TACOMA, Wash. --- The Pacific Lutheran Softball team celebrated senior day against cross-town rivals Puget Sound on Friday, extending their winning streak to 11 games; the longest in the Traci Barrett era and the longest since the 2012 national championship-winning season.
 
Softball honored their seven seniors prior to Friday's double header. All seven Lutes spent their four-year careers donning the black and gold and each held above a 3.7 grade point average. Seniors Mattie Cheever, Rylie Wada, Casey Wright, Arabella Perez, Emma Ware, Kassidi Dean, and Molly House were greeted on the field alongside their family and friends. These Lutes held an impressive 91-68 record in their careers entering Friday's game. Their careers were highlighted by a 64-44 record in Northwest Conference play, also successfully defending PLU Field with a 40-18 record at home in the last four seasons.
 
Game One
 
Graduate transfer Rachael Rhinehart got the series started inside the circle for the Lutes, walking the first batter she faced before settling in and retiring the side. The Lutes got the bats going early, as they have been throughout their winning streak, as senior Casey Wright led off the game with a walk before stealing second. Paola Garcia notched the RBI on an unassisted groundout to first base. Celebrating her own senior day, Emma Ware followed with a two-out solo shot to deep over the left field fence to give the Lutes a 2-0 lead through one.
 
The Lutes would extend their lead as senior Kassidi Dean would drive in Zoe Smithson with a single after Smithson worked a walk and stole second. As Rhinehart continued to scatter lone base hits by the Loggers in the fourth and fifth innings, PLU tacked on another run in the home half of the fifth. Brooke Tilson's sacrifice fly score Garcia from third to put the Lutes up 4-0.
 
Rhinehart's first sign of real trouble came in the bottom of the sixth, as she gave up a pair of singles to open the inning. A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, which a walk then loaded the bases with no outs. Freshman Paige Wilson came in to relieve the Lutes starter. Wilson struck out the first batter she faced before allowing a sacrifice fly and a single to cut the Lutes lead to 4-2. Wright would stop the bleeding by gunning down a Logger runner attempting to steal second.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Lutes were unable to score with one out and the bases loaded, but it didn't matter as Wilson slammed the door shut on a Loggers comeback with three-straight fly-outs to end the game in the seventh; 4-2 Lutes.
 
Rhinehart earned her seventh win in her last eight starts, going five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out six. Dean led the way with a two-for-two effort, including one RBI and one walk. Smithson, Molly House, and Emma Ware earned the Lutes remaining runs batted in. The Loggers and Lutes matched hits with six each. Ware's solo shot was the Lutes only extra-base hit in the doubleheader matinee.
 
Game Two
 
Senior Molly House earned the start in the final game on Friday, allowing a two-out single followed by a double to give the Loggers an early 1-0 lead. The Loggers lead didn't make it out of the opening frame, as Casey Wright reached base to open the game and stealing second once again. Emma Ware's double down the left field line scored Wright to knot the game at 1-1 after one inning.
 
House gave up a single and a double with two-out for the second straight inning, this time though, the Loggers would not score as the senior got out of the inning with a groundout to shortstop. The Lutes tacked on one more in the second as Dean, Perez, and Wright's two-out singles put the Lutes on top, 2-1.
 
Puget Sound would regain the lead for the second time in the game in the top of the fourth, opening the inning with a double to left field before a two-out home run to center field with give them a 3-2 lead. The Lutes would answer back in the home half of the inning, as Leslie Main and Dean worked walks to open the inning. Pinch-running Mattie Cheever and Jaycie Simpliciano each stole second and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Senior Arabella Perez kept her hitting streak alive with a single, tying the game at 3-3. Simpliciano scored on a wild pitch just before freshman Jaimee Cagle ripped a triple to right field and putting the Lutes up 5-3.
 
Insurance runs came in the bottom of the fifth, with Tilson and Cheever each hitting singles. Tilson scored on a wild pitch and Cheever scored on a Dean single making it a 7-3 game with just one out. Following a pitching change for the Loggers, Wright ripped a single before stealing second and putting Dean on third. Senior Rylie Wada ended her hitting woes with a double to left field and scoring both runners; after five the Lutes led 9-3.
 
Rachel Treves came in relief for House to open the sixth, as the Lutes added one more in the bottom of the inning on a Abrye Kapana double and Brookelyn Gutierrez single to make it a 10-3 game. Three-straight fly-outs ended the Lutes push for a run-rule finish.
 
Treves gave up a lead-off single before shutting the door on the Loggers and giving the Lutes a 10-3 win for their 11^th consecutive victory.
 
House capped off her special senior day by earning the victory and improving her record on the mound to 4-1. House allowed seven hits and earned three runs on her five-inning effort. The Lutes total 14 hits as a team, with Perez and Dean leading the way with two a-piece. Wada led the team with two of the teams eight runs batted in. The strong base running shined with five total bases stolen; Wright and Cheever stole two each.
 
The Lutes will close out the regular season tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader against the cross-town rivals, looking to further extend their winning streak and earn their third consecutive series sweep. With one win or one Willamette loss (plays four games against top-seeded Linfield in the weekend), the Lutes are locked into the third seed heading into the Northwest Conference Tournament.
 
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