TACOMA, Wash. - On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Puget Sound
Loggers split a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader with the
Whitworth Pirates at Logger Softball Field in Tacoma, Wash.
The Pirates won the first game 8-3 but the Loggers finished the
series on a high note, winning 3-2 in extra innings.
In the first game, it was the Loggers who took the early lead
after Hilary Rice (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) singled in
Kelsey Scanlan (La Center, Wash./Clark CC) in the second and then
Rice scored on a single by Meghan Watson (Brier, Wash./Mountlake
Terrace) as Puget Sound took the 2-0 lead. The Loggers made
it 3-0 an inning later when Megan Janes (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe)
singled in Victoria Raeburn (Gladstone, Ore.).
Whitworth scored for the first time in the afternoon in the top
of the fourth after Caty Lieske doubled to score Lacey Kerr.
The Pirates took the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth
and then put the icing on the cake with four runs in the top of the
seventh. Auriel Sperberg (Spanaway, Wash./Graham-Kapowsin)
took the loss, allowing four runs in seven hits in five innings
pitched. Kelsey Ayers got the win for Whitworth, allowing
three runs on seven hits in five and two-third innings
pitched. Jessica Mangis collected the save, allowing just one
hit in one and one-third innings of scoreless relief.
In game two, the Loggers struck first yet again when Scanlan
singled to left field to score Anthea Aasen (University Place,
Wash./Wilson) and then Caroline Moore (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names)
singled in Janes for a 2-0 UPS lead. Whitworth evened it up
in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs and neither team could
score again before the end of the seventh.
In the eighth inning, the Logger defense held tough in the top
of the inning and after Scanlan doubled to left field, Moore moved
the pinch-runner Nikki LaFemina (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin) over to
third on a sacrifice bunt. The winning run came on a
sacrifice fly by Amelia Kurashige-Elliott (Berkeley, Calif.) to
shallow right field that gave LaFemina just enough time to cover
the distance to home for the score.
Sperberg got the win, allowing two runs on eight hits in eight
innings pitched. Mangis took the loss, allowing three runs on
13 hits in seven and two-third innings pitched.
The Loggers will hit the road on Tuesday, traveling down to
Forest Grove, Ore. for the first of two scheduled make-up games
against the Pacific Boxers.
Box Scores: Game
One/Game
Two
