Concordia's Danielle Pulfrey
Concordia Prevails in Pair of One-Run Games at NW Cup
BOX SCORE: Willamette
BOX SCORE: Puget Sound
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—The Concordia softball team used different approaches in their two games on Saturday but came through with wins as the Cavaliers defeated Willamette 5-4 in the early game and came back to defeat Puget Sound 6-5 in the afternoon in the second day of action at the Northwest Cup held at Hood View Park.
The Cavaliers (3-0) stung Willamette after the Bearcats broke open a 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the sixth. Trailing 4-1, Concordia compiled four hits and a walk in the home half of the frame to square the game at 4-4. Ali Paz led off the inning with a single and was immediately moved to second on a walk to Cameron Way. Tina Garcia and Courtney Wooden would soon follow with RBI hits.
CU pitcher Danielle Pulfrey got two quick outs in the top of the seventh with a pop up to first and a strikeout, but Willamette would threaten to score when Siarra Lessel was hit by a pitch and scattered to second on a wild pitch to put a runner in scoring position. Pulfrey would make the Bearcats strand the runner as the senior ace got the next batter to strike out swinging.
The clutch ‘K’ would prove rewarding in the bottom half of the stanza as Paz connected on a one-out single to right field, moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt from Way and driven in by Rebecca Gawlista, who connected on a single down the left-field line for the walk-off win.
In the nightcap against Puget Sound, the Cavaliers went up early with two runs in the second when Wooden smashed a home run to left center with Kyndell Andrews on second after delivering with a two-out double.
The Loggers managed to get one run back in the bottom of the second with the help of a trio of singles, including an RBI shot to left-center by Cassie Walny. Concordia managed a solo run in the fifth and three in the sixth to go up 6-1, but the Loggers plated four runners in the bottom of the inning after registering three hits and a pair of walks. Aryn Grause got credit for the majority of the damage with a two-run double to right.
Holding a one-run lead, Pulfrey recorded the save for the Cavs with a game-ending strikeout with runners on second and third.
Bethany Dempster picked up the win for CU after allowing just a single run in four innings of work. Dempster, in her first appearance of the season, allowed six hits while striking out four and issuing a pair of walks. Puget Sound’s Auriel Sperberg was tagged for the loss after allowing three runs in five innings of action.
Paz totaled four hits in seven charged at bats to lead the Cavs while Wooden delivered with six RBI in the two games. Garcia added three RBI and two runs while hitting 2-for-6 on the day.
Concordia concludes its Northwest Cup competition with a 1 p.m. contest against Lewis & Clark.