By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- After sweeping a doubleheader from the University of Puget Sound on Saturday, April 20, the Willamette University softball team added another doubleheader sweep against the Loggers on Sunday. In Sunday's first game, Jordyn Johnson (Sr., P, Winslow, AZ/Winslow HS) struck out 10 batters in a 5-2 win over the Loggers. Johnson allowed six hits and two runs (one earned).
The Bearcats won the second game on Sunday, 6-2, as Desirae Hatfield (Fy., INF, Salem, OR/South Salem HS) hit two double, while Kendra Knapp (Sr., RF, Portland, OR/Sunset HS) added one double, and Emma Elliott (So., OF, Battle Ground, WA/Battle Ground HS) and Mia Lund (Sr., OF/UT, Omaha, NE/Westside HS) each blasted a triple.
On Saturday, WU defeated Puget Sound, 2-1 and 11-3 on the run rule in five innings. The four-game sweep improved Willamette to 13-17 overall, 9-11 in the Northwest Conference. PS dropped to 7-21 overall, 5-15 in the NWC. The Bearcats are in fifth place in the NWC standings, one game behind a tie for third place between Pacific Lutheran University and Whitworth University at 10-10.
Johnson's Pitching Leads the Way to Victory
Solid pitching from Johnson, including her 10 strikeouts, provided an important advantage for the Bearcats during the team's 5-2 win in the first game on Sunday. Johnson also helped Willamette by allowing just one walk. In contrast, Puget Sound pitcher Nyomi Estrada struck out 11 batters in six innings, but walked eight Bearcats, and the PS defense committed three errors, while Willamette had just one error.
WU plated two runs in the bottom of the first and never trailed. Maris Pinheiro (Fy., C/OF, Tulare, CA/Tulare Union HS) opened the inning with a walk and stole second. One out later, she went to third on a wild pitch. After Elliott walked and stole second, Brianna Majors (Grad., SS/2B, San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS) supplied an RBI single just fair near the left field line. The throw home hit Pinheiro's feet as she scored, and the ball bounced toward the Bearcats' dugout. Elliott scored on the error.
The Loggers cut the margin to 2-1 in the fourth. Jessica Moore went to first on a fielder's choice and reached second when Jazzy Allen singled. Aislinn O'Reilly singled to right, sending Moore across the plate. Willamette countered with two runs in the bottom of the stanza for a 4-1 advantage. Harley Raymond singled to right. Lund reached base when her sacrifice bunt led to an error, as Raymond went to third. Both runners scored on a single to right center by Lauren Stube (Fy., C, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Trabuco Hills HS).
An unearned run by PS in the top of the sixth reduced Willamette's lead to 4-2. Lund answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth for the Bearcats.
Willamette earned just four hits during the game, one each by Elliott, Majors, Raymond, and Stube. The Loggers recorded six hits, led by Allen, who was 3 for 3. Johnson improved to 3-8 with the win, while Estrada fell to 3-8 with the loss.
Five Extra-Base Hits Propel Willamette to 9-6 Win
The second game featured five extra-base hits for the Bearcats, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the middle of the second inning to build leads of 6-3 and 9-4 in the victory. Pitcher Kenna Davis (Jr., P/3B, Alameda, CA/Alameda HS), now 9-6, tossed all seven innings for WU, as she allowed six runs and 11 hits. Davis finished with two strikeouts and two walks.
Each team tallied a run in the first inning, with Claire Besancon scoring for the Loggers and Hatfield scoring for Willamette. In the top of the second, PS added two runs when Kimora Phillips hit a double to center. The Bearcats responded quickly, plating four runs in the bottom of the second. Knapp started the rally with a double. Key hits during the inning also included a two-RBI single by Karsen Angel, an RBI double by Hatfield, and an RBI triple from Elliott.
WU scored once in the fourth and PS tacked on a run in the top of the fifth, leaving the Bearcats with a 6-4 lead. A run-scoring triple by Lund, plus an RBI groundout by Stube, extended WU's margin to 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth. Willamette added another run in the sixth. The Loggers scored twice in the seventh, but Davis closed out the game.
Hatfield's two doubles led to a 2-of-4 effort with two runs and an RBI. Angel was 2 of 3 with two runs and two RBis. Knapp and Lund each scored twice
Willamette will play a four-game NWC series at Pacific University on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28. The doubleheader on Saturday will begin at 12 p.m. PDT.
