McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Linfield completed perhaps the most one-sided series sweep in its storied softball history on Saturday, drubbing the Puget Sound Loggers by scores of 9-1 and 14-0 Saturday at Del Smith Stadium.
Both games were shortened to five innings by the eight-run rule.
For the series, Linfield outscored Puget Sound 38-1 and outhit the Loggers by a 43-5 count. Linfield stole 11 bases on 13 attempts while UPS did not attempt to steal throughout the entire series. Wildcat pitchers piled up 34 strikeouts to the Loggers' nine. Collectively, Linfield batters hit .422 while the Puget Sound offense was held to a 0.69 average.
Linfield (29-7, 21-3 NWC) moved within one win of clinching at least a share of the program's 15th NWC championship. The Wildcats can clinch the title outright with a sweep of Pacific at home on Friday.
GAME 1: Linfield 9, Puget Sound 1
Baily Paul went 3 for 4 and drove in three runs, powering the Wildcats in the opener.
Tayah Kelley continued her mastery of the Loggers from the circle, striking out 10 batters while yielding just one hit. She earned her 18th pitching win of 2022.
Katie Phillips drove in
Chloe McDaniel for the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning.
Katrina Johns made it 2-0 with a two-out RBI single up the middle.
The Loggers notched their only hit and run of the series against Kelley when Savanna Smith lofted the ball over the left-field wall, cutting the Wildcats' lead to 2-1.
A two-run double by pinch hitter
Jacey Leyvas was followed by an RBI double from Paul, pushing the Linfield lead to 5-1.
The 'Cats ended the game in the fifth inning by plating four more runs as
Brynn Nelson,
Claire Seats and Paul all took turns driving in runs.
Loggers starter Kelsie Sullivan (1-8) was charged with the loss. She surrendered 11 hits and two walks without registering a single strikeout.
GAME 2: Linfield 14, Puget Sound 0, 5 innings
Claire Seats doubled and drove in three runs and contributed a pair of heroic catches in center field to carry the Wildcats in the nightcap.
Abi Proffitt doubled and drove in three runs, while Johns and Phillips both added a pair of hits, part of a 12-hit onslaught by the Wildcats against Puget Sound pitchers Smith and Maddy Garcia. Smith (1-13) was tagged with the loss. She gave up nine hits and two walks.
Hailey Wadsworth (5-1) pitched three innings to collect the win. She and closer
Cheyenne Datan combined to hold the Loggers to a single hit.
The 'Cats plated six runs in the first inning, capitalizing on a walk, two Logger fielding errors and run-scoring base hits from Mobley, Leyvas, and Johns.
Linfield poured it on in the third inning, ringing up eight runs on the strength of six hits, two Puget Sound fielding errors and a wild pitch.
NEXT
With the Easter holiday coming on Sunday, Linfield begins its final regular-season NWC series against Pacific at home on Friday starting at 4 p.m. Senior Day festivities, honoring Linfield's graduating seniors, are scheduled to begin at 3:30. The Wildcats and Boxers complete the four-game series in Forest Grove on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
