April 20, 2008

Lutes Break Out the Offense, Cruise Past Pioneers

Game One
Game Two

Shelby Johnston - two home runs

PARKLAND, Wash. – Shelby Johnston hit a home run in each game and Pacific Lutheran collected 34 total hits in sweeping a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader from visiting Lewis & Clark, 9-3 and 16-0, on Sunday afternoon.

Johnston, who spent most of the season as a pinch runner after a pitch broke her arm early in the season, knocked a pinch hit two-run homer in the first game and slugged a long three-run blast in the second contest for her first two homers of the season. The second game was shortened to five innings because of the eight-run rule.

The Lutes knocked the softball all over the field on Sunday, hitting .523 in the two games by going 34-for-65 with five doubles, one triple and Johnston’s two homers. Heather Walling had six hits in seven at-bats and Lisa Gilbert collected five hits in seven at-bats to lead the Lutes. Carly Starke collected four hits in the twinbill and Crystal Reno, Rachel Wheeler-Hoyt, Vanessa Bryant, Caitlin Brown and Johnston all had three hits. In addition, Johnston drove in six runs in the two games.

In the opener, the Lutes broke open a close 2-1 game with four runs in the third inning, and Johnston finished the scoring with her two-run blast in the sixth. PLU collected 15 hits in the game in support of winning pitcher Hadley Schmitt, but the defense was shaky with six errors. For Lewis & Clark, Sarah DiSabatino, Jamie Moon and Karyne Sander each drove in a run.

In the second game, PLU scored one in the second inning and three in the third before putting 12 runs on the board in the fourth inning. Johnston hit her majestic blast over the right field fence three batters into the big inning to get the Lutes going.

Rachel Wheeler-Hoyt improved her pitching record to 9-5 by limiting the Pioneers to three singles, and she aided her cause in the game by collecting three hits, three runs batted in and scoring three runs.

Pacific Lutheran finishes its season next weekend with a four-game series against Puget Sound. The teams will play a noon doubleheader at UPS on Saturday before wrapping it with a noon doubleheader at PLU on Sunday.

- PLU -