PARKLAND - Pacific Lutheran opened its 2010 Northwest Conference
softball season and also its home schedule with a doubleheader
sweep of the visiting Whitworth Pirates on a sunny Saturday
afternoon.
The Lutes won the opener, 4-3, scoring the winning run in the
bottom of the seventh inning, before building an early lead in the
second game and cruising to a 10-4 victory. PLU is now 4-3 for the
season, 2-0 in the NWC, while Whitworth was playing its first two
contests this year.
Lacey Kerr started her 2010 season off with a bang, crushing a
long homer over the fence in left-centerfield to give Whitworth a
1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener.
Pacific Lutheran scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of
the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Amber Roberts, who reached on an
error after striking out, stole second, went to third on Caitlyn
Brown's bunt single, and then scored on Stacey Hagensen's ground
out. Brown then scored when Shelby Johnston's two-out grounder was
misplayed.
The Lutes took a 3-1 lead in the fourth when Kaely Cuthill hit a
two-out looper that trickled into centerfield for a single, scoring
pinch runner Adrienne Ross.
Whitworth tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning
when senior Carrie Gibson hit her first career home run, a two-run
shot, over the centerfield fence.
The Lutes cashed in a seventh inning scoring chance for the
game-winning run. Monti Califano drew a one-out walk and then raced
home when Brown roped a two-out double down the rightfield line.
PLU pitcher Ramona Lorton was the beneficiary, improving her
season record to 2-0 by allowing three earned runs on four hits
while striking out three and walking three. Jessica Mangis took the
pitching defeat, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits while
striking out four and walking four.
Brown had two of PLU's four hits, while no Whitworth batter had
more than one hit.
In the second game, the Lutes scored twice in the first and
eight more times in the third to effectively put the game away. In
the first, Roberts singled and scored on Brown's triple, and Brown
came in on a wild pitch.
The eight-run third featured five hits, including two-run
singles by Roberts and Hagensen, run-scoring singles by
Glenelle Nitta and Brown, and bases-loaded RBI walks to
Jackie Martinez and Katie Hanten.
The unquestionable offensive highlight for Whitworth was
provided by Christina Schlothauer, who hit a majestic homer over
the leftfield fence on the first pitch she saw in her first at-bat
as a collegian. She later added another RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
Ally Van Schoorl, PLU's third pitcher, picked up the win by
allowing just one earned run on one hit in four innings of work.
She walked two batters and struck out one. Alyssa Bergquist,
Whitworth's starter, took the defeat.
PLU collected 12 hits in the second contest, including two each
by Roberts, Brown and Shelby Johnston. Whitworth had five hits in
the game, including two by Kerr.
The teams complete their four-game conference series with a
Sunday doubleheader starting at noon.
- PLU -
