NWC Softball: Wildcats Double Up Lutes, 13-1 and 3-1

The Wildcats have now won six games in a row and are 22-4 for the season.

Amanda Attleberger hit her 17th career home run. Photo: Linfield Athletics

TACOMA, Wash. - Fifth-ranked Linfield ripped 22 hits and took advantage of 10 Pacific Lutheran errors to take a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader from the host Lutes on Friday afternoon at the PLU field.

The Wildcats won the opener, 13-1, with the game ending in the sixth inning because of the eight-run rule.

The second contest was much closer, but Linfield scored three unearned runs in the fifth inning to grab a 3-1 victory.

The Wildcats have now won six games in a row and are 22-4 for the season and 13-1 in the Northwest Conference. With the losses, Pacific Lutheran falls to 11-8 overall and 5-7 in the conference.

GAME 1

Linfield collected five extra-base hits among the 14 that it had in the opener and took advantage of four PLU errors.

The Wildcats scored twice in the first and added three more in both the third and fourth innings.

Amanda Attleberger had the big blow in the third inning, a long two-run homer to left field.

Attleberger has four home runs this season and 17 for her career.

Jenny Marshall, who had three hits in the opener, drilled a two-run double to highlight the fourth inning.

The ‘Cats iced the game with five runs on five hits and two PLU errors in the sixth inning. Erica Hancock had the key hit in that inning with a two-run double.

Pacific Lutheran scored its only run in the first when Heather Walling led off with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out triple by Theresa Tauscher.

Samantha Van Noy earned the pitching win to improve her record to 8-2.

She allowed the one run on just three hits while striking out three and walking one.

Cassie Canales went the distance for the Lutes and saw her record fall to 4-3.

GAME 2

The Lutes took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and maintained that advantage until their defense fell apart in the fifth.

PLU’s run came on a two-out single by Canales that scored Lisa Gilbert, but Canales was thrown out going for second, nullifying what would have been a second run in the inning.

PLU freshman pitcher Hadley Schmitt kept the Wildcats at bay through three innings and started a pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play that stopped a bases-loaded rally in the fourth.

Linfield scored its three runs in the fifth on just one hit – a run-scoring double by Meredith Brunette – and three PLU errors. The Lutes finished the game with six miscues.

Brittany Miller earned the complete-game pitching victory, allowing one run on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Schmitt took the loss, her fifth against seven wins, giving up eight hits while striking out four and walking two.

For Linfield, Marshall finished the day with five hits and three runs scored and Brunette added four hits and three runs.

Jena Loop added three hits and three runs for the Wildcats.

Tauscher had three of the Lutes’ nine hits during the day.

The same two teams play another conference doubleheader Saturday starting at noon.

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