TACOMA, Wash. --- The Pacific Lutheran Softball team kept their winning streak alive in a pair of shutouts victories at home on Saturday, extending their streak to seven games. The Lutes streak of seven is their longest since the 2022 season, where they finished the regular season by winning nine consecutive games.
 
Game One
 
Coming off of a pair of wins last weekend, including a no-hitter, graduate transfer Rachael Rhinehart found her groove inside the circle once again on Saturday. Rhinehart sat down the first three batters she faced in the game, recording one strikeout. The Lutes struck first in the home half of the inning, as Emma Ware reached on a walk, followed by a Paola Garcia and Molly House singling through the infield, scoring Ware.
 
With some early run support Rhinehart let up her first hit of the game in a leadoff double to centerfield. She made quick work, getting out of a second-and-third jam with a strike out and groundout to end the inning. The Lutes bats wouldn't cool off, as Zoe Smithson led off the second with a base hit of her own. Senior Casey Wright's double to deep center scored Smithson with two outs. Ware and Garcia once again teamed up for a single each, scoring two more Lutes in the process and getting out to a 4-0 lead.
 
Rhinehart continued to dominate on the mound, even though she scattered a pair of hits, she was getting out of the trouble. Brooke Tilson led off the third with a single, followed by a Smithson double. Leslie Main's groundout to the shortstop would score Tilson and give the Lutes a 5-0 lead.
 
The Lutes ace gave up a double in each the fourth and fifth innings, but her strikeouts would halt any Pirates momentum. Rhinehart went all seven innings, scattering just four hits, walking two, and striking out seven to earn her third-straight win.
 
Smithson and Garcia led the Lutes with two of the teams nine hits in the opening game of the series. As Wright, Ware, Garcia, and Molly House would tally one RBI a piece. Eight PLU runners were stranded on the basepaths, although the Lutes struck out just three times.
 
Game Two
 
Freshman Paige Wilson returned to the mound for the Lutes in her second weekend back at full strength. Wilson allowed a one-out single in the opening frame but sat down the next two batters on strikes to escape any trouble. Once again the Lutes took an early lead, with Ware ripping a single past the third baseman, which led to a double off the bat of Garcia, which would score Rylie Wada who reached on a hit-by-pitch.
 
With a 1-0 lead, Wilson didn't allow another hit until the fourth inning, giving up an leadoff double followed by a single. Working out of the jam, Wilson struck out the next batter and forced weak contact from the next two to maintain the shutout. The Lutes continued to scatter hits, but untimely fly-outs kept the score at 1-0. But in the home half of the fifth, Garcia notched her second and the Lutes second RBI of the game on a solo shot over the centerfield wall.
 
Wilson allowed a one-out single in the top of the seventh, but the Pirates hope for a comeback was squandered by a routine fly out to center followed by a ground ball to Main at second.
 
The Lutes held the Pirates scoreless on Saturday, on their way to their seventh consecutive win, maintaining their hopes for the postseason. With a 12-10 record in conference, the scorching hot Lutes move into third place in the Northwest Conference standings; one game ahead of George Fox, and three ahead of now-fifth place Whitworth.
 
Wilson's win gives her a 5-3 record on the season, as Garcia's two-for-three game brings her batting average back over .300 for the first time in two weeks. Garcia drove in both of the Lutes runs in game two, and four the Lutes seven total runs on Saturday. PLU has shown discipline at the plate, striking out just twice in game two.

"Today was a great day of competitive softball. Last weekend we climbed the ladder, and I was happy to see us keep climbing today." said Head Coach Traci Barrett following the Lutes pair of wins.

"We had all 3 facets of the game show up today. Rachael and Paige both had great outings and kept us competitive through 7 innings. Our defense was locked in, and we produced offensively in timely situations. Paola showed up in game 2 with a big bat and Rylie was all over the base path with quality at bats. I'm looking forward to us carrying on this growth into tomorrow."
 
The Lutes look to take the series at home tomorrow, and earn their third NWC series win on the season against the Whitworth Pirates at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
 
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