SPOKANE, Wash. – After being washed away by the elements on Sunday, the Pacific softball team earned a doubleheader split on Monday with the Whitworth Pirates at Diana Marks Field as Pacific earned a 3-1 game one victory before falling 5-1 in the second game.
 
Marissa Reichard (Jr., Forest Grove, Ore.) struck out 11 Pirates on the day as she made appearances in both ends of the doubleheader.
 
The Boxers step out of conference play next Tuesday with a home doubleheader against the Corban Warriors at 2 p.m. on March 24.
 
Game One: Pacific 3, Whitworth 1
Reichard struck out nine as she picked up her sixth win in the circle in game one of Monday's twin bill.
 
Pacific opened the day with a one out single by Jessica Hotaling (Jr., Oregon City, Ore.). After a Hotaling stolen base and a strikeout, Pacific earned its first run of the day on a hard hit ball to left by Ashley Mitchell (Jr., Redmond, Wash.). An error on the play allowed Hotaling to score and Mitchell to scamper to second.
 
Mitchell would score the would-be game-winning run on a single through the right side by Kylee Oshiro (Sr., Aiea, Hawaii).
 
Whitworth struck for one run in the second, before the two sides battled in a pitching duel until the top of the sixth inning.
 
Mitchell led the sixth off for Pacific with a double to left field, an error allowed Mitchell to reach third and Oshiro to safely reach first. A two-out infield single by Kaitlyn Shikada (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii) scored Mitchell and gave Pacific a 3-1 lead, which it would hold to the final out of the game.
 
In the pitching circle, Reichard struck out nine, while scattering five hits and walking one batter. Hotaling and Rachel Roberts (Jr., Oregon City, Ore.) both finished the opening game with two hits.
 
Game Two: Whitworth 5, Pacific 1
The Boxers were held to two hits as Whitworth took game two by a 5-1 decision.
 
Peyton McMahon put the Pirates on the board in the opening frame with a two-run homer. Two scoreless half innings were followed by a third inning, which saw the two sides combine for three runs.
 
Cindy Chan (Fr., Torrance, Calif.) reached on an error to start the inning, before a two-out error during a Hotaling plate appearance put Hotaling on third and plated Chan.
 
Whitworth added two runs in the third, before plating a fifth and final run in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Trisha Snydar (Fr., Lynden, Wash.) and Kiera Melton (Sr., Pleasanton, Calif.) both notched hits in the backend of the doubleheader  for the Boxers.