GEORGETOWN, Texas – Southwestern went down early in both games but exploded offensively in game one to win 15-10 but fell in game two 16-4 to open the 2014 season.
Pacific put pressure on the Pirates from the beginning of the game as Cozette Palmer put the first two batters on. Moen stole third and scored the first run of the game on Christina Crandall's overthrow. Pacific widened the gap on a homerun by Oshiro to put the Boxers up 4-0 with no outs.
Kayla Irvin came into the game with her steely senior confidence and got one out on one pitch. By the end of the first Pacific had batted around and posted six runs.
Southwestern had a good showing in response, loading the bases on two singles and one hit by pitch, but were unable to push one across as the game headed into the second.
SU's offense continued to plug away and got one run back in the third on an RBI infield grounder by Kayla Irvin and Stacy Rosengren scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a double off the centerfield fence earlier in the inning.
Pacific added one more on a homerun in the fourth, but the Pirates took it back on an RBI single by Karen Ramirez. Crandall came home on a wild pitch and Ramirez hustled to third on the play to move one base from posting SU's third run of the inning. Ramirez's hustle paid off as she scored on a wild pitch as did pinch runner Marissa Irvin to cut Pacific's lead.
Relief pitcher Maddie Collura struggled to find the zone as 14 of her first 16 pitches were balls, walking in three more Pirate runs to give SU their first lead 9-7 through four.
Sloppy play by Southwestern's defense allowed Pacific to regain the lead as they posted three runs in the fifth. Kayla Irvin helped her own cause in the bottom half of the inning, bringing home Ashleigh Scott on a lofting double to center to tie the game once again 10-10.
Nicole Gibbs took the mound in the top of the sixth for her collegiate debut and brought the heat to set Pacific down without a run. In the bottom half of the inning two shots to left center by Scott and Rosengren brought home two runs with two outs and Kayla Irvin put the exclamation point on the inning with a huge three-run homerun over the left field fence to put SU up 15-10 heading into the seventh.
Gibbs and the Pirates took care of business in the seventh to take the comeback win. Gibbs earned her first win while at the plate Scott went 3-3 with two walks and Rosengren was 3-5.
Pacific opened game two with redemption on their mind as they posted six runs in the first to quickly put the Pirates in the hole once again.
Southwestern got two back in the bottom half of the inning, but Pacific poured seven more in in the second to put SU down 13-2.
The Pirates added two in the fourth on a two-run homerun from Kayla Irvin but just didn't have the pop in their bats for another big comeback in game two while Pacific's defense made outstanding plays to hold the Pirate offense from cutting into the lead.
Irvin led at the plate going 2-2 with two RBI's, while Gibbs garnered the loss on the mound.
Southwestern opens the season at 1-1 on the year. They hit the road for the first time to face Hardin Simmons for a double header on Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m.