NEWBERG, Ore. – Whitworth softball won its second straight series, winning three of four over George Fox after sweeping Sunday's doubleheader with a 4-2 win in game one and a 5-4 win in eight innings in the series finale.
The Pirates (13-19, 9-11 NWC) have won six of eight to climb from last in the conference standings to fourth place heading into the final two weeks of the season. The Bruins (18-14, 11-9 NWC) have a two-game cushion in third place at the moment, but will be on the road against undefeated Linfield and second-place Lewis & Clark to close out the season.
Game 1 – Whitworth 4, George Fox 2
Haley Montoya was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs including a solo home run in the first inning, fueling the Pirates to a 4-2 win in Sunday's opener.
Whitworth posted 10 hits and took advantage of three errors by George Fox, Corinne Vasiloff pitched 6.2 innings and struck out six batters, not allowing a run until the sixth.
The Pirates were in control for most of the afternoon, Montoya got the day started right with a solo blast to left center to put Whitworth on the board. Reagan Ellis singled to right center to score Jazz Johnson in the third before Montoya delivered another RBI, tagging a single to center to score Hofheins. Johnson got in on the action in the fifth with a double down the left field line to score Nine to extend Whitworth's lead to 4-0.
The Bruins clawed back, as Sharon Tomei cut the deficit in half with a two-run shot (her third home run of the weekend). With two outs, Noone doubled and Potter walked to put runners on the corners, and the winning run at the plate, but Reiss McIntyre stepped in and retired Sydney Sandifer to clinch the win for Whitworth.
Emma Eastman (7-4) pitched a complete game and allowed three earned runs on ten hits, but the Pirates prevailed.
Game 2 – Whitworth 5, George Fox 4 (8 innings)
Whitworth scored the tying and winning runs in the fifth and eighth innings off George Fox errors to finish off the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Newberg.
In the midst of a back-and-forth game, the Pirates trailed 4-3 in fifth but took advantage of two errors from Bruins' shortstop Aliya Harmon down the stretch to get the win. With two outs in the fifth, Jazz Johnson reached base on a mishandled ball by Harmon allowing Mackenzie Nine to score and tie things 4-4. Disaster struck again in the top of the eighth as Harmon's errant throw with one out allowed Reagan Ellis to reach base and Jaedyn Dron to score the winning run from second.
Corinne Vasiloff (8-9) earned a win and a save shutting out the Bruins in the final two innings, retiring all six batters faced without allowing a base runner as Whitworth pulled ahead. Kiley Harris made the start for Fox and lasted 4.2 innings allowing three earned runs on eight hits, but Emma Eastman (7-5) was credited with the loss despite 3.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
Johnson's first inning triple scored Amy Pederson and Haley Montoya to put the Pirates ahead 2-0 early. The Bruins responded with the next four runs, pushing across one in the first before Nicole Campa belted a two-run home run in the second inning to go up 3-2. Makyala Noone brought in another run on a sacrifice fly for the Bruins' final run of the game which had them up 4-2.
Julia Dillon delivered a double in the third to cut the deficit to one, and the Pirates outlasted the Bruins in the end thanks to that late pair of errors.
Johnson batted 1-5 on the afternoon but tallied two RBIs, Kelly Hruza and Reagan Ellis each batted 2-4 including hits in the eighth inning.
