Written by Student Assistant Jake Bilyeu

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Pacific Lutheran University softball team took 25th-ranked Linfield College to 11 innings before succumbing 1-0 in the front end of a Northwest Conference doubleheader on Wednesday before dropping the nightcap 13-2. The Lutes now face a short turnaround, remaining in Oregon to face Willamette University in doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.

"The team played really well in game one thanks to our errorless defense and Marissa pitching a great game," head coach Brandi Gordon Bennett said. "We also outhit them but couldn't string any together."

The Lutes (8-18, 3-13 NWC) survived an initial offensive threat in the first inning as the Wildcats advanced a runner to third, but three straight strikeouts from Marissa Miller set the defiant tone for the Lute defense in the first game. The Lutes had a runner in scoring position in the second, as Bailey Plumb and Elise Freund provided back-to-back singles, but the Lutes could not capitalize.

Both offenses quieted down for a stretch. After the first inning, the Lutes only allowed one hit for the remainder of regulation. They managed five more of their own in that stretch but were never able to string together enough momentum to score in an inning.

The game entered extra innings, where the Lutes survived a push from the Wildcats (22-6, 14-2 NWC) which loaded the bases in the eighth. The Wildcats again managed to advance a runner to third in the ninth, but the Lutes held them off again. Finally, after leaving two runners on base in the eleventh inning, the Lutes couldn't hold off their hosts any longer, as a solo home run ended the game.

Miller finished with seven strikeouts while offensively Becca Sorensen, Anna Overland, and Plumb all finished with a pair of hits as PLU outhit the hosts 8-3.

The Lute defense was not as successful in stopping the Wildcats in their second contest on Wednesday. The Wildcats opened the scoring with a four-run second inning, and they followed that up with nine more runs in the fourth.

The Lutes managed to cut into the lead in the next inning, as a throwing error allowed Bailey Plumb to score, and Kathryn Hatlen hit a sacrifice fly to score Becca Sorensen. The two runs were not enough, though, as a double play ended the inning and the game was called via mercy rule.

Overland and Freund paced the Lute offense in game two, both finishing two-for-three at the plate.

The Lutes now face Willamette before facing George Fox University at home the next week.

"We are asking our players to keep fighting for each other and for this program," Gordon Bennett said.