REDLANDS, Calif. – The Whitworth University softball team picked up its second straight sweep of the season with 13-10 and 8-6 non-conference wins over Redlands on Saturday afternoon.

Whitworth improved to 5-1 on the season. Redlands, ranked 19^th in the NFCA preseason top 25 poll, dropped to 2-4 on the season.

Game 1 - Whitworth 13, Redlands 10
The Bulldogs led 5-0 after the first inning and 10-1 after the third inning. Whitworth began making its move in the fourth inning. Four Pirate batters were walked in the top of the inning, allowing junior Peyton McMahon to score. Freshman Shannon Wessel was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring sophomore Alyssa Hall. Another walk and a wild pitch pushed two more Pirates across home, making it a 10-4 game.

The Pirates followed a scoreless fifth inning with a tremendous showing in the top of the sixth. Freshman Tessa Matthews tripled and scored, along with Wessel, on a double from freshman Kelsey Stroshine. A McMahon double scored another pair of Pirates, followed by a pair of Bulldog errors with the bases loaded that allowed sophomore Megan John and McMahon to score. Whitworth put two more runs on the board before Redlands was able to get the third out. The Pirates scored eight runs in the inning to take a 13-10 lead.

Redlands stranded two runners in the bottom of the sixth and one in the bottom of the seventh, but could not overcome Whitworth's eight-run sixth inning.

Peyton McMahon went 2-3 with two RBI. Kelsey Stroshine was 1-4 with two runs batted in.

Junior Riley Fritz earned the win in the circle, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Tayler Gilbert earned her first save of the season, allowing just one hit in 1.2 innings pitched. Casey Maltz took the loss, giving up four runs on one hit in 0.2 innings pitched.

Game 2 - Whitworth 8, Redlands 6
Whitworth got a run on the board in the top of the first of game two. The Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the third, pushing two runs across before Whitworth could record the third out.

Sophomore Bailey Kasler opened the fifth inning with a single to center field. With runners on second and third, Shannon Wessel singled to center field, sending both runners home. Senior Julia Johnson followed Wessel by connecting with her first home run of the season. Peyton McMahon sent a pitch over the right field wall, a three-run homer for the junior.

Redlands tacked a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh innings, but came up just short of the comeback.

Junior Taylor Gilbert earned the win in the circle, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in four innings. Lauren Henson took the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings pitched.

Whitworth continues California action on Sunday as the Pirates take on Occidental in a doubleheader.