FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The visiting Whitworth Pirates fell twice in a pair of low-scoring battles to Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday of the final Northwest Conference softball series of the season. The Boxers took game one 2-1 before holding off Whitworth 4-3 in game two.
Pacific (7-25 overall, 7-19 NWC) snapped a 12-game losing streak while the Pirates fell to 5-21 in conference play and 5-31 overall. The Bucs will conclude the 2025 season with a doubleheader on Sunday at 11:00 am.
Game 1: Pacific 2, Whitworth 1
Pacific held Whitworth to just one hit and did just enough at the plate to win a pitcher's duel.
The Pirates took an early one run lead in the top of the first. Kendel Sage reached base on an error to start the game and made her way to third after a ground out and passed ball. Taylor Hofheins stepped to the plate and hit a triple past the right fielder to score Sage.
The Boxers answered in the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice bunt that scored a runner from third. After a leadoff triple in the bottom of the third, Pacific took the lead with an Ellie Ishikawa RBI single.
Momi Lyman gave the offense a chance by holding Pacific scoreless over the final three frames. The Bucs had a runner in scoring position in the fourth and sixth innings but could not push the tying run across. Hofheins' triple in the first would be the only Pirate hit of the game.
Lyman (3-17) allowed two runs on four hits and struck out a season-high eight batters in six innings.
Senior Haleigh Colfelt (1-3) made her third start of the season for the Boxers and gave up one run and one hit in five innings. Kiara Baba earned a two inning save.
Game 2: Pacific 4, Whitworth 3
The Pirates could not match a Pacific four-run fourth inning as a seventh inning comeback fell just short.
Whitworth again got on the scoreboard first. Makena Hofford walked to start the second inning and Camryn Sage followed with a single. Two batters later, Megan Highfill hit a base hit to right that gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
After three hitless innings from Reiss McIntyre, the Boxers broke through in the fourth. A single and throwing error put two runners in scoring position before Chloe Knepp hit a go-ahead two-run single up the middle. The lead doubled after Addie MacPherson hit a fly ball down the right field line that got past the diving effort of Hofford and resulted in an inside the park home run.
Hofheins cut into the lead with a solo home run to left field in the top of the sixth, her second of the season.
After a quick inning from Annie Brose in the circle, Kendel Sage started a rally with a single and Katie McKinnis reached on a hit-by-pitch. After a passed ball moved both runners, Reagan Ellis hit a line drive up the middle that shrunk the Pacific lead to one. With just one out and runners on the corners, Hofheins hit a sharp ground ball to the shortstop who stepped on the second base bag and threw the ball to first for a game-ending double play.
Kendel Sage (2-4) and Hofheins (2-4) each led the Pirates with two hits and a run scored in the game.
McIntyre (1-7) also set a season-high in strikeouts with seven in five innings pitched. She allowed four runs (three earned) and four hits. Brose pitched the sixth and did not allow a base runner.
Abby Surowiec (1-7) started for the Boxers and gave up three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in her first win of the season. Baba faced two batters in the seventh before Surowiec reentered the game for the final two outs.
