McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield kept Eastern Oregon off the scoreboard in two games Saturday afternoon at Del Smith Stadium, sweeping a pair of season-opening contests from the Mountaineers by scores of 3-0 and 11-0.
The sixth-ranked Wildcats (2-0) piled up 17 hits on the day while starting pitchers
Maddy Podnar and
Tayah Kelley pocketed victories.
GAME 1: Linfield 3, Eastern Oregon 0
Maddy Podnar pitched a two-hit shutout, leading the Wildcats to victory over the Mountaineers. Podnar struck out three and walked two while holding EOU off the base paths for much of the contest.
After
Katrina Johns dropped down a double with one out in the second inning,
Shakayla Snyder singled to push Johns home for the game's first run.
Snyder provided the impetus for the Wildcats' next run as well, lining out to left field with one out but buying enough time for
Kamryn Mobley to score.
The Wildcats plated an unearned run in the fifth when
Katie Phillips singled, was pushed to second base on a sacrifice by
Kamryn Apling, then scored on an EOU fielding error.
Podnar carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Mountaineers pinch hitter Meghan Krantz broke it up with a low-lying single up the middle.
Linfield outhit Eastern Oregon 6-1. Snyder drove in two runs to pace Linfield offensively. Johns and
Kelsey Wilkinson each contributed doubles in the game.
EOU starter Ashton Kazmierski was charged the with the loss. She lasted three innings, surrendering three hits and two walks with one strikeout.
GAME 2: Linfield 11, Eastern Oregon 0, 5 innings
Emma Podliska drove in four runs and
Tayah Kelley fanned five EOU batters as the Wildcats cruised to the win in the run-rule shortened nightcap.
The Mountaineers cycled through four pitchers over the game's five innings. Together, they combined to surrender nine hits and seven walks.
Linfield broke the ice with Phillips' run-scoring bunt that sent Wilkinson to home plate in the first inning.
The Wildcats erupted for five runs in both the second and third innings. Making her first career start as the designated player,
Emma Podliska pounded a two-run single in the second inning to push Linfield in front 3-0. Apling drove in a run of her own minutes later with a ground out that opened the door for
Haley Gutierrez to score from third.
Baily Paul joined the party with a bloop single to left field that scored Phillips and Wilkinson.
In the third, Podliska made the score 8-0 in favor of the hosts with a two-run single in the third inning. Phillips added to the Mountaineers' misery with a hard-hit single to score Podliksa from second base. Proffitt then drilled a deep ball to the left-field wall, pushing home two more runs and the Wildcats led 11-0.
Kelley, the Linfield starter, picked up the victory in the circle with a five-strikeout performance. She held Eastern Oregon to one hit over three innings before turning the game over to
Jordan Bennett to start the fourth.
NEXT
Linfield is set to host Warner Pacific in a nonconference doubleheader on Sunday starting at 12 noon.
