The Linfield softball team hosts the Willamette Bearcats for four games this weekend at Del Smith Stadium. The Wildcats are 17-3 in Northwest Conference games this season and stand tied with George Fox for the best winning percentage with eight games remaining.
 
The first day of the series has been moved up to Friday at 4 p.m. due to inclement weather. Teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. as well.
 
The Wildcats are coming off three wins over the Whitworth Pirates and are currently ranked No. 5 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings. 
 
COVERAGE
Joe Stuart will be on the call for the Linfield Sports Network for the games this weekend. Live statistics are also available.
 
LINFIELD
The Wildcats scored 33 runs in the four games against the Pirates, including 14 in Game 2 on Sunday. Linfield trailed in two games on Sunday, but came back to win both. Linfield leads the conference with an average of six runs per game and that is also 14^th in the country.
 
Linfield is batting .345 as a team which leads the country. The Wildcats have hit 82 doubles and stolen 86 bases, both are best in the NWC. The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.06 which is second in the NWC and striking out 5.72 batters per seven innings, which leads the NWC.
 
Abi Proffitt had five RBIs against the Pirates and has driven home 32 runs on the season, which is third in the conference. Katie Phillips is batting .409, which is fifth and tied with Kamryn Apling, who is also batting .409. Apling has drawn a conference-leading 24 walks and has an on-base percentage of .542, which is second.
 
Kelsey Wilkinson has stolen 24 bases which is first in the NWC, Apling is third with 19, Paul is fourth with 15, and Chloe McDaniel has 11, which is seventh. Kamryn Mobley batted .667 and had four RBIs against the Pirates.
 
Maddy Podnar, Tayah Kelley and Jordan Bennett have pitched the bulk of the innings this spring. Podnar and Kelley each have a conference-leading 12 wins, while Bennett is second in the NWC with one save. Podnar is second in the NWC with an ERA of 2.71. Kelley is first with 83 strikeouts while Kelley is second with 70.
 
Having won the last 14 games in the series, Linfield is 81-22 all-time against Willamette. Three of the four games between the two teams in 2019 were won by Linfield via the eight-run rule.
 
WILLAMETTE
The Bearcats lost four games to the George Fox Bruins last weekend, but held the lead in two of the games and forced extra innings in the third. Willamette is 3-23 overall and 2-18 in the conference.
 
As a team, Willamette is batting .266 and scoring 3.6 runs per game. Mia Lund is batting .375, Brianna Majors has team-leading 17 RBIs and Shaye Mott has 25 hits.
 
Mott has made 20 pitching appearances, including 13 starts. She has an ERA of 6.90 with 38 strikeouts. Bailey Hillmick has started 10 games and has an ERA of 7.52.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats and the Bruins take on each other for the final series of the regular season. The Bruins are the home team on April 30, the Wildcats are at home on May 3.