PARKLAND, Wash. – Katie Hanten hit home
runs that ended each game in the sixth inning by the eight-run
'mercy' rule as the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes
cruised to a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader sweep of
the visiting George Fox University Bruins, 11-1 and 11-3, Saturday
afternoon here at the PLU Field.
Ramona Lorton (8-4) shut down the Bruins on one hit in the
opener, a single up the middle in the 3rd inning. Lorton
fanned 10, walked four, and gave up an unearned run in the 6th when
Bethany Chriss reached on an error, Shelby Briske and Decka Doyle
walked, and Serena Lee's grounder to second was mishandled as
Chriss scored.
PLU took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on Kaaren Hatlen's
sacrifice fly to left that scored Stacey Hagensen, and made it 3-0
in the 2nd with a pair of unearned runs. In the 4th, Caitlin
Brown had a run-scoring ground out, Hagensen an RBI single, and a
third run scored on another Bruin error. The Lutes capped the
scoring in the bottom of the 6th with another RBI single by
Hagensen, a run-producing ground out by Adrienne Ross, and a
three-run pinch home run by Hanten, her second of the season.
Hagensen and Lorton had three hits each, while Brown and Haley
Harshaw had two apiece for PLU . The Lutes collected 14 hits
in all off the Bruins' Erin Lee (7-10), who went the
distance, striking out one and walking one.
In the second game, the Lutes tallied single runs in the 1st and
2nd to take the early lead. Hagensen legged out a hit on
a suicide squeeze bunt to drive in Amber Roberts with the first
run, and Harshaw clubbed her second home run of the season in as
many games to make it 2-0. PLU added three more in the
4th, one coming in on Montessa Califano's RBI double.
The Bruins scored three times in the 5th to cut the deficit to
5-3. Nicole Renteria had a run-scoring single that drove in Serena
Lee, and Shelby Klein drove in Erin Lee and Chriss
with a two-run single to right.
The Lutes scored six times in the 6th to end the game. Hagensen
had a two-run single to make the score 7-3,then Hanten repeated her
first-game feat to wrap up PLU's doubleheader sweep by hooking a
grand slam just inside the left field foul pole.
Hagensen (4-5) went 4.1 innings to pick up the win for the
Lutes, scattering six hits with two strikeouts and a walk, while
Ally VanSchoorl struck out three and did not allow a hit in the
final 1.2 innings for her first save of the season. Taylor Whitmore
(2-13) went all the way and took the loss for the Bruins, allowing
11 hits and three walks.
Hagensen and Harshaw had three hits each for PLU, Harshaw
finishing the day 5-for-5, and Califano had two hits. Klein
had two hits to pace the Bruins.
George Fox (9-23, NWC 4-18) visits the University of Puget Sound
and Pacific Lutheran (17-11, NWC 11-7) hosts Lewis & Clark
College Saturday in conference doubleheaders, both starting at
12:00 noon.
