SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth softball is at home for the second straight weekend, hosting Puget Sound in a four-game Northwest Conference series at Diana Marks field.

Check the scheduling page for links to live scores, statistics, and streaming options.

The Pirates: Whitworth (7-17, 3-9 NWC) has fallen to a tie for last place in the conference after losing three of four against Lewis & Clark last weekend. The Pirates will need to go on a run in these next 12 games; this weekend against the Loggers will go a long way in determining their chances of making that run.

Last weekend, the Pirates opened the series up on a high note with a 5-4 win over the Pioneers. Haley Montoya was 2-3 at the plate with an RBI, and Whitworth scored all five of its runs in the first two innings before leaning on Vasiloff's complete game to get the win. Reagan Ellis singled with the bases loaded in the first inning to drive in a pair of runs, and it was RBI base hits from Montoya and Julia Dillon that opened a 5-1 Whitworth lead after two innings. The Pioneers chipped away and made it a game with a pair of runs in the third and another in the sixth, but Vasiloff and an error-free defensive effort allowed Whitworth to hold on. In the second game of the day, it was L&C jumping out to the early lead after a few hits and a costly Pirate error. The Pioneers led 6-1 through three, Makenna Hofford, Jessica Rusconi and Kelly Hruza all drove in runs in the fourth and fifth to cut the deficit to 6-4, but the Pioneers sealed it with three more runs in the sixth and a Mari Alvarez three-run shot in the seventh to make it 12-6. On Sunday, L&C took game three 3-0. Both teams combined for just nine hits, but the Pioneers managed to score three in the top of the fourth (two were unearned) and that made all the difference. L&C won the series finale 8-5, fending off a Whitworth rally to claim the weekend series. Montoya was on fire, batting 3-4 with a pair of RBIs that brought Whitworth within a run at one point.

Series Top Performers: Haley Montoya had a stellar weekend finishing 8-14 with two triples, three RBIs while scoring four times herself. Jessica Rusconi added some power of her own batting 4-13 including a double and her second home run of the season. On the mound, Corinne Vasiloff pitched 18.2 innings on the weekend (including two complete games), allowing 10 earned runs while striking out eight batters.

Big Picture: With 12 games to go, the Pirates still have their eyes on a conference tournament berth. Whitworth has been in the tournament the last 10 seasons, and won it three times. Currently, Whitworth sits in last place but they're only two games behind fourth-place Pacific Lutheran (10-14, 5-7 NWC). The next two weekends will be crucial for the Pirates as they take on Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran (currently fourth and fifth in the standings), a sweep of UPS this weekend could propel them into fifth heading into the PLU series.

The Opponent: Puget Sound (6-14, 4-8 NWC) comes into the weekend a game ahead of Whitworth after being swept by Linfield (who's currently ranked third in the nation). Prior to that sweep at home against the Wildcats, UPS had split series with Pacific and George Fox.

The Loggers are batting .261 as a team, but they've got a little pop in their bats with a slugging percentage of .398 (fourth in the NWC), 12 home runs and 21 doubles on the year (keep in mind they've played four less games). Offensively, they've also struck out in 121 of their 475 at bats (25.4%), that rate is a conference-worst and about 9% more than Whitworth. Claire Besancon leads the Loggers with a .353 average but it's Mikayla Johnson who brings the power; she leads UPS in OPS (1.032), doubles (4), home runs (3), RBIs (14), and slugging percentage (.632) while maintaining a respectable .289 average on 11 hits. The Loggers have a young pitching staff which includes three freshmen; Nyomi Estrada (3-4) has pitched 37 innings to lead the team, has a 10.46 ERA, and allows a .291 average. Alison Madia (1-2) has pitched 27.1 innings, has a 7.57 ERA, and allows a .322 average. The Pirates will see both this weekend.

Leaderboard watch: A few Pirates remain on the NWC statistical leaderboard: Rusconi's seven doubles are tied for sixth in the conference, Montoya tagged a pair of triples this weekend which lands her at second for triples this season, she's also eighth in the NWC in stolen bases (9).

Montoya Show: The second baseman leads the Pirates in average (.313), hits (26), total bases (36), on-base percentage (.345), and even runs scored (18). She's been an ideal leadoff hitter for Whitworth, and her numbers are climbing as of late.

The Coach: Bob Castle took over as Whitworth's head coach in 2019 and is now in his fifth season. Castle was previously an assistant on the Pirates' softball staff from 2015-2018 and won three NWC titles in that span. Castle earned his first winning season as head coach in 2022 leading Whitworth to a 25-17 record.