PARKLAND, Wash. – Surging Pacific Lutheran swept Whitworth in a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader played on PLU's campus, despite the Pirates being the "home" team while making up half of a series lost to unplayable conditions in Spokane on February 25-26.
The Lutes (18-5) won the opener 7-3 and the second game 11-3 to earn their 10th win in 11 conference games. Whitworth fell to 7-8 overall and 4-5 in the NWC. The Bucs lost the final three games of a six-game swing through the Tacoma area.
Game 1 – PLU 7, Whitworth 3
Kennedy Kila hit two home runs and the Lutes scored four times in the seventh inning after the Pirates tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
The Lutes scored twice in the top of the first, including a sacrifice fly by Kila. Whitworth answered in the bottom of the inning on Julia Dillon's RBI single that scored Mattea Nelson.
The game remained 2-1 until the top of the six when Kila hit a solo home run for a 3-1 PLU lead.
The Pirates took advantage of a two-out throwing error at third base to score the tying runs in the bottom of the sixth.
After a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, pinch runner Syan Yamamoto moved up each base on three wild pitches to the next batter, scoring when ball four got away. Three batters later Kila hit her second home run of the game, a three run shot that made it 7-3.
Cassidy Conrad (8-1) went the distance for PLU, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits. She struck out four and walked four.
Corinne Vasiloff (5-4) went all six innings for Whitworth, giving up seven runs on ten hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
Game 2 – PLU 11, Whitworth 3
Erin McGrath homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead the Lutes to a runaway win in the second game.
Pacific scored the game's first run in the second, then added four more in the fourth. Molly House drove in two with a double and then scored on McGrath's double for a 5-0 lead.
Jazz Johnson got the Pirates within 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run, her first of the season.
The Lutes added a run in the fifth, then pulled away with two in the sixth and three more in the seventh. McGrath wrapped up the PLU scoring with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
Haley Montoya doubled home Whitworth's final run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Kila pitched a complete game for PLU, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. She struck out three Pirates.
Momi Lyman (2-3) started for Whitworth and allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. She struck out seven batters. Kaleigh Bauerle, Trinity Miller and Annie Brose all followed in relief.
The Pirates will step away from NWC play next weekend with a trip back to Southern California for doubleheaders at Chapman, Occidental and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
