SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth softball swept Sunday's doubleheader against Puget Sound with mercy rules of 8-0 and 10-0 to surpass the Loggers for 4th place in the Northwest Conference standings.
The Pirates (10-18, 6-10 NWC) came into the weekend in last place in the conference, but after taking three straight from the Loggers (7-17, 5-11 NWC) they've put themselves right back in tournament contention. Whitworth had not won a series before this one, and they did so with a dominant showing in both games on Sunday.
The Pirates outscored the Loggers a combined 18-0, outhitting them 20-5 in the doubleheader.
Jazz Johnson, Haley Montoya, Jessica Rusconi, and Mackenzie Nine combined for fourteen hits and 13 RBIs between the two games, they were the offensive catalysts in the middle of the order. Momi Lyman and Corinne Vasiloff each earned shutout wins on the mound, Lyman allowing just one hit.
Whitworth will look to take the momentum on the road in next weekend's four-game series at George Fox. That series will begin Saturday at noon.
Game 1 – Whitworth 8, Puget Sound 0
Jessica Rusconi and Haley Montoya each doubled as part of a four-run fourth inning, and Corinne Vasiloff pitched her fourth straight complete game to help the Pirates to an 8-0 win over UPS.
Vasiloff (5-9) was efficient in a five-inning shutout, allowing four hits while on 49 pitches. Rusconi finished 2-3 with two RBIs on two doubles, Makenzie Nine was 2-2 with a walk and scored three times herself.
Nyomi Estrada (3-6) got the nod from Puget Sound, but her second start of the weekend lasted just 3.2 innings after surrendering six runs on five hits.
With two outs and no one on in the first Julia Dillon, Nine, and Jazz Johnson strung together three straight singles to push across two runs for Whitworth, it was Johnson's line drive single to right center that scored Dillon and got Nine to third. In the next at bat, Nine stole home to add another run as part of an obstruction call during the steal.
The Pirates extended their lead in the fourth as Nine and Johnson drew four-pitch walks to begin the fourth inning before Jessica Rusconi tagged a double just over the outstretched glove of left fielder Brenna Flannery to score Nine. Haley Montoya broke the game open with a two-outs with another double over Flannery to score Robison and Rusconi from second and third to put Whitworth up 6-0.
The Loggers loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Jazzy Allen went down without much noise grounding out slowly to first to get Vasiloff out of the jam, and they wouldn't get another chance.
Nine kicked off the fifth with a single and was brought home on Rusconi's second double of the day, a shot to the gap in right field. Taylor Hofheins ended the game with a single to score Rusconi and complete the mercy rule win for the Bucs.
Whitworth posted eight runs on nine hits in their first mercy rule win of the season and made their way into a three-way tie for fourth.
Game 2 – Whitworth 10, Puget Sound 0
Whitworth claimed a Sunday sweep in emphatic fashion, combining an offensive explosion with Lyman's one-hit outing on the mound to beat UPS 10-0 on Sunday.
A seven-run third inning was the key to it all, Montoya was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs, and Johnson was 2-3 at the plate with four RBIs. Seven Pirates posted a hit in the game, three accounted for multiple.
On the mound, Lyman (4-8) put together a gem for the second straight outing. Lyman retired 15/18 batters faced, allowing one hit and two walks (a hit and a walk in the fifth inning).
The Pirates wasted no time getting on the board in game two, stringing together a walk and two infield singles in the first inning to load the bases for Johnson who sliced a single into center field to drive in a pair of runs. They loaded the bases again after a two-out error from UPS short stop Jazzy Allen, and Nine capitalized with an infield single to score Montoya and put the Pirates up 3-0.
Whitworth kept its foot on the gas pushing across seven runs in the third, stringing together four consecutive hits at one point (six total in the inning). Robison loaded the bases with a fantastic bunt, and that's where the avalanche started.
Montoya launched a double into the gap to score two, Dillon and Johnson tagged singles down the left and right field line to drive in another three runs before Rusconi ripped a double down the line that rolled all the way to the wall, allowing Johnson to score from first and the Pirates to go up 10-0.
Lyman surrendered a pair of base runners in the fifth, but fanned Avanzino for the games' final out and her third strikeout of the day.
