TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University softball team is peaking at the right time.  The Lutes beat University of Puget Sound 8-0 and 11-5 on Saturday for their eighth and nine consecutive wins to end the regular season.  PLU finishes the regular season in third place in the Northwest Conference standings and will take on George Fox University in the opening round of the NWC Tournament next Friday. 
 
Game 1
Mari Foster ended the first game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Lutes an 8-0 lead.  The Lute offense didn't get on track until the fourth inning and then they exploded for three straight crooked numbers on the scoreboard with three in the fourth, three in the fifth and Foster's two-run homer in the sixth. 
 
Freshman Amaya Smith (4-2) tossed a complete game shutout and only allowed two hits to the Loggers.  It's Smith's third complete game this season and her first career shutout.  She yielded just one walk and allowed singles in the third and the sixth. 
 
Two errors allowed Erin McGrath to reach base and move all the way to third to lead off the fourth and Casey Wright singled her in in the next at-bat.  After Wright moved to second, Chaella Galapon drove her in with a single up the middle and Shanelle Lum executed the squeeze play to perfection to put the Lutes up 3-0.  PLU kept its foot on the gas in the next inning as Ware had a two-run single and Galapon collected her second RBI base hit. 
 
Cailey Collado worked three walks out of the leadoff spot, while Foster and Galapon each had two hits to pace the offense. 
 
Game 2
UPS scored a pair of runs in the top of the first, but the Lutes seized control quickly with seven in the bottom of the inning.  The Loggers scored twice more in the second to pull back within striking distance, but PLU answered with a run in third and three more in the fifth to put the game out of reach. 
 
Senior Cassidy Conrad (10-1) worked around seven walks and five hits to only allow four runs on 139 pitches.  Marley Dyer relieved her in the sixth, got a pair of outs and allowed an unearned run before Conrad headed back to the circle to close out the game.  She has now earned the victory in nine straight decisions. 
 
Seniors Erin McGrath, Nanea Kalama and Taylor Shigeta all had two hits for the home team, who had 14 in the nightcap.  Fellow classmates Raynna Mekaru and Marley Dyer also came off the bench with base hits. 
 
With the two victories, PLU ends the regular season with 28 wins, including 20 in NWC action.  Both of those totals are the most in a single season since the Lutes won the national championship in 2012.  PLU opens the NWC Tournament next Friday against the Bruins at Linfield University at 6:30 p.m.