TACOMA, Wash. – The Puget Sound softball team broke out of a season-long slide with a pair of dramatic victories over Willamette on Saturday. The Loggers (2-33, 2-22 NWC) snuck out with a 2-1 win in the first game before taking a 13-11 slugfest in the nightcap.

The wins are the first career wins for first-year head coach Kellyn Tate.

Game 1 – W, 2-1

Megan Campbell was superb in the circle. She allowed just three hits to the Bearcats (14-20, 10-14 NWC) while also striking out three to earn the first win of her career. After the Bearcats put across a run in the second, only four more batters reached base the entire game. Only two of those four advanced to second where both were stranded.

After the Bearcats took the initial lead on a run-scoring single from Yvonne Drabin, the Loggers went to work in support of their freshman pitcher. In the third, the Loggers took advantage of a Bearcat error to tie up the game.

Amy Schmeckpeper got aboard on the error and later, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a double from Taylor Jones. The Loggers threatened to take a lead in the fourth when two were aboard and no outs but Victoria Bradshaw retired the next three in order.

She couldn't find the same result in the fifth as the Loggers scored what proved to be the winning run. Schmeckpeper led off with a single and came around to score when Jenica Holt smashed a double in the next at-bat.

Both teams went down quietly in the sixth and the Bearcats put a runner on second with one out in the seventh but never found the clutch hit as Campbell slammed the door and led the Loggers to their first win of the season. She retired 13 of the last 15 batters she faced to enable her hitters to post the comeback win.

Game 2 – W, 13-12

The nightcap wasn't nearly the pitching duel that the first game was. Sixteen runs were scored in the fourth inning alone as both teams bats heated up.

The teams traded runs in the first but Campbell looked to keep dealing as she held the Bearcats off the board in the second and third. Meanwhile, the Loggers built a 5-1 lead and looked to cruise to a twinbill sweep.

Olivia Turner and Amy Schmeckpeper delivered back-to-back RBI singles in the second to give the Loggers the lead. Chelsea Lindroth added an RBI-single in the third and another run came in when Turner grounded out to second.

The fourth inning proved to be epic as the teams combined for 16 runs on 13 hits. Both Heather Winslow and Jenna King drove in two runs in the inning with both plating one in two separate at-bats. Kelli Snyder also had an RBi-hit and Amanda Fernandez highlighted the inning with a grand slam that put the Bearcats up 9-5 at the time. They led 11-5 to five after Shannon Reed finally shut down the rally in relief.

The Loggers bats were up to the challenge. With the carried over momentum from their first win of the season, the Loggers plated six runs in the fourth to tie up the game at 11-11. Lisa Colombo delivered a bases loaded single to score the first two runs. Chelsea Lindroth duplicated that feat with one out and the Loggers were down just two runs.

With two outs, Schmeckpeper smacked a double to left center. Reed scored easily from second and Lindroth motored home all the way from first to tie up the game. The rally stopped there with an unbelievable inning ending with the score tied.

The Bearcats couldn't do any damage in the fifth as Taylor Jones caught Snyder trying to tag up from second to third on a shallow fly ball into right center for the first two outs of the inning.

In the Loggers half, Colombo again came up in a big spot and doubled to the gap to bring home Jones, who singled and stole second to lead off the inning. Reed picked up Colombo with a single up the middle and the Loggers were back on top 13-11.

After a scoreless sixth, the Bearcats refused to go down quietly. Snyder doubled with one out and Courtney Galli delivered a two out single to plate Snyder and cut the lead to one. However, Reed induced a pop up above the circle that Marissa Jeffers snagged for the third out and the Loggers took the game 13-12.

Schmechpeper was 4-for-5 in the game with three RBIs while Jones also had three hits. Colombo and Lindroth each had a pair of hits and drove in three runs.

The Loggers host nationally-ranked Linifield tomorrow for Senior Day with the first pitch slated for noon.