FOREST GROVE, Ore. - The Pacific Boxers kept their hold on
second place in the Northwest Conference softball standings by
sweeping a doubleheader from the visiting Pacific Lutheran Lutes,
9-5 and 4-3, on Thursday night.
The Boxers improved their conference record to 18-6 while the
Lutes fell to 13-9 and to 19-13 overall.
PLU took early 2-0 and 4-2 leads in the first game but couldn't
hold off the Boxers, who scored one run in the third, two in the
fourth, one more in the fifth and three in the sixth. Pacific
finished with 13 hits including three by Stephanie
Vanoudenhaegen. Chelsey Chamberlain hit her 12th homer to break her
own school record, scored three runs and drove in three.
The Lutes got two runs in the first on Kaaren Hatlen's two-run
double and added two more in the second on Caitlin Brown's two-run
single. The final run came in the fifth when Stacey Hagensen hit a
triple, her second of two hits, and came in on a ground out.
Hagensen took the pitching loss, allowing 11 hits and eight
runs, six earned, in five innings. Jackie Martinez pitched the
final inning for the Lutes, allowing a run on two hits.
In the second game, Miranda McNealy allowed three runs on six
hits but she recorded 11 strikeouts to pick up the win. Brown had
three of the hits and scored a run.
PLU took an early lead on Beth Haahr's RBI single in the second,
but Ashley Billingsley got Pacific the lead right back in the
bottom of the same inning with a two-run homer.
Hagensen clubbed her team-high sixth homer of the year to give
the Lutes a temporary 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth, but Pacific
rallied for two in the bottom of the inning to regain the
advantage, which McNealy made stand up the rest of the way. The
winning run scored on a two-out throwing error by the Lutes.
Ramona Lorton went the distance for the Lutes, allowing seven
hits and three walks while fanning eight in six innings.
PLU returns to action on Saturday when it travels across Tacoma
to face Puget Sound in a conference doubleheader starting at noon.
The same two teams play each other in another noon twinbill on
Sunday, this time at PLU.
- PLU -
