Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TACOMA, Wash. – Whitworth softball dropped both games of Sunday's doubleheader at Pacific Lutheran, falling 8-0 and 4-3 to bring their losing streak to four games.

The Pirates (13-23, 9-15 NWC) came into the weekend with hopes of possibly jumping into third place in the standings, instead the Lutes (19-17, 14-10 NWC) clinched their spot in the conference tournament and sent Whitworth home with their tournament hopes in serious jeopardy.

Whitworth's offense went without a run through three games before finally breaking through on Haley Montoya's RBI-single in the fifth inning of the finale, but the comeback effort fell one run short with the bases loaded in the seventh.

The Pirates will close the regular season at home against last-place Pacific, they'll likely need a sweep to have a chance at that final spot in the Northwest Conference tournament.

Game 1 – Pacific Lutheran 8, Whitworth 0  (6 innings)

Rachel Treves pitched a six inning shutout and five hitters drove in runs for Pacific Lutheran as they clinched the series with an 8-0 win in rainy Tacoma.

Whitworth managed just five hits in a disappointing outing, Haley Montoya accounted for two of those while Julia Dillon and Taylor Hofheins each doubled in their only hit of the game. Corinne Vasiloff (8-11) pitched five innings and allowed six runs and eight hits.

The game started slow as the Lutes drew first blood in the third on Casey Wright's sacrifice fly, but they broke things open with four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Paolo Garcia broke things open tagging a double in the gap to clear the bases with two outs in the fifth, swelling PLU's lead to 5-0. Garcia was 2-3 in the game, but that hit was a major blow to the Pirates.

In the sixth, PLU wrapped things up thanks to three walks and a pair of hits to help them get the eight-run mercy rule. Smithson doubled to left center to make it 6-0, Yamamoto's sacrifice fly tacked on another before Wada singled through the right side to bring in the final run.

Whitworth had runners in scoring position just three times (two of which were on two-out doubles from Dillon and Hofheins) but they were shut out for the third consecutive time. 

Game 2 – Pacific Lutheran 4, Whitworth 3

Mackenzie Nine went 2-3 with two doubles including an RBI-double in the seventh to bring the Pirates within one, but the Lutes held on to earn their fourth win of the weekend.

Whitworth's rally looked over before it started after two of the first three batters of the inning were retired, but Kylie Kozykowski drew a walk before Nine blasted a double to score Amy Pederson from second. Jazz Johnson reached base on a mishandled ground ball, but the runner was held from scoring leaving the bases loaded for Dillon, the go-ahead run at second. But Dillon was denied grounding out to second base to close the series.

Whitworth trailed 4-0 going into the fifth but an RBI-single from Haley Montoya and a PLU error allowed them to cut the deficit in half before that late rally in the seventh.

Momi Lyman (4-11) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on 10 hits but held the Lutes scoreless for the final three frames as the Pirates fought back. Rachael Rhinehart (7-8) got her second win of the weekend pitching five innings while allowing two earned runs.

Molly House, Brooke Tilson, and Rylie Wada all drove in two-out RBI-singles up the middle in the first, third, and fourth inning to give PLU a 4-0 lead. Wada's was a two-run RBI that gave the Lutes all the insurance they'd need even amidst Whitworth's late rally.

Whitworth posted seven hits, PLU racked up 10 to overcome a pair of errors down the stretch that allowed the Pirates to claw back into the game.