McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Fourth-ranked Linfield capped a four-game Northwest Conference sweep of Puget Sound, holding the visiting Loggers without a run on Saturday while posting 8-0 and 6-0 victories under sunny skies at Del Smith Stadium.
Outscoring their opponent 30-3 in the four contests, Linfield improved to 20-2 for the season and 10-0 in the NWC. Puget Sound slipped to 7-15, 1-11 in conference play.
Ashley Sutton was Linfield's most efficient hitter for the weekend, going 7 for 10 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs.
Tiani Wayton hit .583 in the four series games, hitting 7 for 12 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and three stolen bases.
Linfield hit six home runs against UPS in the series, including two each by sluggers
Claire Seats and
Jacey Leyvas.
Tyler Warden and
Tyler McNeley both pocketed a pair of pitching wins while combining for a 0.56 earned run average.
GAME 1: Linfield 8, Puget Sound 0, 7 innings
Linfield piled up 13 hits on Loggers pitcher Alison Madia on the way to the third victory of the series.
Claire Seats,
Jacey Leyvas and
Tiani Wayton all generated two hits in the game.
Wildcats pitcher
Tyler McNeley held UPS to three hits on the way to her 12th win of the season. She struck out nine without issuing a walk in six innings of work.
Leyvas gave the 'Cats the early advantage with a solo home run to the right-field corner in the bottom of the second inning. Minutes later,
Sophia vanderSommen clubbed a two-run homer over the left-field wall, making the score 3-0.
Claire Seats sent a sacrifice fly to right field and
Brynn Nelson followed with an RBI double that scored Seats, putting Linfield in front 5-0.
Linfield added two runs in the third and another in the sixth to polish the Loggers off.
Madia (2-5) gave up 13 hits, eight earned runs and was unable to log a single strikeout against the Wildcats.
GAME 2: Linfield 6, Puget Sound 0
The Wildcats recorded their third shutout of the series behind the combined pitching efforts of
Tyler Warden and
Lacey Vasas.
Warden allowed three hits over the game's first four innings before turning the game over to Vasas, who limited the Loggers to four hits in three innings of action. The pair shared three strikeouts.
Seats' RBI single in the bottom of the first inning broke the ice, giving Linfield a quick 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs in the second, setting table for
Kaili Saathoff's RBI groundout to make the score 2-0.
In the third,
Cydney Hess tapped a single through the left side, scoring pinch runner
Breanna Bartek. Seats put the finishing touches on the Linfield scoring with a two-run home run, her Northwest Conference-leading 10th of the season.
Tiani Wayton also picked up a pair of hits, including a double and added a stolen base, one of four thefts for the Wildcats in the contest.
Warden improved to 6-1 in the circle while UPS pitcher Nyomi Estrada was charged with the loss, falling toe 2-9 for the season.
AHEAD
Linfield plays a four-game NWC series at Pacific. Action starts Saturday at noon and at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Sherman/Larkins Field in Forest Grove.
