PARKLAND, Wash. - Pacific Lutheran scored six runs in the bottom
of the sixth inning of the second game to rally for a 9-6 victory
on the way to a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader sweep of
the visiting Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Sunday afternoon. The
Lutes won the opener, 8-1.
Lewis & Clark (3-30, 0-24) was within six outs of its first
conference victory of the season before the Lutes put together
their six-run rally on six hits and a pair of walks. Glenelle Nitta
led off with a walk and Montessa Califano hit a single to start the
winning rally. Amber Roberts ripped a double to drive in the first
two runs, and she scored on Stacey Hagensen's one-out single. After
a walk, Katie Hanten hit a single to drive in Hagensen with the
go-ahead run. With two out, Lauren Watson and Nitta hit run-scoring
singles to make the score 9-6.
Ramona Lorton, who entered the game in the fifth inning, retired
the Pioneers in order in the seventh to earn the victory, her ninth
of the season against four defeats.
PLU (19-11, 13-7) took a 3-0 lead in the first when Hagensen hit
a single to drive in Roberts, who led off with a single and then
stole second and third. Hagensen scored on the back end of a double
steal, and pinch runner Ally VanSchoorl scored on Aubree
Pocklington's RBI groundout.
The Pios rallied to take the lead with single runs in the third
and fourth and two more runs in the fifth. Jamie Moon hit a
run-scoring double in the third and Megan Andre's grounder drove in
the tally in the fourth. The Pioneers took a 4-3 lead in the fifth
inning when Jet'aime Mullins scored on an error, followed by a RBI
single by Danielle Blechert.
The Pioneers added a pair of two-out runs in the
sixth inning on RBI singles by Moon and Caroline
DeVincenzi.
That set the stage for PLU's big rally against Pioneers
pitcher Kristin Breninger, who allowed nine earned runs in taking
the loss.
Lewis & Clark finished the game with 10 hits, including
three by Jet'aime Mullins, who also scored three runs, and two
each my Moon and Jessica Mullins. The Lutes had 14 hits, three by
Roberts and two each by Hagensen, Dena Harkovitch, Watson and
Califano. Harkovitch, one of two seniors on the PLU team, was a
combined 4-for-4 in her only plate appearances of the season after
missing the rest of the season because of a hip injury. She will
undergo hip surgery this coming week.
The first game was not in doubt after the Lutes scored three
runs in each of the first two innings. Roberts set the tone early,
leading off with a single, stealing second and third base and
scoring on Caitlyn Brown's sacrifice fly. After Hagensen and
Harkovitch hit singles, Watson drove in two more with a base hit.
In the second, Roberts hit a single, stole second and eventually
scored on Hagensen's ground out. Brown, who reached on a single,
scored on Kaaren Hatlen's base hit, and Hatlen came in when
Watson's single was misplayed in left field.
PLU added a run in the fourth on Harkovitch's RBI single and one
more in the sixth when Shelby Johnston hit a two-out single and
scored on Watson's double.
Lewis & Clark scored its lone run in the sixth when Moon hit
a double and came in on Blechert's base hit.
The Lutes had 12 hits, including three by Watson and two each by
Roberts and Harkovitch, against three Pioneers pitchers. Paige
McFeeley took the loss for the visitors. Lewis & Clark had six
hits, two each by Moon and Blechert, against PLU winner Jackie
Martinez, who went the seven-inning distance to improve her record
to 3-2.
Pacific Lutheran returns to action at 6 p.m. Thursday when it
makes up an earlier rained-out doubleheader against the Pacific
Boxers in Forest Grove, Ore.
- PLU -
