FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Leah Butters threw a five-hit complete game shutout in the nightcap as Pacific Lutheran rebounded from a stunning first game loss on Saturday to split a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader with the host Pacific Boxers at Sherman Larkins Stadium.
Pacific won the opener, 6-3, before PLU took the second game, 7-0.
The games marked the season openers for the Lutes, while Pacific is now 4-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. PLU is right back at it tomorrow when it plays a doubleheader against Lewis & Clark starting at noon in Portland.
The Lutes needed a strong performance from Butters after they saw the Boxers rally for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of the opening game to stun the defending NCAA Division III national champions.
Game One – Pacific 6, PLU 3
Pacific Lutheran took a 3-1 lead into the final inning when the upstart Boxers scored five runs – including a game-winning walk-off grand slam home run by Ashley Mitchell, all with no outs.
Becca Moen led off the inning against PLU starting pitcher Kaaren Hatlen with an infield single, and Rachel Roberts followed by dumping a looping single into shallow left field. Marissa Reichard singled sharply through the middle to score Moen, and both she and Roberts moved up an extra base on the throw home. Jessi Moore was intentionally walked to bring Mitchell to the plate and relief pitcher Kelsey Robinson to the circle.
Mitchell fell behind in the count but worked it to 3-2 before taking a pitch over the fence in right-centerfield. For Mitchell, a freshman who came into the game hitting just .188, it was her third hit of the game and her first collegiate home run.
Prior to the seventh-inning fireworks, Pacific Lutheran scored single runs in the even-numbered innings and the Boxers got one in the second.
PLU took a 1-0 lead in the second on a run-scoring double by Glenelle Nitta, but Pacific scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third on Moore's double to tie it at 1-1. The Lutes took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on singles by Amanda Hall and Lindsey Matsunaga and Lauren Watson's RBI groundout, and they made it 3-1 in the sixth when Katie Lowery hit a single and scored on Watson's double to center field.
That set up Pacific's stunning rally in the bottom of the seventh.
Nitta had two of Pacific Lutheran's seven hits, while the Boxers collected 11 hits against Hatlen and Robinson. Hatlen took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on 11 hits while walking four and striking out eight.
Reichard pitched two innings of relief to pick up the victory and improve to 2-0 for the Boxers.
Game 2 – PLU 7, Pacific 0
Butters was in control throughout the second game. Though she struck out only one batter, she also walked just one and kept the Boxers at bay until her teammates could break out against Pacific's Jenn Yano.
PLU finally broke the scoreless stalemate with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. Robinson led off the inning with a single to center and finished off the rally by greeting Boxers relief pitcher Sarah Aasness with a two-run single to left field. In between those hit the Lutes made the most of infield hits by Haley Harshaw and Watson, an error on a RBI ground ball by Montessa Califano, a suicide squeeze by Nitta, and a sacrifice fly by Matsunaga. Three of the runs were unearned.
Pacific Lutheran added another unearned run in the top of the sixth on a run-scoring double by Hatlen.
Lowery picked two pinch runners off of first base in the early innings to help Butters, and Nitta prevented another run from scoring when she dove to snare a one-hopper before throwing to first base from a prone position to retire Moore with the third out of the fourth inning. Nitta made another nifty play in the sixth inning, racing in to catch a pop up behind the pitcher's circle and then throwing to Matsunaga at second base for an inning-ending double play.
The Lutes had seven more hits in the second game, including two each by Robinson and Harshaw.
Yano took the loss for the Boxers, allowing six runs on four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
- PLU -
