By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Willamette University qualified for the 2024 Northwest Conference Softball Tournament on Tuesday, May 7 when George Fox University lost both games of a doubleheader against Lewis & Clark College, preventing the Bruins from catching the Bearcats for fourth place in the final standings. Willamette also took on NWC regular season champion Linfield University in a doubleheader of make-up games on Tuesday evening at Del Smith Stadium. Linfield held on to win the second game, 5-4, after the Wildcats won the first game, 16-0 on the run rule in five innings.
Kendra Knapp (Grad., RF, Portland, OR/Sunset HS) of WU hit a solo homer in the second game. She has three homers this season.
Linfield, ranked #1 in the NFCA Coaches Poll for NCAA Division III, improved to 40-0 on the season, 28-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 17-21 overall, 13-15 in the NWC. The Bearcats won nine games in a row before the four-game series with Linfield.
The NWC Softball Tournament will be hosted by Linfield at Del Smith Stadium in McMinnville, Oregon, from Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12. Willamette, seeded #4, will take on Linfield, seeded #1, in a first round game on Friday at 4 p.m. PDT. In the other first round game, Lewis & Clark, seeded #2, will play Pacific Lutheran University, seeded #3, at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
L&C concluded the regular season at 26-14 overall, 20-8 in the NWC after defeating George Fox on Tuesday, 5-1 and 10-2 on the run rule in five innings. PLU ended its schedule with a 23-17 overall mark and an 18-10 record in the NWC.
Big Fourth Inning Helps Wildcats Win Opener
Willamette trailed Linfield 4-0 after two innings in Game 1. The Wildcats exploded for 12 runs in the fourth on their way to a 16-0 win. Linfield pitcher Tayah Kelly, 24-0, struck out eight batters. She allowed two hits and a walk while tossing the first four innings.
Linfield built a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Wildcats put together three consecutive hits to center field with two outs. Claire Seats singled to start the rally. Brynn Nelson followed with a double to send Seats across the plate. Jacey Leyvas also doubled, allowing Nelson to score.
The Wildcats doubled their lead in the second inning. Ashley Sutton walked and gave way to pinch-runner Annika Dayberry, who stole second base. Dayberry scored when Ashlyn Aven doubled to left center. Later, Seats walked with the bases loaded to push Aven across home plate.
In Linfield's big fourth inning, the Wildcats scored 12 runs on five hits, six walks, and two batters hit by pitches. Aven connected on a two-run single down the right field line to drive in the fourth and fifth runs of the inning. One more run scored before Cydney Hess blasted a grand slam home run.
Willamette's hits against Kelly were a double by Jenna Hopkins (Fy., 2B/P, Mt. Angel, OR/John F. Kennedy HS) to open the third inning and a single by Desirae Hatfield (Fy3B, Salem, OR/South Salem HS) in the top of the fourth. For Linfield, Seats, Leyvas, and Aven each went 2 for 3 at the plate. Brynn Nelson scored three runs.
Knapp Blasts a Homer as Bearcats Battle in 5-4 Loss
In the second game, Willamette led 2-0 before trailing 5-2 entering the top of the seventh. The Bearcats plated two runs to pull within 5-4, but couldn't tie the score. It was just the fourth one-run victory of the season for the undefeated Wildcats.
Willamette scored the game's first two runs in the top of the first. With one out, Hopkins singled to second base. Emma Elliott (So., OF, Battle Ground, WA/Battle Ground HS) belted a double to left field, sending Hopkins to third. Brianna Majors (Grad., SS/2B, San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS) added a single to center field to drive in Hopkins and Elliott.
The Wildcats earned two runs in the bottom of the first. Kaili Saathoff walked to open the frame. She stole second, then scored one out later when Seats hit a homer to left field.
In the fourth, Aven hit an RBI single to give Linfield a 3-2 edge. In the top of the fifth, Willamette left Mia Lund (Sr., OF/UT, Omaha, NE/Westside HS) at third and Sophia Lucio (Sr., RF, Martinez, CA/College Park HS) at second after Lund singled and Lucio hit into a fielder's choice. Seats blasted her second two-run homer in the fifth, increasing LU's lead to 5-2.
WU's final at bat began with Knapp's solo homer to left. Harley Raymond (Jr., 1B, Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake HS/Columbia Basin College) walked. One out later, Maris Pinheiro (Fy., C/OF, Tulare, CA/Tulare Union HS) walked. Kelly replaced Linfield stater Tyler McNeley and Faith Collar (Jr., UT, Portland, OR/Roosevelt HS) entered the game to pinch-run for Raymond. Collar scored when Lucio smacked a double to left center. Pinheiro was at third and Lucio was at second when Kelly recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
