PARKLAND - Pacific Lutheran found its power stroke on a rainy, windy and cold Saturday afternoon, blasting four home runs in sweeping a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader from league-leading George Fox at the PLU field.
The first game ended 7-2 in PLU's favor, while the second contest ended at 9-1 after five innings.
The Lutes, the defending NCAA Division III national champions who had had their struggles early in this season, improved to 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the conference. George Fox is now 12-8 overall and 9-5 in the NWC.
Game One - PLU 7, George Fox 2
Kelsey Robinson had a complete-game effort in the circle and the Lutes scored in five straight innings to take the victory. Robinson improved to 3-2, allowing four hits and one walk.
The Bruins jumped out on top on the second pitch of the game when Bethany Chriss hit a homer that hit the top of the fence in left-centerfield and bounced over. After that, Robinson retired 10 straight George Fox batters, that despite a rain delay of one hour and 13 minutes.
While she was doing that, the Lutes were chipping away for their seven runs, five earned, against Allyssa DenDekker.
Kaaren Hatlen tied the game with a long home run to right-centerfield, but on the second batter after that came the rain delay.
The Lutes made it 2-1 in he third when Montessa Califano reached on a two-out single and then scored on Glenelle Nitt's double to right-centerfield.
George Fox tied it in the top of the fourth when Kayla Anderson hit a double and scored on a single by Amanda Woods, but no sooner had they tied the score than the Lutes scored three times in the bottom of the fourth.
Hatlen and Robinson walked and Hatlen scored on a single by Harrelson. Haley Harshaw put down a sacrifice bunt and was hit by the throw, allowing Robinson to score, and Harrelson came in when Sherwin reached on a bunt single.
The Lutes added solo tallies in the fifth inning on a run-scoring single by Katie Lowery and in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Hatlen.
The Lutes finished with 10 hits, including two each by Califano, Hall, Harrelson and Sherwin. Califano and Hatlen both scored two runs and Hatlen drove in two.
Anderson had a pair of hits to lead the Bruins.
Game Two - PLU 9, George Fox 1 (five innings)
Hall, Harshaw and Emily Streeter provided the power for the Lutes.
Hall crushed a Erin Hento offering over the fence and the track beyond the fence in left field for a two-run homer in the first, and later in the inning Harshaw clubbed a three-run blast to left field. The Lutes scored six runs on five hits and three George Fox errors in the inning.
PLU added another run in the second and added two more in the fourth inning to build its eight-run lead. Hall led off the fourth with a double, advanced to third on a ground ball, and then scored on Lowery's sacrifice fly. Streeter then belted her first collegiate homer, a big blast to left field.
The Lutes finished the game with 10 hits, including two each by Califano, Hall and Streeter. Harshaw led the team with her three RBI and Hall had two, and Califano, Hall and Streeter all scored two runs.
Hatlen was the winning pitcher, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Wood had a pair of the Bruins' four hits.
Hento took the pitching loss and is now 3-3.
The two teams conclude their four-game conference series with a pair of seven-inning games starting at noon on Sunday.
- PLU -
