SALEM, Ore. — Not the team to do anything the easy way, the 2016 Pacific softball squad clinched a Northwest Conference playoff berth with a pair of extra inning victories over Willamette on Saturday afternoon at the WU Softball Field.

The Boxers won both games in eight innings, 4-3 and 11-6. Pacific improved to 23-14-1 overall and more importantly to 15-11 in Northwest Conference play. Willamette is now 14-17 on the year and 10-16 in the NWC. With two games left to play, a home twinbill against the Bearcats on Sunday, Pacific owns a three-game lead over Pacific Lutheran for the fourth and last playoff spot.

For the Boxers, in many ways it was business as usual. They have played a total of 11 one-run games this season and five extra inning contests.

In the first game, Pacific's Marissa Reichard and Willamette's Jade Smith hooked up in a terrific pitching duel through the first five innings. Both pitchers had given up just two hits and no runs in the 0-0 deadlock heading into the top of the sixth inning.

That's when the Boxers exploded for three runs. Pinch-hitter Quirena Natividad drilled a triple to left-centerfield to start the inning, and she came home on Rachel Roberts' double. A fielder's choice and a Bearcat error led to two more runs, and a 3-0 lead seemed huge in this contest heading into the bottom of the sixth.

But the Bearcats returned the favor with a three-spot of their own. The home team finally touched Reichard, getting to her for a pair of hits, a walk and a hit batter to tie the count at 3-3 in the sixth. Reichard worked out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh, when Willamette put runners on second and third but couldn't get the winning run home.

In the top of the eighth, Roberts led off the inning with a single. She moved to second on Kaitlynn Donaca's sacrifice bunt, and the speedster then moved all the way home when the throw went astray. In the bottom half of the inning, Reichard mowed down three straight Bearcats to secure the win.

Roberts went 2-for-4 with a double, scored twice and drove in a run. Emily Tesdale also had two hits for Pacific. In the pitcher's circle, Reichard went eight innings, gave up six hits, three runs and she fanned four to improve to 16-6 on the season.

In the second game, the Boxers had to rally from a 5-1 deficit. The Bearcats scored four times in the third inning to take what seemed like a commanding lead. But Pacific got two runs back in the fourth, when Ashley Mitchell hit a solo home run (her ninth of the year) and Natividad doubled--later scoring on a error to make it 5-3.

The Boxers added another run in the fifth on Roberts' solo shot (her sixth) to pull within a score (5-4). The Bearcats countered with a run in the bottom half, but Pacific again answered in the top of the sixth with two runs to tie the game at 6-6. A single by Kylee Yamamoto, a double by Megan Winans and a sacrifice bunt by Tesdale accounted for one run. Roberts singled to drive home the other.

The visitors had a chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs, but couldn't plate anyone. After holding down the Bearcats in the bottom half of the stanza, the two teams went to extra innings again.

Roberts got things going again with a single. She moved to second on Donaca's bunt, and then stole third base, her 33rd steal of the season. Natividad drove her home with a single, starting a five-run onslaught. The Boxers had five hits in the inning to seal the contest and clinch their playoff berth.

Meanwhile, Allie Sims did great work for the Boxers in relief. She pitched the final 5.2 innings, allowing only three hits, no earned runs and she struck out two. She got the win to improve to 2-2 on the season.

Roberts had three more hits in the game, giving her five on the day. She scored three times and drove in two runs in the second game. Natividad had three hits in the nightcap, and Pacific had two hits each from Donaca, Mitchell and Yamamoto.

Pacific will put a wrap on the regular season on Sunday at Sherman/Larkins Stadium with a noon doubleheader. Seven Boxer seniors will be honored inbetween games.