NEWBERG, Ore. – Still hopeful of catching league-leading and No. 1-ranked Linfield College, the visiting Pacific Lutheran University Lutes kept their Northwest Conference softball title ambitions alive by sweeping the George Fox University Bruins 10-0 in six innings and 5-3 in nine innings Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field.

Pacific Lutheran improved to 22-10 overall and 16-4 in the conference, good for second place behind Linfield's 20-1 league mark (the Wildcats swept Willamette University Saturday).  George Fox fell to 9-23 overall and stands seventh in the NWC at 3-17.

Stacey Hagensen got the win in both games for the Lutes, improving to 14-4 on the season.  In the opener, she pitched a two-hit complete game, striking out eight with no walks.  The only safeties she allowed were a second-inning double to Kerrianne Davidson and a third-inning single to Kris Trindle.

George Fox hurler Erin Hento (7-11) held the Lutes to one hit and no runs through three innings before a Kaaren Hatlen single, a Glenelle Nitta double, and a Katie Lowery sacrifice fly scored pinch-runner Shelby Hasse with the first run of the game in the fourth.  PLU expanded its lead in the fifth as Hagensen bunted in Amanda Goings and Hatlen and Lindsey Matsunga had RBI singles.

The Lutes blew the game open in the sixth with six runs, Hatlen and Matsunaga each contributing two-run home runs.  It was the fifth of the season for Hatlen and Matsunaga's sixth.  PLU finished with 14 hits, Hatlen and Nitta with three each and Goings and Matsunaga with two apiece.

In the nightcap, the Bruins scored twice against PLU starter Hatlen in the first inning.  Nicole Renteria singled, Bethany Chriss walked, and Shelby Briske was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.  Davidson singled off the glove of Hatlen, the ball deflecting into right field as Renteria and Chriss scored.

Ally Van Schoorl relaced Hatlen and blanked the Bruins over the next three innings, allowing the Lutes to tie it in the fourth on Matsunaga's second homer of the day and seventh of the season following a single by Nitta.  The Bruins regained the lead in the fifth, however, as Chriss got a two-out single and scored on Briske's double to right-center.

PLU knotted it in the sixth when Hatlen was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Hasse scored on Matsunaga's double to right-center.  Hagensen replaced Schoorl, who scattered three hits and fanned four in 4.2 innings, to start the last of the sixth and finished up, allowing three hits with two strikeouts over four innings.

The Lutes won it in the ninth as Haley Harshaw singled, Spencer Sherwin walked, and Goings bunted for a hit to fill the sacks.  Kaely Cuthill then singled up the middle to score Harshaw and Sherwin.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Bruins put two runners on with a single by Hilary Broadus, a forceout by Renteria, and a single by Trindle, bringing up Chriss, the Bruins' top hitter, with two out.  Hagensen got the final out, however, as Chriss flied out to straightaway center.

Allyssa DenDekker (2-10) went the distance to take a tough loss for the Bruins, spacing nine hits while striking out two and walking four.

Briske and Davidson had two hits apiece, half of the Bruins' total of four.  Nitta, Matsunaga, and Harshaw had two hits each for the Lutes.

NEXT: George Fox ends a stretch of six in a row at home by hosting the University of Puget Sound Sunday in a twinbill at 12:00 noon ... Pacific Lutheran visits Lewis & Clark College Sunday for two, also at noon.