Lutes Split Season-Opening Twinbill With Chaminade
OAHU, Hawaii - Pacific Lutheran opened the 2012 softball season on Friday by splitting a non-conference doubleheader with the host Chaminade Silverswords at Central Oahu Regional Park. PLU won the opener 9-1 in five innings before dropping the second contest, 6-5.
The two games are part of a six-game season-opening Hawaiian tour for the Lutes. They play Hawaii Pacific in a twinbill starting at noon (HST) tomorrow, then face BYU-Hawaii in two more games starting at 1 p.m. (HST) on Monday.
Stacey Hagensen clubbed a home run in each game to highlight the offense, but she ended up taking the pitching loss in the second game when the winning run scored on an error.
1st Game - PLU 9, Chaminade 1 (5 innings)
Pacific Lutheran opened the 2012 season with an 11-hit attack in five innings. Amanda Goings was 2-for-2, Hagensen finished 2-for-3 with a home run and double, and Montessa Califano notched a 2-for-3 performance, including a double.
The Lutes opened with a four-run first inning, all of the runs coming with two outs. Hagensen hit a double and Kaaren Hatlen followed with a two-run homer to left-centerfield. Lindsey Matsunaga and Glenelle Nitta, playing in their home state, followed with walks, and Haley Harshaw plated Matsunaga with a single. Califano drove in Nitta with a ground-rule double.
In the second, Amanda Goings led off with a single and scored on Hagensen's two-run homer. PLU made it 8-0 in the third with a pair of unearned runs following singles by Califano and Spencer Sherwin.
The Lutes added another run in the fifth inning when Ami Gran stroke a pinch-hit double and later scored on an illegal pitch.
Chaminade's only run was unearned and came in the fifth inning.
Leah Butters pitched three innings in relief of Hagensen to get the victory. She struck out one and allowed five hits. Hagensen had a strong two innings, giving up just one hit while fanning three.
2nd Game - Chaminade 6, PLU 5
As they had in the opener, the Lutes came out strong in the nightcap as Hagensen hit her second homer in as many games following a leadoff single by Goings.
After the hosts cut their deficit to 2-1 with a solo homer in the second, the Lutes increased their lead to 3-1 in the third inning when Goings reached on a single, her fourth hit of the doubleheader, and then came around on an error following Hagensen's single, also her fourth hit of the evening.
Chaminade broke loose for four runs in the bottom of the frame on four hits, a walk and a wild pitch.
The Lutes tied the game an inning later, however, when Katie Lowery hit a ground-rule double to drive in Nitta, who had reached on a single, and then Califano plated Gran, on base on a fielder's choice.
Neither team scored in the fifth or sixth innings, leading to the seventh. The Lutes put the go-ahead run on third base, only to see Nitta line out to second base for the third out.
Chaminade opened the bottom of the seventh with a double and then loaded the bases on a pair of walks sandwiched around a strikeout. The winning run came on an infield error.
Hagensen was the losing pitcher, allowing just the one unearned run on three hits while walking three and striking out four in 4 2/3 innings.
Pacific Lutheran had 11 hits for the second straight game, including two each by Goings, Hagensen and Nitta.
- PLU -
