McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh with two outs and two strikes, senior Erin McGrath hit a bases-clearing double to right center to lift the Pacific Lutheran University softball team to a 5-3 victory over George Fox University in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference Tournament. 
 
With the victory, the Lutes (30-13) advance to tomorrow's championship game for the first time since 2017 and will do battle with NWC Champion Linfield University.  PLU will need to beat Linfield twice to earn the league's automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament.  The Wildcats have won 10 games in a row since dropping the final game of a four-game series to PLU on April 3.  The Lutes and Linfield (35-7) split the four-game set in Tacoma.  Action against the eighth-ranked Wildcats begins at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.
 
PLU 5, George Fox 3
The Lutes spotted the Bruins a 3-0 lead after four innings in the second elimination game of the day for PLU.  PLU finally gained some momentum in the sixth inning when Casey Wright doubled home Chaella Galapon and McGrath to cut the lead to 3-2 in favor of the 23^rd-ranked Bruins. 
 
In the seventh, Mikayla Chun got the rally started with a one-out, pinch hit single.  Brooke Tilson reached on an error and with two outs Mari Foster hit a shot back to the pitcher to load the bases and set the stage for McGrath's heroics. 
 
Freshman Amaya Smith threw four solid innings in her first postseason start.  Smith allowed three runs and scattered six hits before handing things over to senior Cassidy Conrad (12-2).  Conrad tossed three innings of shutout relief to preserve the victory after throwing all seven innings of the victory over Whitworth. 
 
PLU 4, Whitworth 1
A dazzling performance by senior Conrad in the circle and three hits each from classmates Foster and McGrath keyed the Lutes to victory in their first elimination game of the day. 
 
With one out in the first, Foster singled and came all the way around to score on McGrath's double in the next at-bat to make the score 1-0 in favor of the home team on the scoreboard. 
 
After Whitworth tied the score with a solo home run in the top of the second, the Lutes answered with three runs in the bottom of the third.  Tilson walked to start the inning and with one out, Foster and McGrath connected on back-to-back doubles to make the score, 2-1.  Foster scored in the next at-bat when she beat the throw home with a terrific slide on a ball batted by catcher Casey Wright.  Sarah Potwin came up with a clutch two-out hit later in the inning to make it, 4-1, PLU.
 
Conrad (11-2) worked around some big trouble in the fifth and sixth innings.  Whitworth had runners at the corners with one out in the fifth, but Chaella Galapon got a line drive and stepped on third for a double play.  In the sixth, the Pirates led off the inning with back-to-back singles, but a runner left first early on a steal attempt and Conrad retired the next two batters to escape unscathed.  Conrad scattered eight hits and did not walk a batter in her 10^th complete game of the season.