March 10, 2007

Lutes Drop Two Conference Games to Whitworth Pirates

Game One
Game Two

Heather Walling - 3-for-7 with one RBI

SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth completed its first doubleheader sweep of Pacific Lutheran in the 10-year history of the softball program on Saturday at Marks Field, defeating the visiting Lutes 2-1 in the first game and 6-1 in the second.

Heather Walling led PLU (6-2, 4-2 NWC) at the plate, going 3-for-7 with a run scored. Theresa Tauscher hit the only home run of the day in the first game.

Senior catcher Lindsay Davis led the Pirates' (9-0, 5-0 NWC) effort, going 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Halley Cey was also 3- for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Jessie LaPlante and Heather Case each pitched complete game victories.

Game 1: Whitworth 2, Pacific Lutheran 1

PLU grabbed the lead in the opener as Tauscher slammed a home run to center field in the third inning. Walling followed with a single and then LaPlante hit Hadley Schmitt to put two more runners on base. LaPlante then got Carly Starke and Alana Schutt on ground balls to end the threat.

Schmitt, PLU's starting pitcher, retired the first 10 batters she faced until Davis singled with one out in the fourth inning.

The Pirates finally broke through in the fifth inning. With two outs and pinch runner Mandee Edwards on second base, Cey singled to center field to drive in the tying run. After another single by LaPlante, Schmitt got Case to ground out to keep the game tied.

Whitworth scored the winning run in the sixth after Davis singled and was sacrificed to second. Sarah Froman lined a hard shot that Tauscher snared for the second out at shortstop, but Lacey Parry followed with the game-winning RBI single to center field.

LaPlante allowed four hits and one earned run to improve to 5-0 this season. She struck out three and walked one. Schmitt suffered her first loss of the season after allowing two runs on six hits. She also struck out three and walked two.

Game 2: Whitworth 6, Pacific Lutheran 1

As in the first game, PLU jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning, stringing together three straight singles with two outs. Starke singled home Walling for the run before Case ended the threat with a strike out.

Davis doubled home Case in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Then in the fourth, Whitworth took control with four runs, helped by a pair of PLU errors. Davis drove in the final run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Cey from third base.

Case (3-0) scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter as the Lutes left eight runners on base. She had three strikeouts. PLU starter Cassie Canales (3-1) gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. She walked four batters and struck out three. Cathy Kirkevold gave up the final Whitworth run.

The Pirates, who were 7-29 all-time against the Lutes coming into the day, had split the last two four-game series. But never had the Bucs won twice on the same day. Whitworth and PLU are scheduled to complete the four-game NWC series with a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at noon.

- PLU -

(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information Office)