CU's Janelle Cristifaro scored two runs and drove in three in a pair of games at the Northwest Cup on Sunday.
Concordia Improves to 6-0 With Wins over UPS and Whitworth
Cristifaro Clutch as Cavs Defeat Puget Sound
PORTLAND, Ore.—Down by two after being shut out for the first four innings, Concordia received a pair of runs off the bat of Janelle Cristifaro in the fifth on the road to a 4-2 win over the Loggers at the Northwest Cup on Sunday morning.
With the win, CU improved to 5-0 on the year while UPS dropped to 1-2. The Cavaliers wrap up their time at the Northwest Cup by playing Whitworth at 1 p.m.
After CU’s Danielle Pulfrey struck out the side in the second, the Loggers mounted a threat in the third with a walk and a pair of singles to swiftly load the bases. Notching her fourth strikeout of the game, Pulfrey would maintain the shutout by getting Puget Sound first baseman Victoria Raeburn to go down swinging.
Auriel Sperberg pitched a clean inning in the third for UPS and the Loggers would follow with three straight batters reaching in the fourth. An Aryn Grause bunt with an error on the throw to second in an attempt to get the lead runner kick-started the attack, while a Kelsey Scanlan line single to right filled the bases for the second consecutive inning.
Stephanie Hatley scampered home after a dropped ball on a swinging strikeout to Megan Janes for the Loggers’ first score and an error on the throw following a shot to third provided UPS with a 2-0 lead with Grause racing in.
With one out in the fifth, Denise Benedict sliced a double to left center to set up a Cavalier rally. Kayla Vickaryous followed with a shallow shot to left while and Nicole Illias reached first after taking a pitch to the helmet for a loaded-bases situation for the Cavs.
Wasting no time, Cristifaro quickly tagged a single to right center to drive in a pair of CU runs. Samantha Daline was also tagged by a pitch while standing in the batter’s box to once again fill the bases leading to an RBI walk by Tina Garcia for the go-ahead run.
Illias would add a CU insurance run in the sixth with an RBI double smash to left to send Becca Gawlista home.
Pulfrey allowed just four hits and two walks against nine strikeouts in her seven innings of work. Auriel Spurberg was charged with the loss for the Loggers.
Concordia Comes Back Again to Pummel Pirates
PORTLAND, Ore.—Facing a 2-0 deficit for the second time on Sunday, Concordia batted around in the fourth and six innings to rout Whitworth 15-5 in softball action at the Northwest Cup on Sunday.
With the win, CU finished the two-day event held at Delta Park with a 4-0 record and improved to 6-0 overall on the season. Whitworth dropped to 1-3.
The Pirates got on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-run bomb over the left-field fence by Lacey Kerr off CU starter Bethany Dempster.
Dempster retired the side in order in the second frame and was quickly rewarded from her offense with a pair of runs to square the contest. With two outs, Nicole Illias connected a solo home run and a Janelle Cristifaro single turned into an unearned run after advancing on a pair of passed balls to set up CU’s second run via an RBI single from Tina Garcia.
Whitworth managed a single run in the third only to witness the Concordia offense explode for six runs in the top half of the fourth. The first five batters reached in the inning as the Cavs sent 11 batters up to the plate. A Samantha Daline double to center highlighted the attack while a Tara Baglai single to left center provided the Cavaliers with its final run for an 8-3 lead.
The Pirates got two back in the fifth on a two-run double by Kerr, her third straight at bat with an RBI.
Now holding an 8-5 lead, CU burst for seven additional runs in the sixth to stake a 10-run lead. Daline once again provide the spark in the stanza with a three-run blast. Shalina Morris also rounded the bases on a single swing with a two-run homer to left center.
Dempster posted the win for CU after allowing seven hits over four innings, while Danielle Pulfrey finished the final two innings with five strikeouts.
Concordia returns to action when it competes at the Southern Oregon University Tournament in Ashland on Feb. 27-28.