PORTLAND, Ore. - - Logger softball showed a big spark at the plate during Friday's doubleheader against Lewis & Clark. While the Loggers dropped both games, the offense came alive in the second game.
How It Happened
Game 1
The Loggers looked to strike early in the first inning when Claire Besancon sparked the offense with a single up the middle. However, the River Otters defense tightened up, leaving Besancon stranded after three subsequent outs.
The third inning featured two highlights that tested the Lewis & Clark pitching group. Macy Maxwell competed, fouling off four pitches and working two balls before eventually popping out to first base. Kayla Lester followed suit with a six-pitch battled of her own, poking a single to second, though she was also left on base.
The Loggers' offense finally broke through in the top of the fourth. The momentum shifted when Kylie Tanimura turned up the heat by lining a single into left center and swiping second base. Nyomi Estrada kept the pressure on with a clutch single to third, moving Tanimura closer to home. Peyton Willing then entered as a pinch runner for Estrada and immediately put herself in scoring position by stealing second.
With two outs and the pressure mounting, Maxwell delivered the hit of game one, a hard single to center field, bringing both Tanimura and Willing home to put the Loggers on the board. The inning ended shortly after as Alyssa Figueroa reached on a fielder's choice, resulting in Maxwell being forced out at second.
In a last-ditch effort in the top of the fifth, Kayla Lester picked up her second hit of the day with a single to shortstop. Both Besancon and Alyssa Waldo put the ball in play with solid contact, but the defense remained confident, snagging both hits out of the air to end the threat.
Lewis & Clark responded in the bottom half of the fifth, driving in enough runs to trigger the mercy rule and end the contest early at 5 innings.
River Otters take game one 10-2.
Game 2
The Loggers wasted no time in finding their rhythm at the plate in the top of the first. After Besancon, Kayla Lester, and Tanimura loaded the bases with three consecutive singles, Elyssa Garcia delivered the first blow of the afternoon. Garcia's two-RBI double to left field brought home Besancon and Lester to give Puget Sound a quick 2-0 lead.
The pressure continued as Maxwell stepped in and mirrored the effort, lining a two-RBI double of her own to push the score 4-0. Brenna Flannery capped off the five-run inning with an RBI single to center, scoring Peyton Willing.
The Logger bats remained hot in the second inning. Followed a walk by Lester and a single from Tanimura, Willing stepped up and cleared the bases with a clutch two-RBI double to left center. The extra hit extended the lead 7-0 and forced the River Otters into an early defensive hole.
Garcia remained a threat. She notched her second hit of the day in the fourth, while Maxwell added to her multi-hit performance with a single up the middle in the fifth.
Puget Sound also saw contributions from the bench, as Kat Avanzino entered as a pinch hitter in the fifth and immediately connected for a single to center field.
While the Loggers controlled the early momentum, Lewis & Clark slowly chipped away at the deficit, capitalizing on several opportunities to complete the comeback. Despite Puget Sound's dominant start and 11 total hits, the River Otters secured the walk-off victory 8-7.
What Happens Next
The Loggers will regroup as they wrap up the series with another doubleheader against Lewis & Clark. First pitch is scheduled for 11 AM Saturday morning.
