TACOMA, Wash. —
Kylee Yamamoto hit two home runs and
Marissa Reichard gave up just two runs in two games from the pitcher's circle as Pacific took both contests of a softball doubleheader on Sunday at Puget Sound, 10-0 and 7-4.
The Boxers, who split Saturday's games with the Loggers, improved to 14-5-1 on the season and are now 6-2 in the Northwest Conference, no worse than tied for second place. Puget Sound is now 1-11 overall and 1-7 in the NWC.
In the first game at the Logger Softball Field, Yamamoto hit a two-run blast in the first inning and the Boxers scored six times in the 5th inning to cruise to the mercy rule finish.
Ashley Mitchell had a two-run base knock in the fifth, while Reichard and Nala Antonio added RBI-singles against UPS's Jaci Young. Young had pitched effectively on Saturday during the 2-1 Boxer win, but Pacific bats rocked her for 13 hits and 10 runs on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Reichard was one out away from a five inning no-hitter before McKenna John singled with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Reichard didn't walk a batter in her five stanzas of work and struck out three Loggers.
She also had two hits of her own in the game, as did
Rachel Roberts,
Kaitlynn Donaca and Antonio. Mitchell had three hits and drove in three runs to lead the Pacific offense.
In the second game, Yamamoto again homered in the first inning, this time to lead off the game, her third round tripper of the season. It was a three-run shot to put an immediate hurt on the Loggers. In the third inning,
Megan Winans and
Cindy Chan slapped run producing singles and Pacific added two more runs in the sixth inning thanks in part to RBI base hits by Antonio and Yamamoto.
The Loggers finally got on the board with their first run against Reichard in the third inning when UPS pitcher Erica Gott hit a solo homer. Gott added another RBI in the sixth with a sacrifice fly as
Alyssa Burns came on in relief of the senior ace. Gott made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh with a another blast, a two-run shot with two outs before Burns hunkered down to get the final out.
Reichard's second game line included seven hits and two runs in five innings of work, and she did not walk a batter. She improved to 8-2 on the season with the pair of wins.
Yamamoto, a senior outfielder, had two more hits in the second game and drove in four runs — giving her six RBI on the day. Roberts had two hits in the second game, including a double.
The Boxers have next weekend off with a bye in their schedule, but a showdown looms in two weeks when Pacific hosts No. 14 nationally ranked Linfield in a four-game series at Sherman/Larkins Stadium (March 19-20).