TACOMA, Wash. – Puget Sound gritted out a walk-off 2-1 victory over Willamette in 11 innings Friday afternoon, riding a strong combined pitching effort and a clutch extra-inning double from Alyssa Figueroa to seal the Northwest Conference win.
With one out in the bottom of the 11th, Figueroa laced a double to the outfield, scoring Alyssa Waldo from first and igniting the Logger dugout into celebration.
The late-inning dramatics capped off a pitchers' duel that saw both teams combine for 25 strikeouts and just three runs. Puget Sound starter Alison Madia went 7.0 innings, allowing just one run on six hits, while Nyomi Estrada earned the win in relief with four shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out four. Offensively, Figueroa went 1-for-5 but delivered when it mattered most. Waldo was 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Kylie Tanimura continued his strong stretch with a 2-for-5 day that included a game-tying RBI double in the third.
Willamette scored first in the top of the second when Faith Collar singled, stole second, and later came around to score on a base hit from Mia Rogers. Tanimura answered in the bottom of the third, driving in Jazzy Allen—who pinch ran after Elyssa Garcia was hit by a pitch—to even the score 1-1.
From there, both teams had opportunities but failed to capitalize. The Bearcats stranded 11 runners, including a crucial play in the sixth when Puget Sound threw out a runner at the plate to keep the game tied. The Loggers were held hitless in the final three frames of regulation before Waldo's single in the 11th set the stage for Figueroa's heroics.
In game two, the result was nearly the same - with a few more runs on the board for the Loggers.
Behind a clutch third-inning spark and six sharp innings from starter Nyomi Estrada, Puget Sound rolled to a 4–1 win to close out the day The Loggers took control with a run in both the third and fourth innings, then broke the game open in the fifth behind a two-RBI single from designated player Claire Besancon. The win was sealed with a tidy save from Madia, who worked around a hit in the seventh. Estrada (W) was efficient in the circle, scattering five hits and allowing just one run over six innings. The senior didn't overpower — striking out only one — but induced a steady stream of weak contact, keeping the Bearcats off balance throughout. Madia entered with two on and none out in the seventh, but limited the damage to a lone RBI single before retiring the side
The Loggers broke through in the third, taking advantage of a Willamette miscue and a well-placed RBI single from shortstop Aislind Dail to bring in Savannah Manley. The next inning, Besancon scored on a passed ball after swiping third base, adding an unearned insurance run In the fifth, Dail and Figueroa set the table with a walk and double, respectively, before Besancon delivered the biggest swing of the game — a clean single that plated both runners, pushing the lead to 4–0 Figueroa also added a double and a run scored, while Mikayla Johnson tallied two hits and a stolen base. The Loggers totaled seven hits and showed patience at the plate, drawing six walks
Willamette struggled to generate momentum until the final frame. Third baseman Mia Rogers led the Bearcats with a 3-for-3 performance, including a leadoff single in the seventh that eventually turned into their lone run on a RBI hit. Puget Sound committed two errors but neutralized threats with solid infield defense, particularly on hard-hit balls that stayed in front of the Logger gloves.
The teams will continue the series Saturday in Tacoma. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
