Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Alyssa Abe won her third straight start, a complete-game shutout of the nation's No. 1 team, as the Lewis & Clark Pioneers opened a four-game series with the Linfield Wildcats on Saturday at Del Smith Stadium.
Abe struck out eight and didn't allow a run on five hits as the Pioneers won 6-0 in the opener. Linfield, which has been ranked atop the NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll each of the last three weeks, had won 20 of its last 21 games against other NCAA Division III opponents. The win is the first for the Pios against the Wildcats since 2017, and no Lewis & Clark team had shut out the Wildcats since 2002.
In Saturday's finale, Linfield turned the tables as the Pios lost 8-0 in six innings. Wildcats starter Tayah Kelley threw a complete-game shutout and allowed only two hits for her ninth win of the year.
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Key Moments | Game 1
Abe was superb in Saturday's opener, as was the Pios' defense. Linfield had the leadoff batter on in five of the seven innings, three times with a double. Yet, the Pioneers kept Linfield without a run.
Meanwhile, the Pios took a 3-0 lead through the first three innings. Kami Merrill hit an RBI single to score Lily Moffitt, both of whom had two-out hits. Sydney Cross and Moffitt hit RBI doubles in the third.
Moffitt finished 3 for 4 with three RBI and a run, the first three-hit game of her career and second multi-hit game this season. Cross also finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run. She has multiple hits in three of her last six games.
Lewis & Clark last shut out the Wildcats in 2002 by an 8-0 final.
Key Moments | Game 2
Kamryn Apling went 3 for 4, and Kelsey Wilkinson went 2 for 4, as Linfield outhit the Pios, 10-2. The Pios committed three errors.
Jane Wilson allowed five hits and one earned run in the start. Wilson went 1 for 2, joining Cross for the only hits of the game.
Cassidy Crusberg gave up four runs on two hits and walked three. Kylie Hill finished the game and allowed one run on three hits.
Looking Ahead
The series wraps up on Sunday.
