TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University softball team got off to a phenomenal start to the 2022 season on Friday night in San Antonio, Texas. The Lutes swept both ends of a doubleheader against Trinity University 16-6 and 4-0.
"We are happy with the start we had today," said PLU Head Coach
Traci Barrett. "We know who we are and this team was electric from inside the dugout to the field.
Nanea Kalama was a vacuum at first baseman. So many intangibles that made the win possible. We had great innings from all three pitchers today.
Cassidy Conrad had her best outing as a Lute today. The team did a great job of supporting the circle by scoring early and in game one we answered our opponent every inning they scored. 30 players on one pitch is pretty special."
Game 1
The Lutes wasted no time in getting off to a good start to the 2022 campaign. PLU scored eight runs in the first, four more in the second and won by run rule to begin the year.
The first seven Lutes that came to the plate reached safely.
Mari Foster tripled in
Chaella Galapon to light the scoreboard for the visitors and
Erin McGrath knocked her in with a double in the next at-bat.
Rylie Wada singled up the middle to score
Anna Foster and
Kayla Terlecki, who pinch ran for
Nanea Kalama.
Raynna Mekaru followed with a two-RBI double and scored on a Galapon sacrifice fly.
In the second, McGrath led off the inning with another double and Foster drove her in with a single through the left side. After
Cailey Collado walked and
Rylie Wada reached on a fielder's choice, Mekaru cleared the bases with her second double in as many innings to put the Lutes up 12-1 in the second inning.
The Tigers scored a run in the first and three more in the second off of Lute starter
Marley Dyer, who was then pulled for freshman
Kennedy Kila. Kila was spectacular, needing 59 pitches to go the rest of the way and allowing just four hits in her 3.1 innings pitched. Trinity did score twice off the PLU reliver, but they were both unearned as she picked up her first career victory.
The visitors added a run in the third to thwart the home momentum and scored three more in the fifth to clinch the 16-6 victory. Galapon tripled, McGrath doubled,
Casey Wright singled and Kalama doubled in the critical fifth.
McGrath was an incredible 4-for-4 with four runs scored, two doubles and two RBI. Wright had three base hits, a double and a RBI and Wada, Mekaru and Galapon all had a pair of safeties. In total, the Lutes produced 17 hits, nine of which went for extra bases.
Game 2
The visitors pounced on the Tigers again in the nightcap, scoring a pair of runs in the first and second innings and got an incredible pitching performance from
Cassidy Conrad to sweep the doubleheader.
Wright did the damage in the first as she blasted a two-run shot over the center field fence for the first home runs of the season for PLU.
Mari Foster scored on the play after she singled and stole second earlier in the inning. It was Wada and Mekaru again in the second.
Mikayla Chun doubled to start the inning, Collado followed with a base hit and with Chun on third, swiped second. Wada grounded out to shortstop to score Terlecki, who pinch ran for Chun and Mekaru followed with an infield hit to plate Collado.
That was more than enough run support for Conrad, who tossed a complete game shutout and yielded just three base hits. She allowed just one hit over the final four innings and struck out four batters in the seven-inning masterpiece.
The Lutes continue the roadtrip tomorrow when they take on Schreiner University tomorrow for a pair of afternoon games. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Central Time.
