Boxers Hit Their Way To Third Straight Win Over Pirates

Boxers Hit Their Way To Third Straight Win Over Pirates

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FOREST GROVE – Pacific leaned on the home run power of Quirena Natividad (So., Waipahu, Hawaii) and a trio of two-hit performances Saturday as the Boxers won their third game in a row over Whitworth, beating the Pirates 9-5 in a rain-shortened Northwest Conference softball doubleheader at Sherman/Larkins Stadium.
 
Natividad stroked her third home run of the season in the third inning, bringing Pacific back from a two-run deficit.  The Boxers later punctuated the contest with a four-run fifth.  Rachel Roberts (So., Oregon City, Ore.), Kylee Oshiro (Jr., Aiea, Hawaii) and Kaitlyn Shikada (Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii) each had two hits to fuel the Pacific offense.
 
The second game of the doubleheader was suspended 4-3 in the bottom of the third due to steady rain.  The game will be completed at a date to be determined.
 
After a combined five hits in the opening two games of the series, Whitworth (14-6, 7-3 NWC) took the early lead on a four-hit third inning.  Caelan Haehl led off with a single, Alyssa Hall followed with a one-out single and both runners scored on single up the middle by Taylor Gilbert.
 
Natividad made a leadoff fielding error by the Pirates hurt in the home half of the third, hammering a two-out, three-run homer over the left field wall to give Pacific the 3-2 lead.  It was Natividad's third homer of the year and the 17th of the season for the Boxers.
 
After a 45-minute rain delay, the Boxers (11-2, 6-1 NWC) added on with a four-run fifth inning.  Skikada led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch.  Maddie Collura (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) followed with a single and plated on a groundout.  Oshiro singled to score Becca Moen (Sr., Gresham, Ore.) and Ashley Mitchell (So., Redmond, Wash.) single to score pinch-runner Jordan Schmerbauch (Fr., Mililani, Hawaii).
 
The Pirates scored one in the sixth, loading the bases with one out before Brittany Connor scored on a ground out.  Pacific added two more runs in the home half of the sixth as Roberts singled to score Moen and Shkiada.  The Pirates took both runs back in the top of the seventh.
 
Allie Sims (Fr., Puyallup, Wash.) improved to 6-0 with the win, allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.  Sara Aasnness (Sr., Kirkland, Wash.) earned her first save of the season, allowing two unearned runs on one hit in 1.2 innings.  Madi Perez took the loss for Whitworth, allowing seven runs, five earned on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings.
 
Pacific now prepares for four straight games against perennial NWC power Linfield.  The Boxers will play a pair of rain make-up games on Wednesday in McMinnville at 5 p.m., followed by a regularly scheduled twinbill on Saturday in Forest Grove at noon.
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