McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Pitchers
Shelby Saylors and
Eliza Rossman held Pacific Lutheran to one run and the Linfield Wildcats reached the 20-win plateau for the 23rd consecutive season Sunday at Del Smith Stadium.
Saturday's scheduled twinbill with PLU was washed away by rain, the skies parted long enough to allow the Wildcats to notch a Northwest Confernece sweep of the Lutes, 4-1 and 4-0.
Running its current win streak to seven games, Linfield (20-6, 12-2 NWC) remained tied with George Fox atop the NWC standings. PLU (8-16, 3-11 NWC) saw its current losing skid reach seven games.
GAME 1: Linfield 4, Pacific Lutheran 1
Saylors struck out five batters on the way to a complete-game victory in the opener. The junior all-star improved to 8-5 in the pitching circle.
The Lutes outhit the Wildcats 8-5, but Linfield manufactured the runs it needed to secure the win. The 'Cats capitalized on
Emily Allen's run-scoring single in the first inning, then used a squeeze play by
Darian Stedman to push another run across in the third. For good measure, Stedman added sacrifice RBI and Allen scored an insurance run on a wild pitch.
Cheyenne Fletcher went 2 for 3 and scored twice. Stedman drove in a pair of runs, and
Makenna Clizer and
Chelsea Horita both accounted for base hits.
On the PLU side of the scoresheet, Gabriella Moreno and Becca Sorensen each had two hits. Lutes hurler Marissa Miller (4-8) struck out nine Wildcats in a losing effort, though she walked five and hit two batters.
GAME 2: Linfield 4, Pacific Lutheran 0
In the nightcap, Rossman fanned seven Lutes on the way to a four-hit shutout. A freshman righthander, Rossman raised her season record to 12-0.
Fletcher and
Jessica Woodruff both tapped a pair of hits and Clizer hit her third home run of the season in the third inning after Linfield had built a 3-0 advantage.
Kennedy Robillard (4-6) took the loss for PLU. She allowed eight hits and two walks over six innings, striking out two Wildcats.
Moreno, Anna Overland, Bailey Plumb and Elise Fruend all had base hits for PLU.
Next
Linfield's next scheduled NWC series is Saturday and Sunday in Spokane, Washington, against the Whitworth Pirates. However, the Wildcats are hopeful of making up last Saturday's postponed games with PLU on Wednesday at Del Smith Stadium, pending approval by the conference office and the school's respective athletic directors.
