By Charlie McGuire, Athletics Communications Assistant
SALEM, Ore – The Willamette University softball team swept a Northwest Conference doubleheader from the visiting University of Puget Sound on Saturday, March 5th. The Bearcats outlasted the Loggers, 5-4, in nine innings in the opener and posted a 7-3 win in the nightcap. Willamette improved to 4-6 overall and 2-3 in the NWC while Puget Sound slipped to 1-11 on the season and 1-4 in the conference.
The Bearcats rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to overtake the Loggers after surrendering a run in the top half of the inning. Mia Lund (So., OF, Omaha, NE/Westside HS) led off with a single and immediately stole second to move into scoring position. Kelsey Wong (Sr., UT, Honolulu, HA/Punahou HS) brought Lund around to score with a single to right field.
Cassie Cosler (Sr., 1B, Albany, OR/West Albany HS) moved Wong third with her third hit of the game to set up a game-winning sacrifice RBI for pitcher Jordyn Johnson (So., Winslow, AZ/Winslow HS), who lofted the ball deep into right field.
Willamette scored lone runs in three straight innings to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cosler doubled in the second and pinch-runner Alexandra Richards (Fy., OF, Bellevue, WA/Newport HS) scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kenna Davis (Fy., 3B/SS/P, Alameda, CA/Alameda HS) to put the Bearcats on the board.
Jewel Fleckenstein (Sr., UT, Wasilla, AK/Mat-Su Middle College School) reached on a walk, stole a pair of bases to advance to third, and came in to score on an RBI from Wong. Puget Sound tied the game in the top of the fourth on a two-RBI triple from Jessica Moore.
The Bearcats immediately regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. Johnson reached on a lead-off single, stole second, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Davis. Hannah Porter (Jr., Chehalis, WA/Centralia HS) reached on a fielder's choice on a SAC-bunt attempt to bring in Jordan for the 3-2 advantage.
The Loggers used three singles to knot the game in the top of the seventh and pulled in front in the ninth after a pair of lead-off walks. The Bearcats were able to rally in the bottom of the inning to claim the opener.
Cosler led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double while Wong went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. They stole seven bases with Lund swiping three and Fleckenstein adding a pair. Jordan tossed a complete game to get the win, recording 15 strikeouts to improve to 2-3 on the season.
Willamette jumped out to an early lead in game two, scoring twice in the first inning. Brianna Majors (Jr., SS/2B, San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS) started things off with a single and stole second. She moved to third on a base-hit from Wong and went on to score on a double-steal. Wong made the score 2-0, coming in on a sacrifice fly from Cosler.
Majors launched a three-run homer in the fourth to stretch the lead to 5-0. That brought in Johnson and Davis, who reached on a walk and a single. The Bearcats tacked on two in the fifth on a pinch-hit RBI double from Marykate DeLuca (Jr., C, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies) and an RBI single from Cora Erickson (So., C, Issaquah, WA/Issaquah HS).
The Loggers put three runs on the board in the sixth inning as Mikayla Newman sent a three-run homer over the wall in center field. That would be all, however, as the Bearcats held on for the sweep.
Majors went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, three RBIs, and three stolen bases in the nightcap. Davis recorded eight strikeouts and scattered five hits in a complete-game win to move to 1-0 on the year.
The Bearcats host the Loggers in another doubleheader on Sunday. Opening pitch for game one is scheduled for 11 a.m. (PST).