Cavs Take Two in Northwest Cup Finale

2/16/2014 9:05:00 PM

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – The No. 18-ranked split pair of 4-3 contests before ending the day with a 9-1 over Pacific Lutheran to close out play at the Northwest Cup out at Hood View Park on Sunday.

Concordia opened the day with a 4-3 win over a red-hot Simpson (Calif.) team before falling to the University of British Columbia by the same score.

With the results, the Cavaliers will carry a 4-2 record into a California roadtrip for games on Feb. 21-22 at the Simpson Round Robin in Redding, Calif., and individual matchups against Menlo College and Holy Names University in Oakland on Feb. 23.

Game #1 – Concordia 4, Simpson 3

Concordia hit solo home runs in the fifth and the sixth innings to defeat Simpson 4-3 in the morning session of the Northwest Cup.

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Katie Aden (Tigard, Ore./Tigard H.S.) belted her second home run of the spring, a drive over the left-field fence, to knot the game at 2-2.

The Cavs took its second lead of the game in the following frame with Taylor Bussey (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie H.S.) driving the ball down the left-field line for her first career college roundtripper.

The Redhawks, however sole back the lead with back-to-back singles in the top of the seventh culminating in an RBI walk by Noel Montes. With two outs and the bases loaded, CU starter McKenzie Marshall (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City H.S.) prevented further damage with a grounder to the shortstop.

Following the defensive stand, Cassidy Horner (Cottonwood, Calif./West Valley H.S.) quickly placed a runner in scoring position with a ground-rule double to left-center. A grounder to shortsop prevented pinch runner Jennifer Lutton (Portland, Ore./Grant H.S.) from advancing, but with Bussey back at the plate and facing two outs, Lutton moved to third on a single back to the shortstop.

Continuing on the play, Lutton would scamper home as a throwing error provided CU with its first walk-off win of the season.

Allowing three runs while striking out four, Marshall went the distance to pick up her second win of the season.

Game #2 – British Columbia 4, Concordia 3

Falling behind 3-2 lead in the fifth, British Columbia scored two runs in the sixth to stun Concordia in the second game of action on Sunday.

The Thunderbirds were befuddled in the field as four errors led to all three of Concordia's runs.

Outhitting Concordia 7-to-4, UBC fired back with RBI singles by Kaplen Shay and Yasmin Bains in the sixth to claim a 4-2 lead.

Concordia managed to produce a one-out baserunner in the seventh as Kate Santos (Gladstone, Ore./Gladstone H.S.) reached on a single to left, but the tying run would be stranded in scoring position as UBC starter Amy Wetserhof induced a grounder to second followed by an innocent infield popup to close out the win.

Westerhof posted the a complete game in the winning effort while CU's Karlie Merritt (Sparks, Nev./Spanish Springs H.S.) was charged with the loss after finishing the last two innings for starter Tori Muir (Portland, Ore./Lincoln H.S.). Muir struck out five against two runs and five hits over five frames in the circle.

Game #3 – Concordia 9, Pacific Lutheran 1

Tied 1-1 midway through the nightcap, Concordia generated five runs five hits in the fifth inning to defeat PLU 9-1 in the final game of the Northwest Cup.

Cassidy Horner (Cottonwood, Calif./West Valley H.S.) recorded two singles in the big inning while the Lutes were charged with three of its four errors to open the gates for the Cavs, who sent 11 batters to the plate in the stanza.

With starter Danielle Orvella (Seattle, Wash./Kentridge H.S.) limiting the Lutes to a single run, the CU offense picked it up again in the seventh, scoring three more insurance runs with RBI hits from Lucy Baldovino (Medford, Ore./South Medford H.S.), Megan Malvick (Milwaukie, Ore./Rex Putnam H.S.) and Rielly Byrd (Puyallup, Wash./Franklin Pierce H.S.). Baldovino, in a pinch hitting situation, tagged a home run to left in her first career plate appearance for the Cavs.

Concordia outhit PLU 11-to-9 with Meghan Lubbert going 2-for-4 as the team's leadoff hitter. Byrd matched Luebbert and scored one run along with her RBI single in the seventh.