Area roundup: Gabbie Plain throws fourth perfect game in Washington Huskies softball history

Gabbie Plain threw the fourth perfect game and the second by a freshman in Washington softball history Saturday as the top-ranked Huskies (38-2, 9-2 Pac-12) defeated the Utah Utes (17-17, 2-9) 12-0 in five innings in the middle game of a three-game series at Husky Softball Stadium.

Plain (12-1) retired all 15 batters she faced, allowing two balls to reach the outfield. She struck out five.

She preserved the perfect game by knocking down a liner back to her with two outs in the fifth. She located the ball behind her and fired to first to just beat the runner.

Leadoff batter Taylor Van Zee finished 3 for 3 with one run and two RBIs to lead the Huskies, who won their ninth consecutive game.

The Huskies struck for seven runs in the second, highlighted by Julia DePonte’s bases-clearing triple.

Whitworth 6-6, Lewis & Clark 1-4: Sara Gayer’s two-run double to left-center highlighted a five-run first and the Pirates (19-13, 12-8 NWC) completed a sweep over the visiting Pioneers (8-18, 7-15).

In the opener, Madelyn Carlson (13-6) allowed four hits and no earned runs in a complete-game victory and Kelsey Downey finished 3 for 3 with three RBIs.

Downey’s two-run double to left-center highlighted a five-run third. She capped the Pirates’ scoring with an RBI single in the fifth.

Baseball

Linfield 3, Whitworth 1: Cason Cunningham (6-4) allowed five hits and one earned run in six innings, striking out nine, and Brady Rediger finished 3 for 4 with one run and two RBIs to lead the Wildcats (17-14, 11-8 Northwest Conference) over the host Pirates (14-16, 9-10).

The second game of the doubleheader was suspended by darkness in the top of the eighth, with Linfield leading 9-3. The teams will finish the game at 11 a.m. Sunday before playing the series finale.

Whitworth took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Cody Simmons’ RBI double to left-center, but Rediger tied the score with an RBI double in the fifth. Rediger’s RBI single during a two-run seventh off Hugh Smith (5-1) gave Linfield the lead for good.

Washington State at Oregon, ppd.: The Cougars’ Pac-12 Conference series finale against the host Ducks was postponed until noon Sunday. The Ducks have won the first two games of the series in Eugene.

Track and field

Washington State athletes swept the javelin and pole vault competitions during the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational in rainy, windy Eugene.

WSU’s Cole Smith won the men’s javelin with a throw of 206 feet, 7 inches, and Atina Kamasi took the women’s event at 148-6.

In the pole vault, moved from the open infield to an area under the wooden grandstands, Sander Moldau won the men’s event with a season-best 16-10 3/4 and Molly Scharmann cleared 12-11 among women.

Other Cougars winners: Brock Eager, men’s hammer, 214-4; Peyton Fredrickson, men’s high jump, 6-7; and Vallery Korir, women’s 3,000 meters, 9 minutes, 51.38 seconds.

• Gonzaga swept the top six positions in the men’s 5,000 at the 11th annual WAR (Washington Against Region) meet at Spokane Falls CC. Alex Heffelfinger led the way in 14:41.60, although times were unofficial because of wet conditions that altered the timing equipment. Also for GU, Brandon Pollard placed second in the men’s 800 (1:52.80) and Scott Kopczynski was second in the men’s 1,500 (3:54.72).