SPOKANE, Wash. –
Allyssa DenDekker spun a sparkling three-hit
shutout in a 1-0 George Fox University first-game win, but
Whitworth University's Jessica Dickson responded with a
four-hit shutout of her own as the Pirates downed the visiting
Bruins 5-0 in the second game for a Northwest Conference softball
split Sunday afternoon here at Marks Field.
In the top of the first inning in the opener, Kris Trindle
bunted for a one-out hit and moved to second when Bethany Chriss
hit a fly to left that was dropped. Shelby Briske followed
with a single up the middle to drive in Trindle with the only run,
unearned, of the game.
From there, DenDekker (2-8) and Whitworth's Emily Anderson (6-5)
traded zeros to the end of the game. DenDekker, who the day
before had allowed eight earned runs and 12 hits, did not allow a
Pirate to reach second base after the first inning, using an
effective changeup to induce 14 fly ball outs. She did not strike
out a single batter, but only walked one.
Anderson was the hard-luck loser for Whitworth. She did not
allow an earned run, gave up six hits, and struck out five while
walking three.
In the nightcap, Dickson (2-2) struck out a career-high nine
while walking two. She allowed two-out singles in the second
to Becka Doyle and Hilary Broadus, and the only other runner to
reach second base came in the fifth following her own throwing
error on a bunt.
Erin Hento (7-9), who scattered eight hits and struck out one
without a free pass, suffered from a lack of run support for the
second straight day. Only three of the runs she allowed were
earned.
Whitworth took advantage of five Bruin errors in the game,
including two in the first inning that led to an unearned
run. Hanna Boyd hit her first career home run for Whitworth
in the third, and the Pirates added three more runs in the sixth,
including RBI singles by Caty Lieseke and Jill Pecka.
George Fox fell to 9-19 overall and 3-13 in the conference.
Whitworth, which won three out of four in the series,
improved to 11-13 overall and 9-7 in the NWC.
NEXT: George Fox returns home to host
Willamette University in a doubleheader Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. to
make up two games that were rained out back on March 13 ...
Whitworth goes to Pacific University Saturday to begin a four-game
series with a pair of games at 12:00 noon.
