SPOKANE, Wash. – Visiting Pacific University claimed a softball series win with a pair of victories over Whitworth in a Northwest Conference doubleheader on Sunday at Diana Marks Field.
The Pirates (7-24 overall, 5-15 NWC) battled in game one but fell short 9-7 before the Boxers (13-17, 8-12 NWC) shut out the Bucs 3-0 in the final game of the series.
Whitworth will look to rebound with a series win next weekend at Puget Sound.
Game 1: Pacific 9, Whitworth 7
Whitworth tied a season high with 13 hits, but Pacific scored a run in each of the final three innings to come out on top of a back-and-forth offense battle.
The Pirate bats started hot with four hits and two runs in the bottom of the first. Teeghan Reams lined a double into the left center gap to score Reagan Ellis and Brynn Erdmann.
The Boxers loaded the bases in the second, but Whitworth starter Lina Schwippert got out of the jam with a strikeout. Pacific put on the pressure again in the third, this time scoring three runs to take the lead. A single to right field and fielding error allowed the tying run to cross the plate. Another RBI single followed to put the Boxers up 3-2.
Whitworth responded in the bottom half of the third, tying the game on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
Pacific doubled its lead in the fifth with a pair of run-scoring base hits from Ava Hlavacek and Kayla Kodani. The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Ellis scored on a fielder's choice.
The teams continued to throw punches in the final two frames. Abby Surowiec's two-run double extended the Boxer advantage to 8-4 in the top of the sixth. A two-out throwing error in the following half inning allowed Whitworth's fifth run of the game to score. Tessa Hahn and Camryn Sage then took advantage of the extended inning with consecutive RBI base hits to trim the deficit to just one.
Pacific grabbed an insurance run in the top of the seventh and starting pitcher Kiara Baba reentered the game to prevent the Pirates from completing the comeback.
Hahn went 3 for 3 with a walk and Kendel Sage went 3 for 5 with a run to lead the Bucs at the plate. Ellis tallied her seventh multi-hit performance of the season and Reams extended her hitting streak to seven games.
Schwippert pitched 2.1 innings in the start and allowed three runs (one earned) with four walks and two strikeouts. Reams (1-7) took the loss after giving up six runs on nine hits with three punchouts in 4.2 innings.
Baba pitched 4.2 innings in total for Pacific with three runs and six hits allowed. Karlie Espinoza (4-3) was credited with the win in two innings of work. Five Boxers recorded a multi-hit game, led by Kodani and Hlavacek, who each had two hits, two RBIs and a walk.
Game 2: Pacific 3, Whitworth 0
Pacific pitcher Alissa Hermansen pitched a complete game shutout to secure a series win.
Whitworth totaled four hits in the game, one each from Hahn, Camryn Sage, Lizzy Bradford and Landri Nakano. Bradford and Raegan Ellis each drew a walk.
The Boxers also tallied four hits, but two went for extra bases. Libby Hardee hit an RBI double, and Chloe Knepp followed a two-run home run in the third to grab the lead. The Bucs' greatest scoring chance came in the same inning when pinch runner Natalie Singer was tagged out at third base after a ground ball was hit right to the bag.
Madison Sanchez (2-8) made the start in the circle for the Bucs and allowed three runs on three hits in three innings. Schwippert struck out five and allowed just one hit in four innings of relief.
Hermansen (4-4) struck out five and walked two in the complete game effort.
