By Eric Spresser, Student Assistant Athletics Communications Director
McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Willamette University's softball team split a pair of games against Northwest Conference rival Linfield College on Saturday, March 5. Sophomore third basemen Kathryn Moore (Reno, NV/ Robert McQueen HS) led the way at the plate for the Bearcats, going 5 for 7 on the day with three RBIs, two runs scored, and a double.
WU lost the first game of the doubleheader 3-2, before pulling out the second game 8-5 to improve its record to 5-1 on the season, 5-1 in the NWC. The split moved Linfield to 6-4 on the season and to 3-3 in the NWC.
Wildcats Overcome Deficit in 7th Inning
Linfield rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the seventh inning to win the first game. The Wildcats earned four hits in their final at bat.
The Bearcats were able to break a 0-0 tie in the top of the fourth inning when Alex Shields (Jr., C, Lake Forest, CA/El Toro HS) came across the plate on a Linfield error. Shields singled to start the inning and advanced to third base on a double from Victoria Bradshaw (Sr., OF/P, Discovery Bay, CA/Liberty HS). Willamette was able to tack on one more run later in the inning to take a 2-0 lead when Bradshaw scored on another Wildcat error.
Those were the only runs of the game heading into the bottom of the seventh inning as junior pitcher Jade Smith (Jr., P, Chico, CA/Chico HS) had kept Linfield scoreless throughout the contest.
Leading off the final inning for Linfield, pinch-hitter Jacinda Swiger reached base with a single before Danielle Duman belted a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. The Wildcats won the game with two outs when Melanie Oord hit an RBI single to right field to drive in Alissa Buss.
Bearcats Roll Past Linfield in Game 2
Makayla Hari (Jr., P, Salem, OR/Blanchet Catholic HS) pitched a complete game and a scoreless final four innings to help propel Willamette over Linfield in the second game of the doubleheader, 8-5. Moore went 3 for 4 in the game with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Danielle Saunders (So., OF, Salem, OR/McNary HS) was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Shields contributed two RBIs and scored one run in a 1-for-3 performance.
The Bearcats got out to a hot start in the first innings, as Moore scored when Saunders was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Next up was Bradshaw, who knocked an RBI single to center field, which brought Ashley Pender (Sr., 2B, Reno, NV/North Valleys HS) across the plate for a 2-0 Willamette lead.
Linfield got one run back in the bottom of the first, before WU added three more runs in the second stanza.
Alexia Pratt (Jr., CF, Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) led off the inning with a walk. Moore reached base with a bunt single. That brought up Shields, who hit a single to center field, scoring Pratt. Moore crossed the plate and Shields went to third following an error at the end of the play. Shields scored later in the inning on a single from Saunders to give the Bearcats a 5-1 margin heading into the bottom of the second.
The Wildcats cut the lead to 5-3 with two runs in the second inning, and a 2-run home run by Linfield catcher Erin Tauscher tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the third.
The game remained knotted up at five until the top of the fifth inning. Saunders began the frame with a bunt single, before moving to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Bradshaw. Steffany Dunn (Jr., INF, Colfax, CA/Colfax HS) advanced Saunders to third on a bunt single of her own. After Kaylin Bullert (Fr., INF, Red Bluff CA/Enterprise HS) walked to load the bases, Moore knocked in all three Bearcat runners with a double to left field to give WU an 8-5 advantage.
Hari (1-0) earned her first victory of the year on the mound after limiting Linfield to eight hits.
The teams are scheduled to finish the four-game series with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 6, starting at 11 a.m. (PST) at Del Smith Stadium in McMinnville, Oregon.
