FOREST GROVE, Ore. - After 21 innings and just over six hours of softball Saturday at Sherman/Larkins Stadium, the Pacific Boxers and Pacific Lutheran Lutes settled for a split in conference opening action, with the Lutes winning game one 6-5 and the Boxers taking the nightcap, 7-0.

Both teams are 1-1 in Northwest Conference play. The Lutes improved to 9-3 overall while Pacific is now 9-4-1 in 2016.

The two games were as different as day and night. PLU had to go 14 innings to win in the first game while the Boxers rode the arm of freshman Cassie Apple to cruise to the game two shutout victory.

In the wild first game, PLU had a seemingly comfortable 5-2 lead through five innings, thanks in part to a pair of two-run bombs--one to leftfield by Nicole Schroeder and another to dead centerfield by Kathryn Hatlen. In fact, the Lutes were just one out away from marking that 5-2 score as a final in the scorebook before Nala Antonio singled to keep the Boxers alive.

A Lute error put another Boxer on base and Trisha Snydar then cleared the bases with a triple to make it 5-4. Rachel Roberts singled home Snydar to stun the crowd and the Lutes to send the game into extra innings.

The score would stay at 5-5 through the next six innings, as Boxer pitcher Marissa Reichard just kept delivering pitches from the circle and Lute ace Elli Rassbach did the same. Rassbach had entered the game in relief in the 12th inning for Marissa Miller.

PLU pushed runners to third base in the 10th, 12th and 13th innings but couldn't score. Meanwhile, the Boxers left the bases loaded in the 9th and 11th inning and had a runner on third in the 12th and 13th. Finally, in the top of 14th, Amanda Hartley doubled off the top of the left-centerfield fence and Becca Sorenson drove her home with a single for the go-ahead run (6-5).

Antonio singled in the bottom half of the inning but was left stranded as Rassbach fanned the final batter of the game.

Reichard took the loss (5-2), but not before giving one of the great efforts of any season with 198 pitches. Rassbach got the win in relief (7-0) giving up only one hit in three innings of work.

Offensively, Kaitlynn Donaca had four hits in five trips to the plate for Pacific, while Antonio had three hits, Ashley Mitchell two and Megan Winans two.

Game two was decisively different. The Boxers roughed up Rassbach for seven runs and nine hits to give the Lute her first loss of the year. And the freshman Apple scattered six hits and fanned three to move to 2-0 on the season and claim the important victory for the Boxers.

Offensively, the Boxers scored in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings to punch the air out of any potential drama, like in game one. Donaca had four more hits, giving her eight in nine at-bats on the day. Pacific didn't have any extra base hits in the game, but had RBI-singles from Donaca, Mitchell and Cindy Chan, while Kylee Yamamoto and Emily Tesdale had two-run base knocks.

110 fans enjoyed the game that was played without rain but in soggy conditions. The two teams will go at it again on Sunday, start time for the doubleheader is noon.