SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth completed a make-up Northwest Conference softball series against Pacific Lutheran by splitting a doubleheader with the visiting Lutes on Thursday at Diana Marks Field. The Pirates (13-10 overall, 5-6 NWC) won the opener 5-3 before the Lutes (18-8, 10-4) took the nightcap 6-1.
PLU took three of four in a series that was originally scheduled for February 25-26, but could not be played at that time because of frozen conditions at Diana Marks Field.
Whitworth will complete a suspended game at Pacific (Ore.) on Friday, then will play a four-game series at Willamette over the weekend.
Game 1 – Whitworth 5, PLU 3
Mattea Nelson doubled twice and drove in four runs to back the complete-game pitching effort from Corinne Vasiloff.
Kennedy Kila got the Lutes on the board in the top of the third with a one-out, solo home run to right-center field, her eighth of the season.
The Bucs tied the game in the bottom of the third after Jessica Rusconi opened with a walk and went to third on Haley Montoya's double. She scored on Julia Dillon's ground out to second base.
Anna Foster opened the top of the fourth by reaching on a fielding error at first base. Pinch-runner Mattie Cheever scored on Paola Garcia's triple. After a strikeout, Garcia game home on Rylie Wada's ground out to second base, giving PLU a 3-1 lead. Both runs were unearned due to the opening error.
Whitworth loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and Nelson came through with a line drive double off the wall in center field that cleared the bases and gave the Pirates the lead.
Nelson provided another RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to give Whitworth an insurance run.
Vasiloff worked hard to get out of bases-loaded jams in the fifth and sixth innings to preserve the lead. She got Garcia to ground out to first to end the fifth and induced Casey Wright into a comebacker to end the sixth.
Garcia was hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but Chaela Galapon grounded out to third to end the game.
Vasiloff (9-4) earned her fourth straight win as a starter. She allowed one earned run on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Cassidy Conrad (8-3) took the loss for PLU after giving up five runs on nine hits and three walks in six frames.
Game 2 – PLU 6, Whitworth 1
Kila became the hero in the circle for the Lutes with her complete-game performance, while Garcia hit a home run to lead the offense.
Montoya opened the bottom of the first with a double, then scored on Heather Menzer's single up the middle with two outs. The Pirates would not score again.
PLU tied the game with a two-out rally in the top of the fourth. Foster walked and Wright tripled to right field.
The Lutes took the lead in the fifth when Kila had an RBI double and Garcia followed with a home run to left field, her fourth of the season, to give PLU a 4-1 lead.
Wright singled to lead off the fifth and went to third after a fielding error in left field. She scored on Wada's hard single to right field.
The Lutes added their final run in the sixth when Garcia reached on a throwing error to open the inning and eventually scored on Foster's single to right-center field.
Kila (5-1) scattered seven hits, but only three after the first inning.
Momi Lyman (4-5) started in the circle and took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. Vasiloff worked the final 2.1 in relief and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits.
