SPOKANE, Wash. – Tessa Matthews went 4-5 and drove in a pair of runs to lead Whitworth to a sweep of visiting Willamette in a Northwest Conference-opening softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Diana Marks Field.

The Pirates won the opener 3-0 then took the nightcap 9-5 to improve to 9-3 overall and 2-0 in the NWC.  The Bearcats dropped to 0-8, 0-2.

The teams will conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader on Sunday.

Game 1:  Whitworth 3, Willamette 0
Madi Perez improved to 5-1 this season with a three-hit complete-game shutout.

The Pirates got all the runs they would need in the first two innings.  Peyton McMahon's run-scoring single drove in Alyssa Hall with the first run in the bottom of the opening frame.  Kelsy Stroshine drove in Sacha Clow with a run-scoring single in the second and Matthews knocked in Stroshine later in the inning.

Perez ran in to little trouble throughout the game.  She struck out seven batters and walked only one. Willamette got the first two runners on base in each of the first two innings, but could not score.  Perez struck out Erin Norris to end the threat in the first then she got Heather Winslow to ground out to end the second. 

Jade Smith pitched a complete game for the Bearcats, allowing three runs on six hits.  She dropped to 0-3 this season.

McMahon and Matthews each went 2-2 at the plate for Whitworth.

Game 2:  Whitworth 9, Willamette 5
The Pirates opened an early 6-0 lead behind Sacha Clow's first home run of the season, then responded to a Willamette rally with three runs late to get the doubleheader sweep.

The Pirates jumped on Bearcats starting pitcher Victoria Bradshaw for three runs in the first inning.  Shannon Wessel's RBI single scored Chelsey Hayes.  Kelsey Downey drove in Wessel with a single to right field and then McMahon came home on a wild pitch.

The Bucs got two more in the second after Hayes and Wessel each singled home a run.  Then Clow drove a ball over the left field wall in the third inning off of relief pitcher Haley Glantz.

Meanwhile Whitworth starting pitcher Makayla Lefever cruised through the first five innings allowing only two infield hits.  But Willamette broke through with four runs in the sixth off of Lefever and Perez in relief.  Mallory Asaro, Molly Lathrop and Myranda Ramirez all had run-scoring singles as the Bearcats pulled back to within 6-4. 

But the Pirates scored three more times in the bottom of the sixth, including an RBI double by Matthews and a run-scoring triple from Hayes.

Willamette scored its final run in the seventh on a fielder's choice.

Lefever allowed three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings to improve to 4-1 this season.  Perez gave up two runs in 1.2 innings and picked up the save.

Bradshaw fell to 0-2 after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in two innings.

Wessel went 3-4 with two RBIs, while Hayes had two hits in three at-bats and also drove in a pair of runs.  Matthews went 2-3 and scored twice. 

Lathrop went 3-4 to lead the Bearcats at the plate.