TACOMA, Wash. – The 2011 season drew to a close for the University of Puget Sound softball team on Sunday with a pair of losses to Pacific Lutheran – 13-6 and 8-3. The Loggers (11-27, 9-19 NWC) started comebacks in both games but the Lutes (28-10, 22-4 NWC) were stay in front and capture the doubleheader sweep.

Game 1 –L, 6-13

The Loggers fell in an early 8-0 hole over the first three innings and couldn't quite climb all the way out as they fell 13-6. The Lutes pushed across five runs in the second inning to take the commanding lead. The Lutes sent 10 batters to the plate as the first seven reached first safely. Kaely Cuthill and Stacey Hangensen had back-to-back two-RBI hits to key the rally.

However, the Loggers weren't going to go down easy. Christina Demuelenaere singled in Megan Janes in the bottom of the third to make it 8-1. Down 9-1 in the fifth, the Loggers added four more runs to cut the lead in half.

Janes, Carolyn Moore, and Demuelenaere hit consecutive two-out singles and Janes scored on Demuelenaere's single into left. Aryn Grause then smash a three-run homer to right center in the next at-bat to cut the lead to 9-5.

However, the hot Lute offense kept rolling as they hung up two more runs in the sixth and another pair in the seventh. As Hagensen held the Loggers to just one more unearned run in the sixth for the complete game victory.

Amanda Goings, Kaaren Hatlen and Haley Hershaw each had three hits to lead the Lutes offensive attack. The two teams combined for 27 hits in the game, 17 coming from the Lutes' side.

Game 2 – L, 3-8

The Lutes stayed hot in the second game as they sprinted out to a 5-0 lead en route to the 8-3 win. Hatlen knocked in the Lutes first run in the first and Lindsey Matsunaga led off the second with her second homer of the day.

A Logger error in the third allowed three unearned runs to come around for the Lutes for the 5-0 lead. A couple Lute errors in the bottom half made room for a Logger run to come across as Demuelnaere knocked in Janes again.

"Demuelenare has been such a consistent hitter for us and just a spark when we need one," said head coach Jenny Peterson. "She's just been clutch."

In the fifth, Cuthill singled in two more Lute runs for a 7-1 Lute lead. The Loggers responded as Demuelenaere collected two more RBIs when her single plates Jenica Holt and Janes to cut the lead to 7-3.

However, that would be all the Loggers would manage and the Lutes added one more in the seventh for the final 8-3 tally. Hatlen earned the complete game victory.

Auriel Sperberg collected 10 strikeouts on the day to surpass 100 Ks this season. She also eclipsed the 400-strikeout career mark yesterday.

The Loggers said goodbye to four seniors on Sunday as their season came to a close. They will pick back up in 2011 without ace pitcher Sperberg, first baseman Demuelenaere, center fielder Carolyn Moore and infielder Alex Usher.

"We've had fight all year and that's something they showed again today," added Peterson. "They never rolled over. We came back in both games and were fighting and scrapping. We just have to put it all together next year. We have to be able to start with the kind of fight and that kind of fire."