McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Tayah Kelley struck out 17 batters across two games, earning her ninth win of the season plus a save, and the Linfield Wildcats capped an impressive four-game sweep of the Whitworth Pirates Saturday at Del Smith Stadium.
Kelley improved to 9-0 in the circle and
Kamryn Mobley delivered four hits to power the Wildcats at the plate.
Linfield, ranked 11th in the most recent NFCA Top 25 poll, moved to 15-2 for the season and 7-0 in the Northwest Conference. Whitworth saw its record dip to 11-9 and 1-7 in conference play.
GAME 1: Linfield 5, Whitworth 0
Emma Podliska went 3 for 3 and drove in four runs in a breakout performance, leading the Wildcats to a third shutout victory of the series. Mobley also enjoyed a 3-for-3 outing, scoring three times.
Kelley struck out 14 Pirates while scattering three hits. The junior righthander notched her fifth consecutive complete-game victory.
Pirates pitcher Corinne Vasiloff gave up 11 hits and a pair of walks in a full-game effort.
Haley Montoya went 2 for 4, including a double, to lead Whitworth. Rylee Gentner contributed the Pirates' only other hit in the game.
GAME 2: Linfield 4, Whitworth 2
Four of the Wildcats' six hits went for extra bases, helping Linfield complete the weekend sweep of their league rival, though it was the closest outcome of the four-game set.
Katie Phillips got the scoring started with a blazing triple to right field that sent
Baily Paul sprinting for home. Phillips later scored on a ground-out RBI by
Claire Seats.
Linfield made the score 3-0 on Mobley's ground-out RBI, allowing Seats to score.
Whitworth plated its first run of the day and the series in the fourth when Maddy Thomas sacrificed Rylee Gentner home. Pinch hitter Ashley Bartles smacked a home run in the fifth to pull the Pirates to within one run, 3-2.
Kaili Saathoff added an insurance run for the 'Cats in the bottom of the fifth, doubling to left-center.
Tyler Warden earned the win in the circle to improve to 3-0 while Kelley pocketed a save in relief. The pair combined for five strikeouts, including a game-ending K by Kelley of Whitworth's Jazz Johnson.
Kelley's three strikeouts in the game raised her one-day total to 17 and her series total to 26.
NEXT
The Wildcats have rescheduled Game 4 of the Willamette series for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Del Smith Stadium. After meeting Willamette, Linfield heads to Newberg where the 'Cats are scheduled to take on the George Fox Bruins. First pitch Saturday is at noon. Sunday's twinbill begins at 11 a.m.
