College roundup: Whitworth sweeps, clinches berth
Myranda Ramirez drove in five runs and Makayla Lefever (16-3) earned two pitching victories, once starting and once in relief, to lead Whitworth to a softball doubleheader sweep of Pacific Lutheran, 4-3 and 9-8, on Sunday in Spokane.
The Pirates (26-9, 18-6 Northwest) won both games by scoring the winning runs in their final at-bat.
Whitworth clinched a berth in the conference tournament and has a two-game lead in the standings over Linfield. The Pirates host the Wildcats in a first-place showdown next weekend.
Ramirez hit a two-run single with one out in the seventh to win the opener.
The Pirates scored three runs with two out in the sixth to win the second game. Shannon Wessel homered in the win.
PLU fell to 19-15, 11-13.
North Idaho 11-9, Walla Walla 4-10: The Cardinals (18-6, 12-4 NWAC) scored seven runs in the fifth inning to rally for an 11-4 six-inning victory in the first game of a doubleheader split with the Warriors in Coeur d’Alene. Walla Walla (11-13, 9-5) won the second game 10-9.
Nikki Miller hit a solo homer and Abby Howard and Katie Brown added two-run shots in the pivotal fifth inning of the opener.
Brittany Gay had four hits and Chloe McIntosh three in the opener with Howard driving in four runs. Katie Barron went the distance for the win.
The Warriors pushed across an unearned run in the seventh to win the second game.
Washington 12, Arizona State 9: Kimberlee Souza slugged a two-run homer in a three-run seventh inning and the No. 12 Huskies (26-8, 7-5 Pac-12) defeated the No. 20 Sun Devils (27-13, 3-6) in Tempe, Arizona. The Huskies hit four homers, two by Taylor Van Zee.
Golf
Washington State’s women tied for eighth with Northwestern and Baylor at the 14-team PING/Arizona State Invitational at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona.
WSU finished at 30-over 894 for three rounds after shooting 7-over par on Sunday. UCLA won at 12 under.
Alivia Brown was the Cougars’ top finisher at 29th place with a total of 6-over 221. UCLA’s Bronte Law won at 12 under.
The Whitworth women finished fourth at the Northwest Conference Spring Classic at Wine Valley GC in Walla Walla. Host Whitman won at 597. Whitworth was at 644.
Chelsea Bayley was Whitworth’s top finisher with a two-day total of 14-over 158 for ninth place. Whitman’s Phoebe Nguyen won at 2 over.
Willamette edged Whitworth by one stroke to win the men’s Northwest Conference Spring Classic at Wine Valley in Walla Walla.
Led by medalist Chase Lamothe, who finished at 4 under, Willamette ended with a two-day total of 3-over 579.
Austin Billeter was Whitworth’s top finisher, taking third place at 2-under 142.