Whitworth swept the Lewis and Clark Pioneers on Monday in Portland, Ore. assuring the Pirates a spot in the postseason Northwest Conference tournament. The Pirates took the first game 14-12 and earned their second victory of the day by a score of 12-7.
In the first game sophomore Jamie Brunner and freshman Jill Pecka each went 3-4 to lead the Pirates offensively. After finding themselves down 11-8 at the end of the fifth inning, the Bucs responded with a six-run sixth inning to take the lead for good.
Freshman pitcher Emily Anderson improved her record to 10-5 after pitching the first five innings. Senior Jessica Mangis relieved Anderson to notch her second save of the season.
In the second game, the Pirates once again needed a late offensive explosion to pull away for the Pioneers. A four-run seventh inning helped the Bucs to pull away from the Pioneers for a 12-7 victory. Senior catcher Caty Lieseke went 3-4 at the plate, doubling three times. Brunner went 3-4 as well to fuel the Pirate offense. Whitworth scored in every inning except the third against Lewis and Clark.
Sophomore Jessica Dickson pitched 2 1/3 innings for the Pirates, before Mangis entered the game as a relief pitcher for the second straight game. Mangis earned the win and improved to 2-6 after giving up three earned runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of work.
The Bucs will host Eastern Washington in an exhibition match on Tuesday, April 12 before taking on Willamette on April 16 and 17 in a NWC doubleheader at Marks Field.