by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant
SALEM, Ore. – The visiting Whitworth softball team earned the series sweep over Willamette with 9-1 and 10-3 wins in Sunday's Northwest Conference doubleheader.
With the wins, Whitworth (13-21, 11-11 NWC) secures fourth place in the regular season standings and a spot in the NWC Tournament. Willamette concludes its season with a 4-30 record overall and 3-25 mark in conference play.
Game 1 – Whitworth 9, Willamette 1 (5 innings)
Maddy Thomas hit 3-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Pirates to a win in Sunday's opener. Jessica Rusconi also finished 3-3 and recorded two RBIs, while Kaylie Lowery had two hits and three stolen bases.
Drea Schwaier-Wolf had another solid outing in the circle for the Bucs, following her shutout of the Bearcats yesterday.
Whitworth led by five runs after the first two innings. Thomas hit a two-run double and was driven in by Rusconi's single to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead in the first. Mattea Nelson scored Rylee Gentner with a double in the second but was thrown out at third. Lowery then reached on an infield single, stole two bases and scored on a throwing error to bring Whitworth's lead to 5-0.
Willamette got a run in the third to bring the score to 5-1. Shaye Mott, the Bearcats' starting pitcher, got the RBI with a fielder's choice.
Thomas extended the Pirates' lead back to five with a solo home run in the bottom of the third.
The Pirates added three runs in the fourth to extend their advantage to 9-1. Lowery led off the inning with a single, using her speed to get into scoring position before crossing home on Brynn Radke's single. Rusconi hit her third consecutive single of the game to drive in Radke before Thomas scored the final run on a wild pitch.
Melanie Laronde pitched the fifth inning for the Pirates, giving up a leadoff single before forcing three groundouts to end the game.
Schwaier-Wolf (6-8) was the winning pitcher for the Pirates, allowing one run on five hits in four innings. Laronde allowed one hit and no runs in the final inning.
Shaye Mott (2-17) took the loss in the circle for the Bearcats, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits in three innings. Mia Lund relieved Mott in the fourth and gave up three runs and four hits.
Game 2 – Whitworth 10, Willamette 3
Whitworth trailed until the bottom of the fifth in the series finale. Heather Menzer drove in five of the Pirates' nine fifth and sixth inning runs to secure the sweep over Willamette.
The Bearcats took their first lead of the weekend on an RBI single from Mott in the first inning. Mott then scored on a Pirate fielding error to put Willamette up by two runs in the opening frame. Willamette led 3-0 after Mott singled in another run in the top of the third.
Thomas hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third to narrow the Pirates' deficit to 3-1.
Whitworth took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth. An error by the Bearcats' centerfielder on a single by Menzer scored two runs to tie the game at 3-3. Julia Dillon and Nelson each hit an RBI single to conclude to the rally.
The Pirates put the game out of reach with a five-run bottom of the sixth, beginning with a three-run homer from Menzer. Lowery drove in two runs with a single to bring the score to 10-3.
Kylie Harris (2-5) pitched a complete game for the Pirates, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits.
Sarah Smith (0-5) was the losing pitcher, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in five innings of work for the Bearcats. Lund allowed five runs (three earned) on two hits in one inning of relief.
