SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth's Mattea Nelson continued her blistering hot hitting by going 5 for 7 on Saturday afternoon, but the Pirates settled for a split of their Northwest Conference softball doubleheader against visiting Lewis & Clark. Whitworth (21-11 overall, 13-7 NWC) won the opener 6-2 before the Pioneers (17-13, 9-11) won the second game 6-3 to salvage one win in the four game series.
The Pirates will host league-leading Linfield University in a four-game series on Wednesday and Thursday at Diana Marks Field.
Game 1 – Whitworth 6, Lewis & Clark 2
One day after struggling in her previous start, Momi Lyman tossed a complete-game victory for the Pirates while Nelson went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs.
Whitworth got on the board in the bottom of the third after the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs and Jazz Johnson drove a hard single off third base that scored one run.
The Pirates added three more in the bottom of the fourth. Kennedy Robison opened the inning with a triple to right field and scored on Kelly Hruza's ground out to third. After consecutive singles drove starting pitcher Alyssa Abe from the game, Nelson doubled home a run. The final run scored on Julia Dillon's ground out.
L&C scored its first run without the benefit of a hit after Lindsey Flegel was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Pinch runner Pippi Jepson stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on Alyssa Hoeke's ground out to shortstop.
The Pioneers pulled within 4-2 in the sixth on an RBI double by Madison Scroggins.
Whitworth responded with two more in the bottom of the sixth. Nelson drilled her second RBI double of the game and she scored on Jazz Johnson's single to left field.
Lyman (7-5) gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, then retired the next three batters. She allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in her complete-game effort and struck out four.
Abe (4-2) gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in 3.1 innings for L&C. Charlize Pope allowed the other two runs.
Game 2 – Lewis & Clark 6, Whitworth 3
The Pioneers avoided a four-game sweep thanks to solid pitching from Maggie O'Leary and strong defense in the final two innings.
L&C jumped ahead 2-0 in the first on RBI singles by Kalea Kaui and Scroggins. The Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the seventh when Nelson drilled a two-out, two-run triple to center field.
The Pioneers took the lead with two unearned runs in the top of the third after a fly ball was dropped in left field with two outs. L&C added a run in the fourth on Emily Patton's RBI single to right and another in the fifth on an RBI single by pinch hitter Mia Lopez for a 6-2 lead.
Whitworth got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. Nelson led off with a single and Dillon followed with a single up the middle. Dillon rounded second and ended up in a run-down, which allowed Nelson to keep going and score all the way from first base. Nelson made it back safely to first. But L&C killed the rally when McKenna Zender snagged a line drive at third base and O'Leary struck out Taylor Hofheins.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, but O'Leary won a long battle with Heather Menzer by inducing a ground out to shortstop. Whitworth opened the seventh with consecutive hits, but O'Leary got pinch hitter McKenzie Nine to ground to Patton at short, who turned it into a double play.
O'Leary improved to 4-4 by scattering 10 hits to go with four walks and four strikeouts.
Corinne Vasiloff (13-5) went the distance for Whitworth and gave up four earned runs on 11 hits and one walk. She saw her seven-game winning streak come to an end.
Nelson went 2-3 in the game and finished 5 for 7 after coming into the day with a team-leading .430 batting average.
