By Charlie McGuire, Athletics Communications Assistant
SPOKANE, WA – The Willamette University softball team dropped a Northwest Conference doubleheader at Whitworth University on Saturday, April 2. The hosts rallied in the late innings to claim game one, 5-3, and struck early to take the nightcap, 6-0. The Pirates improved to 21-9 overall and 13-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats fell to 8-20 and 5-13 in the conference.
Late Rally Gives Whitworth 5-3 Win in Game One
The Bearcats put the first run on the board in the third inning. Kelsey Wong (Sr., UT, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) singled and stole second before scoring on a base-hit from pitcher Jordyn Johnson (So., Winslow, AZ/Winslow HS).
Willamette added two more runs in the fourth. Marykate DeLuca (Jr., C, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies) led-off with a single and came around on a two-run homer off the bat of Cassie Cosler (Sr., 1B, Albany, OR/West Albany HS).
A lead-off triple and a pair of RBI singles from Whitworth cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Maddy Thomas tied the game with a solo homerun in the sixth and Ashley Bartels gave the Pirates the win with a two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh.
Six different players had hits for Willamette in game one while eight Pirates recorded hits for Whitworth. Johnson went the distance in the circle, booking six strikeouts on the day.
Early Offense, Strong Pitching Lead to Bearcat Setback
Game two was all Whitworth as pitcher Momi Lyman improved to 10-1 on the season with a three-hit effort. The Pirates took a 3-0 lead in the second inning and stretched the margin to 5-0 on a two-run homer from Heather Menzer. They tacked on another in the fifth with a bases-loaded walk for the final of 6-0.
Kendra Knapp (Jr., OF, Portland, OR/Sunset HS) led the Bearcat offense to a pair of hits, including a double in the third inning. Gianna Marchese (Sr., 3B/1B, Seattle, WA/Bishop Blanchet HS) had the other hit for Willamette while Mia Lund (So., OF, Omaha, NE/Westside HS) added a stolen base after reaching on a walk in the sixth.
The Bearcats will meet the Pirates in another doubleheader on Sunday. Opening pitch for game one is scheduled for 11 a.m. (PDT)
