GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Southwestern University Pirates softball team dropped both games in its doubleheader against the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes, losing 11-7 and 6-5 to drop to 1-3 this season.
Game 1: Pacific Lutheran 11, Southwestern 7
Southwestern and Pacific Lutheran exchanged a pair of big innings, with the Lutes scoring six in the top of the seventh to pull away with an 11-7 victory.
Pacific Lutheran opened the game with a two-out, RBI-single up the middle by Casey Wright to score Mari Foster, who reached on a double to left field. The Lutes capitalized on a Southwestern mistake to add another pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning.
After striking out swinging, Cailey Collado reached on a passed ball, giving Pacific Lutheran new life in the inning. Rylie Wada followed with an RBI-triple to right, followed by a Raynna Mekaru RBI-infield single to provide the Lutes with a 3-1 lead.
Southwestern finally put a run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI-single to leftfield by Samantha Saenz, scoring Kathryn Dull, who reached on an infield single to the shortstop.
Pacific Lutheran responded the next inning with a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score Foster. The Pirates rallied with a four-run fourth inning to take a 5-4 lead, getting RBI singles from Dull, Meghan McCarthy, and Martinez, and also scoring on a passed ball.
The Lutes briefly recaptured the lead on a Collado RBI-single off a perfectly laid bunt that settled just inside fair territory. However, Southwestern responded with a solo blast by Brooke Yanta to recapture the lead.
Southwestern surrendered six runs in the top of the seventh, giving up six hits and walking in a run with bases loaded to fall behind 11-6. The Pirates scored a run on a Saenz RBI-single and managed to load the bases but ended the game with a swinging strikeout.
Game 2: Pacific Lutheran 6, Southwestern 5
In a game that went back and forth, Southwestern lost 6-5 without an opportunity to rally because the game was cut two innings short thanks to the time constraints of Pacific Lutheran's travel arrangements.
Pacific Lutheran scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, taking advantage of two wild pitches and an error.
Southwestern respond immediately with three first-inning runs. The first four Pirates reached base safely, taking advantage of errant Pacific Lutheran pitching. Alex Fletes led off with a walk, and Saenz singled to shortstop. Next, Maddie Mefford was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Fletes scored on a wild pitch that also put runners on second and third.
Madison Vela hit an RBI single to center, and Martinez followed by reaching on an error, scoring Mefford.
Pacific Lutheran put together its own three-run inning in the third, scoring on an RBI-double by Mikayla Chun, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Kassidi Dean.
The Pirates answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, scoring on an RBI-single by Nunez and a sacrifice by Jodi Millhouse.
Pacific Lutheran scored the deciding run in the top of the fifth with a Dean RBI-single to score Erin McGrath, who opened the inning by reaching on a walk.
Southwestern will return to action on the road against Concordia on Tuesday, Feb. 15, for a 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. doubleheader.