SPOKANE, Wash. – Peyton McMahon clubbed her third home run of the season to back another stellar pitching effort by Makayla Lefever, lifting Whitworth to a 5-1 win over visiting Pacific in the finale of a four-game Northwest Conference softball series on Monday afternoon.  The Boxers took the opener 3-1 to avoid a series sweep in the makeup of a doubleheader that was postponed by rain on Sunday.

Whitworth is now 16-6 overall and 9-3 in the NWC, one game behind first place George Fox in the league standings.  The Pirates are now off until March 25 when they travel to La Grande, Oregon for a non-conference doubleheader at Eastern Oregon.

Pacific is 14-8, 7-5 and is in third place in the NWC standings.

Game 1 – Pacific 3, Whitworth 1
Marissa Reichard tossed a complete-game five-hitter and the Boxers took advantage of three Whitworth errors to score three unearned runs in the opener.

Pacific got two unearned runs in the first inning.  With two outs and a runner on second base, Ashley Mitchell hit a fly ball to left field that was mishandled by McMahon, allowing the first run to score and Mitchell to end up at second base.  Kylee Oshiro followed with an RBI single to drive in Mitchell.

Chelsey Hayes singled with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning to drive in the only Whitworth run of the game against Reichard.

The Boxers could have added to their run total in the third inning when they loaded the bases with nobody out.  But Whitworth pitcher Madi Perez struck out Mitchell and Oshiro and then got Margaret Bachmeier to hit into a fielder's choice.

Pacific did add an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning.  Mitchell led off with a double and advanced to third when Oshiro reached on an error at second base.  Two outs later Mitchell scored on a ball that died between home and first base that went as an infield single by Kaitlyn Shikada.

Reichard worked a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to finish off the game and improve to 6-4 this season.  She allowed one run on five hits with nine strikeouts and two walks.

Perez dropped to 8-3 after giving up no earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Game 2 – Whitworth 5, Pacific 1
The Pirates claimed the series victory by jumping ahead early and backing the strong pitching of Lefever.

Lefever threw a two-hitter, allowing no earned runs with one strikeout and one walk.  She improved to 8-2 this season and lowered her earned run average to 1.24.

McMahon drilled her third home run of the season to centerfield in the bottom of the first inning off of Pacific starter Jessica Hotaling.  It drove in Shannon Wessel with two outs.

The Boxers used their team speed and a Whitworth error to get on the board in the third.  Cindy Chan reached on an error to lead off the inning.  One out later Hotaling grounded a hard ball through the legs of Wessel at second base.  The ball rolled deep into the outfield because the rightfielder was stationed near the foul line, allowing Chan to score all the way from first base.

Wessel helped make up for the error by leading off the bottom of the third with a double.  She moved up on a hit by Tessa Matthews and then beat the throw to home plate when Kelsey Stroshine hit a grounder to the second baseman.  Kayla Batastini followed with an RBI single up the middle to stretch the lead to 4-1.

Whitworth added one more run off of Reichard, who came on in relief in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Alyssa Hall and Chelsey Hayes opened the inning with singles and were sacrificed up to second and third.  Wessel followed with an RBI single, but she was thrown out trying to take second base after the throw home was cut off.

Pinch hitter Trisha Snydar led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single.  But in the next at-bat Stroshine snagged a line drive from Emily Tesdale at third base and doubled Snydar off of first to end the threat.

Wessel finished the day 4-6 at the plate.