narrow the deficit to 7-2. Harris relieved starting pitcher Corinne Vasiloff and allowed a single before shutting down the inning with strikeout and a pair of fly outs.  

The Pirates added one run in the fourth and three more in the fifth to go up 11-2. Menzer and Radke each had an RBI in the stretch. Gayer gave the Pirates the nine-run lead with a two-run homer.

Harris (1-5) got the win in the circle for the Pirates, allowing no runs and just two hits in four innings of work.

Sarah Smith (0-4) was credited with the pitching loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits through two innings. Mia Lund allowed four runs on six hits in three innings of relief.