SALEM, Ore. – Sweeping the Willamette Bearcats Saturday at the WU Softball Field, the Linfield Wildcats removed any remaining suspense as to which Northwest Conference team would be crowned champion for 2025.
Ranked No. 7 in the most recent NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Wildcats. downed the Bearcats 8-5 and 6-2.
Linfield secured outright the program's fourth straight and 18th all-time conference title. The victories also assured Linfield of hosting next week's NWC Tournament, May 9 and 11, at Del Smith Stadium. The winner of the four-team, double-elimination tournament earns the NWC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III regional playoffs.
In Saturday's doubleheader,
Cydney Hess belted two home runs,
Brynn Nelson doubled twice and had three other hits, and
Tyler McNeley and
Tyler Warden pitched matching complete-game wins for Linfield, which moved to 23-3 in the NWC and 33-5 overall. The losses eliminated Willamette from tournament contention as the Bearcats slipped to 12-14 in the NWC and 20-16 overall.
GAME 1: Linfield 8, Willamette 5
Hess delivered a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to break a 5-all standoff and lift the Wildcats past the Bearcats in a tightly contested series opener.
Willamette jumped to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Desirae Hatfield singled to drive home the game's initial run and Mia Rogers tapped a ground-out RBI that scored Emma Elliott moments later.
A bases-loaded sacrifice RBI by Linfield's
Ashley Sutton in the top of the second inning cut the margin to 2-1 and
Meara Sain followed with a game-tying single to left field to score
Ashlyn Aven.
The Bearcats responded with two more runs in the bottom of the frame as Elliott drilled an RBI single, scoring Mia Lund and Jordan Cresswell.
Linfield took its first lead of the game in the fourth. Nelson drilled a two-run double to center field to knot the game once more before
Jacey Leyvas drew a bases-loaded walk, allowing
Kaili Saathoff a free pass to home plate.
Willamette answered with a Hatfield RBI single through the infield that bought Alexandra Richards enough time to score from second base.
In the seventh, Aven was bonked on the head with a pitch by Lizzie Brasher, putting a runner on base with no outs. Hess then stepped to the plate to punch out a two-strike home run to straightaway center field, her 12th of the season. Then, with the bases loaded, Saathoff sent a sacrifice fly to left field, plating
Tiani Wayton from third base for the game's final run.
Willamette outhit Linfield 12-8, but the Wildcats were able to put runners on base via eight walks, four hit batters and one intentional walk.
Nelson accounted for two of the Wildcats' eight hits, both doubles.
McNeley improved to 21-2 for the season. She struck out six and walked a pair of Bearcats while allowing 12 hits.
Brasher took the loss in relief to fall to 4-2.
GAME 2: Linfield 6, Willamette 2
Like Game 1, the Wildcats found themselves trailing by a two-run deficit in the early going, only to rally for a convincing win using a late-inning surge.
Nelson totaled three hits and Hess delivered her second homer of the afternoon. Wayton added to Linfield's 11-hit effort with a double and a home run, her second of the year.
A bases-loaded walk issued to Elizebeth Durrenber by Warden in the bottom of the second inning resulted in the game's first run, giving the Bearcats the early advantage. Richards added a sacrifice RBI minutes later, making the score 2-0 in favor of the hosts.
After Leyvas brought Linfield to within one run with a sacrifice fly to score
Annika Dayberry in the fourth, Wayton sent a solo home run to left field in the fifth, tying the score at 2, then followed up with a double in the sixth to drive in Aven for what would prove to be the winning run.
Claire Seats added an RBI double and Hess smacked a two-run homer in the seventh to round out the scoring.
Elliott generated two of Willamette's five hits.
Allowing just one earned run across seven innings, Warden improved to 10-3 in the circle. She walked four Bearcats and struck out two.
NEXT
Linfield heads home to Del Smith Stadium where the Wildcats complete the regular season when they host Willamette in a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Senior Day tributes honoring Linfield's nine graduating seniors start at 10:40 a.m.
