The Pioneer softball team dropped both games of Sunday's
doubleheader against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, falling 5-1 (box score) and
8-2 (box
score). Karyne Sander had three hits for the Pioneers.
In game one, the Pioneers went up 1-0 in the bottom of the
first. Short stop Jamie Moon (sophomore, Baker, Ore.) led off the
inning with a single to short. Left fielder Jessica Mullins
(sophomore, Randle, Wash.) put down a sacrifice bunt to advance
Moon to second, but the Lutes pitcher threw the ball away, with
Moon ending up on third. Catcher Laura Parker (junior, Healdsburg,
Calif.) put down a bunt, with the Lutes choosing to try to get Moon
at the plate. Moon slid under the tag, scoring. The Pioneers loaded
the bases, but just got the one run home, going up 1-0.
After the Pioneers got two quick outs in the top of the second, the
Lutes Carly Starke and Crystal Reno hit back-to-back singles,
setting up leadoff hitter Sheila Reiten, who cleared the bases with
a triple to center field, putting the Lutes up 2-1. Pioneer pitcher
Paige McFeeley (freshman, Boise, Idaho) stranded Reiten on third by
striking out the next batter.
The Lutes added three more runs in the fourth inning. After one run
scored on a wild pitch, right fielder Missy Waldron hit a two-RBI
triple to make it a 5-1 game.
The only other scoring threat came from the Pioneers in the fifth
inning, who got Jamie Moon to third base, but the Lutes' Hadley
Schmitt induced a groundout to get out of the inning.
PLU's Hadley Scmitt earned the complete-game victory, allowing four
hits, and no earned runs. She walked one and struck out three.
Paige McFeeley took the loss for the Pioneers, allowing ten hits in
her seven innings, five earned runs, striking out three and walking
one.
Lutes Carly Starke was 3-3 with two runs scored. The Pioneers'
Jamie Moon was 2-4, scoring the Pioneers' lone run.
In game two, the Lutes scored an unearned run in the third inning,
a leadoff error coming around to score on an RBI double by Sheila
Reiten. In the top of the fourth, the Lutes loaded the bases with
no outs. After lining into a double play, the Pioneers looked like
they might get out of the inning, until Beth Haahr singled through
the right side gap to drive in two runs, putting the Lutes up
3-0.
The Pioneers plated a run in the bottom of the inning. Karyne
Sander (senior, Grants Pass, Ore.) scored on a fielding error by
the Lutes.
The Lutes hit three straight singles in the fifth inning to score
two more runs. The Pioneers also had a three-hit inning, theirs
coming in the sixth, with an RBI single by center fileder Sara
Standish (freshman, Gazeran, France) scoring Laura Parker, making
it a 5-2 game.
The Lutes added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. The
Lutes got a single from Heather Walling and a double from Rachel
Wheeler-Wright to start the inning. Despite not getting another hit
in the inning, they still managed to plate three runs to take an
8-2 lead.
For the Lutes, Vanessa Bryant and Rachel Wheeler-Hoyt both went
2-3. The Pioneers' Karyne Sander was 2-3 with a run scored.
Rachel Wheeler-Hoyt earned the victory for PLU,allowing one earned
run, striking out three, and walking one.
Nathalie Matson took the loss. She allowed three earned runs on ten
hits, walking three and striking out five.
The Pioneers are back in action next Saturday afternoon, hosting
the Willamette Bearcats at 12 noon at the Huston Sports Complex.
