PORTLAND, Ore. – The Whitworth softball team used three home runs and a defensive triple play to defeat Lewis & Clark College in a pair of games at Huston Sports Complex on Sunday. Whitworth improves to 15-11 on the season, 12-8 in Northwest Conference action. Lewis & Clark falls to 11-17 overall, 6-14 in NWC play.
After a 15-5 win in Sunday's first game and a 10-0 win in the final game of the series, Whitworth is now 6-0 in games when the Pirates have scored 10 or more runs.
Game 1 – Whitworth 15, Lewis & Clark 5 (6 innings)
Junior Makenzie Hope got things started fast for the Pirates as she singled down the left field line, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior Caylan Haehl. Hope scored on a fielder's choice that put senior Jamie Brunner on first base. After stealing third base, Brunner scored on when freshman Alyssa Martinez grounded out and the Bucs went into the bottom of the first inning with a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers got a run back in the bottom of the first, but the Pirates pushed four runs across in the top of the second inning. With two outs, freshman M'Liss Powles stepped up to the plate and sent a pitch over the left center wall. Two batters later, Brunner homered to right field, scoring three runs. Lewis & Clark added a run in the bottom of the second to make it a 6-2 game.
After a scoreless third inning, the Pirates scored a run in both the fourth and fifth inning, but the sixth inning was the game-changer for the Bucs. Hope scored first, and six Pirates followed her as Whitworth scored seven runs on seven hits in the top of the sixth. Lewis & Clark was able to get three runs back in the bottom of the inning, but Whitworth was too far out of reach and took the 15-5 win.
Sophomore Megan Fisher (3-2) earned the win in the circle, giving up two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. Jill Pinder (4-4) took the loss, giving up six earned runs on six hits in two innings.
Jamie Brunner went 2-for-3 at the plate and finished with a game-high four runs batted in.
Game 2 – Whitworth 10, Lewis & Clark 0 (5 innings)
Despite going scoreless in the top of the first inning, the Pirates turned their first triple play of the season, as freshman Alyssa Hall caught the fly ball in left field and made the throw to get the runners out at first and second.
The Bucs used the momentum shift to push six runs across the plate in the top of the second. Sophomore Riley Fritz reached on an error and then scored on a single from M'Liss Powles. With bases loaded, Makenzie Hope reached on a Pioneer error, allowing freshman pinch runner Brittany Connor to score. Powles and sophomore pinch runner Sacha Clow both scored on a Lewis & Clark error, and then Hope scored as Jamie Brunner grounded out to second base. Senior Heather Hesselgesser tripled, scoring Caylan Haehl and giving Whitworth a 6-0 lead.
Junior Julia Johnson homered for the fourth time this season in the top of the third for the seventh run of the game. After a scoreless fourth inning, Whitworth tacked on three runs in the fifth to score double digit runs for the sixth time this season. After reaching on a fielder's choice, senior Jessica Ross stole second and then scored when M'Liss Powles singled to left field. With bases loaded, Brunner and Hesselgesser received back-to-back walks, allowing Powles and Makenzie Hope to score the ninth and tenth runs of the game.
Sophomore Taylor Gilbert earned her fourth win of the season in the circle, allowing just four hits and striking out three of the 17 batters she faced in five innings. Natalie Rose (2-4) took the loss, giving up four hits with just one strikeout in 1.2 innings.
Jamie Brunner, Heather Hesselgesser and M'Liss Powles all went 2-for-3 at the plate, with Brunner, Hesselgesser and Powles each recording two RBI and Julia Johnson batting in one run.
Next up, Whitworth will face Concordia (Wisc.) at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. on March 26th.
