TACOMA, Wash. –
Tyler McNeley and
Tyler Warden pitched a pair of shutouts, and
Claire Seats clubbed two home runs to power fourth-ranked Linfield to a Northwest Conference sweep of Pacific Lutheran on Wednesday afternoon.
The makeup doubleheader, rescheduled twice due to unplayable field conditions at PLU Field, saw Linfield raise its season record to 29-3 and 19-1 in the NWC. PLU, which dropped all four games of the season series to the Wildcats, dipped to 19-13 and 9-11 versus conference opponents.
GAME 1: Linfield 5, Pacific Lutheran 0
McNeley fanned nine Lutes while holding them to just two hits and one walk in the contest.
The Linfield offense countered with eight hits of its own, including three by
Brynn Nelson, who launched her fifth home run of the season, Ashley Aven, who tapped a pair of doubles and scored a run, and Seats, who went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI double that wound up being the game-winning hit in the first inning.
Paige Wilson took the loss for PLU to fall to 8-5 for the season. Brooke Tilson and Emelia Maza generated the Lutes' only hits in the game.
GAME 2: Linfield 8, Pacific Lutheran 0, 5 innings
Warden scattered eight hits but allowed no runs in earning her ninth pitching win of the season against just two losses.
Seats doubled and hit her Division III-leading 17th home run of the season in the third inning, helping the Wildcats build a 5-0 advantage. She finished the day with 56 RBI, second-most this season among Division III hitters.
Meara Sain,
Cydney Hess and
Tiani Wayton also recorded doubles for Linfield, part of a 10-hit effort in the run-rule shortened contest.
Rachael Rhinehart (5-5) took the loss in the circle for PLU, surrendering nine hits, six earned run, three wild pitches and two walks.
AHEAD
Linfield is in Newberg for a weekend series with NWC rival George Fox. Saturday, the Wildcats and Bruins meet for a doubleheader starting at noon. Sunday, the teams complete the four-game set with two games starting at 11 a.m.
