McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Jacey Levas doubled twice and drove in four runs,
Cydney Hess smacked a walk-off home run in Game 1, and
Tayah Kelley accounted for two pitching victories in the circle to power the third-ranked Linfield Wildcats to a Northwest Conference doubleheader sweep of the Pacific Lutheran Lutes Saturday afternoon at Del Smith Stadium.
Linfield won the opener 9-1 in six innings. The Wildcats piled up six runs in Game 2's sixth inning to prevail 9-3.
Linfield ran its season record to 12-0 and 6-0 in conference play. PLU slipped to 5-9 and 0-2 in the NWC.
GAME 1: Linfield 9, Pacific Lutheran 1, 6 innings
Cydney Hess's grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning scripted a dramatic conclusion to the series opener.
Linfield ace
Tayah Kelley notched her eighth pitching victory of the season, holding PLU to four hits and two walks while retiring six Lutes by strikeout.
Hess and
Jacey Leyvas paced the Wildcats offensively with two hits each.
Claire Seats put the Wildcats on the board initially, blasting her fourth home of the season, igniting a four-run second inning.
PLU pushed across its lone run in the fourth inning. Molly House led off the inning with a double, then pinch runner Arabella Perez was sacrificed home by Paolo Garcia, cutting the margin to 4-1.
Meara Sain drew a walk in the fifth inning and was later pushed home on a sacrifice to center field by
Brynn Nelson.
Lutes starter Paige Wilson lasted just two batters before exiting the game with an injury. Rachel Treves entered the game in relief and pitched the duration of the contest. Treves (1-1) gave up eight hits and five walks to the Wildcats over five innings of work.
GAME 2: Linfield 9, Pacific Lutheran 3
The Wildcats fought off a valiant PLU comeback effort, turning a 3-3 tie into a 9-3 rout in the span of just a single inning.
Leyvas went 2 for 4 with a two-run double and
Sophia vanderSommen went 2 for 3 for the 'Cats.
Four consecutive wild pitches issued by PLU starter Rachael Rhinehart in the bottom of the first inning enabled
Kaili Saathoff to score the game's first run.
Linfield added two more runs in the fourth inning to build a 3-0 cushion but the Lutes clawed back to tie the game with a single run in the fourth and six more runs in the sixth.
Tied at 3 heading to the bottom of the six, the Wildcats rung up five runs and four hits, and capitalized on three PLU miscues. Nelson led off the inning with line-drive single to left field and Leyvas followed with an RBI double to left-center that scored pinch runner
Tiani Wayton.
Ashley Sutton added an RBI single to plate
Sophia vanderSommen before
Meara Sain's sacrifice RBI sent
Kyla Cross sprinting for home, extending the Wildcats' advantage to 6-3. Hess reached base on an PLU fielding error, allowing vanderSommen to score from third base.
Despite the lopsided score, PLU outhit Linfield 8-7 but four Lute errors and four wild pitches proved costly.
Rhinehart, who both started the game and came off the bench in relief of Kaylee Gresko, took the loss to fall to 1-5.
Kelley upped her record to 9-0. The fifth-year senior conceded two hits and a pair of walks over the final two innings. Linfield starter
Tyler McNeley pitched the game's first five innings, allowing six hits, two runs
Garcia had two hits and drove in one run for PLU.
NEXT
The Wildcats and Lutes continue their four-game series Sunday at Del Smith Stadium. Game 1 is set to start at noon with Game 2 to follow at approximately 2:30 p.m.
