Cameron Way tallied five hits in the doubleheader
Concordia Sweeps Northwest Christian
PORTLAND, Ore. – Concordia University clinched a spot in next week’s Cascade Collegiate Conference with a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Christian, winning 8-1 and 6-0 Friday afternoon at Delta Park.
With the wins, Concordia improves to 22-12 overall and 15-7 in the CCC. Northwest Christian falls to 10-28 overall and 4-20 in conference play.
The Cavaliers will close out regular season play with a doubleheader at Corban Sunday afternoon.
Concordia 8, Northwest Christian 1
BOX SCORE
Renee Santos limited Northwest Christian to two hits, and the Cavaliers scored five runs in the sixth to break it open. Santos picked up the complete-game win, yielding just one unearned run with 13 strikeouts. Rebecca Lillegard took the loss for the Beacons, pitching four innings and giving up three runs on five hits.
The Cavaliers opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second. Robin Gawlista led off with a single to left and advanced to second on Amy Aicher’s sacrifice bunt. Kyndell Andrews walked, and Laura Thorp singled through the right side to load the bases. Gawlista scored on a failed pickoff attempt, and Andrews scored on a throwing error by the shortstop to make it 2-0 CU.
Northwest Christian scored its only run on one hit and a pair of Concordia errors in the top of the fourth inning. Gabby Stover singled up the middle and Megan Mazanec reached on an error to put runners at first and second. Stover stole third and scored on a throwing error to make it 2-1.
The Cavs regained the two-run lead with a run in the bottom of the inning. Mallory Callahan singled with two outs and advanced to second on a fielding error by the left fielder. Kayla Vickaryous singled up the middle to bring her home and stretch the score to 3-1.
Concordia broke it open in the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits. Andrews opened the inning with a single through the left side, and Riely Byrd pinch ran over at first. Byrd advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Mallory Callahan’s single to right center. Kayla Vickaryous followed with an infield single, and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Sam Genskay brought a run home with a single to center, with Vickaryous advancing to third and Callahan scoring.
Genskay stole second, and she and Vickaryous both scored on Ali Paz’s single, with Paz advancing to second on the throw home and reaching third on a wild pitch. She came in on Gawlista’s single to right to make it 8-1 Concordia.
Callahan, Vickaryous, Gawlista and Cameron Way all finished with two hits, while Stover finished with both of Northwest Christian’s hits in the contest.
Concordia 6, Northwest Christian 0
BOX SCORE
Jordyn Brown and Bethany Dempster combined for a five-hit shutout and the Cavaliers broke through in the fourth inning for four runs against NCU starter Kalyssa Koontz in the victory. Brown pitched five innings to pick up the win, striking out five and giving up three hits. Koontz took the loss, yielding six runs on 11 hits in six innings.
Both starters were shutting down the opposing offenses until the bottom of the fourth inning. Paz led off the frame with a double to right center, scoring on Way’s double to left center to give CU a 1-0 lead. Way advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Gawlista’s single up the middle. Aicher singled down the right field line, allowing Gawlista to advance to third and score on Thorp’s groundout to short, with Aicher reaching third on the play. Courtney Wooden’s sacrifice fly to left scored Aicher from third to make it 4-0 for Concordia.
The Cavaliers added two more in the bottom of the sixth. Aicher led off with a single to center, and Thorp followed with a home run over the left field fence to give CU the 6-0 lead.
Way finished with three hits for the Cavaliers, while Aicher and Paz each tallied a pair. Thorp led all players with three runs batted in. Laynee Bevans and Rebecca Lillegard each tallied two hits for Northwest Christian.