PORTLAND – Pacific Lutheran softball took two against Lewis & Clark on Sunday to complete the four-game sweep this weekend. The Lutes offense dominated, combining for 25 hits in the doubleheader including 12 extra-base knocks.
"We showed much more discipline and confidence at the plate and that made all the difference," Coach Erin Brooks said. "Our pitchers both pitched complete games and our defense came up huge in big moments."
In game one, the Lutes defeated the Pios 8-2 in a 13-hit outing with a complete game performance by Leah Butters. She allowed two earned runs on seven hits with a walk. PLU edged Lewis & Clark in the second game 5-2. Kelsey Robinson tossed a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with two walks.
Alison Behrends finished with a triple and a solo home run. Spencer Sherwin collected three hits with a triple and Lindsey Matsunaga completed the afternoon with three doubles.
Game 1 – PLU 8, Lewis & Clark 2
PLU took off with two runs to open the game. Emily McConnell led off the first inning, reaching on an error and advancing to second. Sherwin's triple would allow McConnell to score while Matsunaga's RBI-double later in the inning gave the Lutes an early 2-0 lead. In the third inning, two more runs were added to PLU's lead on an error and a passed ball.
The Pioneers closed the gap in the home half of the third, scoring two runs off a double by Tiana Rosario and a single by Madison Hollenbeck. The Pios tried for two on Hollenbeck's single but Rosario was called out at the plate to end the inning.
Behrends made some noise in the sixth inning, leading off with a triple down the left field line. She would eventually score on a single by Sherwin. A three-run PLU seventh inning would add more insurance runs for the Lutes, increasing their lead 8-2. The Pioneers threatened in the bottom half of the inning, starting a rally with two-consecutive singles, but Butters retired the next three batters to secure the victory.
Both Matsunaga and Sherwin finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Catcher Katie Lowery had a three-hit game with an RBI-double.
Game 2 – PLU 5, Lewis & Clark 2
In the second game, the Lutes once again took an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning on a wild pitch. Behrends' bat remained hot from her first game's performance, hitting a solo shot in the second to put the Lutes up 2-0.
A third-inning rally for Lewis & Clark pushed a 2-2 tie. With a runner on first, Hannah Del Pra doubled to put the Pios on the board. A Hollenbeck single followed while Lindsay Yearman reached on a field's choice to put runner's on first and second. An Amanda Rabith single tied the game, but a called strike three to Caitlin Basilio put an end to the inning and minimized the damage.
The go-ahead run would come for the Lutes in the fifth. With runners on first and third, Matsunaga doubled to score Sherwin. An insurance run was added in the sixth inning off an RBI-double by pinch-hitter Jessica Wallace with another run scored in the seventh off Tori Hamura's two-out single. Kelsey Robinson kept the Pioneer bats quiet the rest of the way.
The Lutes will take a break from conference play next week as they travel to Texas for four non-conference doubleheaders. On Sunday, PLU will face No. 10 University of Texas at Tyler followed by No. 6 East Texas Baptist next Monday. Next Wednesday, Trinity will host PLU with its final stop at Texas Lutheran on Thursday.
