Bearcats Take No. 7-Ranked Linfield to the Brink on Senior Day

SALEM, Ore. – On a day when five Bearcats were honored prior to their final home games in front of the Bearcat Family, Willamette University's softball team took the NCAA Division III's No. 7-ranked Wildcats of Linfield University to the brink before dropping a double header, 8-5 & 6-2, Saturday afternoon at the Bearcat Softball Field. The visiting Wildcats scored three runs in each of their final at-bats en route to picking up the two-game sweep to spoil Senior Day for the host Bearcats.

With today's results, Willamette falls to 20-16 overall and 12-14 in Northwest Conference games. Meanwhile, Linfield improves to 33-5 overall and 23-3 in NWC contests.

Junior Emma Elliott led the Bearcats with a combined 4-for-7 performance in the double header that included one run scored and two runs batted in, while fellow junior Mia Rogers and sophomore Desirae Hatfield recorded three hits each on the afternoon for Willamette.

GAME #1 — LINFIELD 8, WILLAMETTE 5

In Saturday's opener, the host Bearcats got on the board in their opening at-bat when Hatfield brought home senior Alexandra Richards following her leadoff single. One batter later, Rogers plated Elliott, who roped a double to left center earlier in the inning, for a 2-0 Willamette lead after one inning of play.

Linfield tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the second inning when Ashley Sutton brought home pinch runner Annika Dayberry on a sacrifice fly before Meara Sain ripped a run-scoring single to left field that plated Ashlyn Aven for the Wildcats' second run of the afternoon.

In the bottom of the second inning, Willamette retook the lead on one swing when Elliott ripped a two-run single into right field that scored first-year player Jordan Cresswell and graduate student Mia Lund to put the home team in front by a score of 4-2.

Linfield waited one at-bat before the Wildcats took the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Brynn Nelson tied the game on one swing via a two-run double down the left field line that scored pinch-runner Natalie Brinda and Tiana Wayton. Following an intentional walk to Claire Seats that loaded the bases, Jacey Leyvas drew a walk to give the Wildcats the lead momentarily, 5-4.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Richards registered a one-out single to left field before advancing to second on a wild pitch. One batter later, Hatfield's single up the middle allowed Richards to score and tied the game once again at 5-5.

Neither team would score again until the top of the seventh inning when Linfield's Cydney Hess belted her 12th home run of the season that also scored pinch-runner Breanna Bartek after she replaced Aven, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, on the base path. Following back-to-back hit by pitches and an infield single that loaded the bases for Linfield, Kaili Saathoff lifted a sacrifice fly into left field that scored Wayton giving the visiting Wildcats a three-run lead, 8-5, heading into the Bearcats' final at-bat.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Rogers led off with a single through the left side and moved to second base on a hit by pitch. Unfortunately, that would be as close to home as Willamette would get as Linfield closed out the game by striking out first-year pinch hitter Jessica Liu en route to securing the victory.

Hatfield led Willamette's offense with a 3-for-4 performance, while four other Bearcats – Richards, Elliott, Rogers, and Jenna Hopkins – tallied a pair of hits each at the plate. Graduate student Elizabeth Hillier got the start in the circle for Willamette, as the first-year Bearcat went the first 3.0 innings allowing four earned runs on three hits before turning the ball over to a pair of relievers – junior Lizzie Brasher and first-year player Maya Filger – for the final 4.0 innings. Brasher would suffer the loss, which was her second of the season, as she allowed four earned runs on three hits before Filger got the final three outs that included Willamette's lone strikeout in the opener.

Linfield was led offensively by Sain and Nelson with two hits each, while Tyler McNeley went the distance to pick up her 21st win of the season as she allowed five earned runs on 12 hits to go along with a game-high six K's.

GAME #2 — LINFIELD 6, WILLAMETTE 2

In today's finale, Willamette jumped out a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore Elizabeth Durrender drew a bases-loaded walk before Richards lifted a sacrifice fly into left field that scored Hopkins giving the host Bearcats an early advantage.

Willamette was the only team on the scoreboard until the top of the fourth inning when Linfield got a sacrifice fly off the bat of Leyvas to score Dayberry and pulled the visiting Wildcats within a single run, 2-1.

In the top of the fifth inning, Wayton tied the game on a lead off home run over the left field fence, which was her second of the season, that knotted the game at 2-2.

One inning later, Wayton broke the tie with a run-scoring double to left field that scored Aven and handed Linfield a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, the visiting Wildcats plated three more runs on a RBI double down the left field line by Seats that scored Nelson before Hess connected on her second home run of the day and 13th of the season that also scored Seats and gave Linfield a 6-2 lead.

Despite a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning by Elliott, Linfield capped the afternoon sweep on a game-ending infield pop out for its 33rd victory of the season.

Elliott led Willamette's bat-attack with a two-hit performance, while Rogers and Filger registered the other two hits for the Bearcats. In her final game in front of the Bearcat fans, senior Kenna Davis went the distance in the circle suffering her fifth loss of the season, as she allowed six runs (five earned) on 11 hits with one strikeout.

Nelson led Linfield with three hits, while Saathoff, Hess, and Wayton recorded two hits apiece for the Wildcats. Tyler Warden registered a complete-game victory in the circle for Linfield en route to recording her 10th win of the season, as she allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with a game-high two K's.

Both teams will meet again tomorrow – Sunday, May 4 – to conclude the regular season, as Willamette and Linfield will play a double header at Del Smith Stadium starting at 11:00 AM in McMinnville.