HOME AND HOME WITH THE LUTES
As the 2008 season winds down to a close, the Puget Sound Loggers picked up a pair of wins over Lewis & Clark but were unable to play George Fox on Sunday.
The Loggers v. Lewis & Clark
On a day that saw a little bit of rain, a little bit of sleet, a little bit of hail and even a little bit of snow, the Puget Sound Loggers survived the elements to sweep past the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, 4-2 and 8-0, in a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday at Logger Softball Field in Tacoma, Wash.
In the first game, the Loggers got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second when Hilary Rice (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) singled in Stephanie Hatley (Keizer, Ore./McNary). The Pios took advantage of a few Logger miscues in the top of the third to put two across but junior Victoria Raeburn (Portland, Ore./Gladstone) single-handedly struck back in the bottom of the fourth with a lead-off home run. Raeburn went deep again in the bottom of the sixth and Rice grounded out to second base to score Caroline Moore (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy) to give the Loggers the 4-2 win.
Andi Doerflinger (Juneau, Alaska/Juneau-Douglas) picked up the win to improve to 3-6 on the year, allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts.
In the second game, it was all Loggers from the first pitch as Lindsay Fujita (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first to give UPS the early 1-0 lead. The Loggers added three more in the second, including two on a single by Meghan Watson (Brier, Wash./Mountlake Terrace) that scored Fujita and Kelli Ishii (Aiea, Hawaii/Punahou). Two more Logger runs came across in the third inning on a single by Rice that scored Moore and Hatley.
The Logger offensive showcase continued in the fourth when Raeburn singled to left field to score Watson and then the winning run came across in the bottom of the sixth when Moore reached on an error by the L&C shortstop Jamie Moon that allowed Valarie Barone (San Jose, Calif./Leigh) to score as the Loggers took game two, 8-0.
Auriel Sperberg (Tacoma, Wash./Graham-Kapowsin) collected the win, allowing three hits in six scoreless innings pitched, striking out seven Pioneer batters and walking just one.
The George Fox Cancellation
Already having had to cancel eight games due to weather in 2008, the Puget Sound Loggers find themselves faced with yet another cancellation as their scheduled softball doubleheader with George Fox on Sunday has been cancelled by the Bruins.
Citing a lack of able-bodied players, George Fox contacted both the Loggers and Pacific Lutheran early on Friday morning to announce their intention to not travel to Tacoma this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s doubleheader with the Loggers, the Bruins were scheduled to play on Saturday against the Lutes.
The games will officially go down as “no contests” per NCAA rules but the Northwest Conference has the option of assigning forfeit wins and forfeit losses. It is not immediately known when that decision will be made but NWC Commissioner Matt Newman is expected to lead that discussion.
The Loggers have only been able to make up two of their eight previously cancelled contests in 2008, splitting a Northwest Conference doubleheader with Willamette on Monday. None of the remaining cancelled games are expected to be made up.
Faced with the unenviable task of telling her players of yet another cancellation at practice on Friday, head coach Robin Hamilton expressed her frustration with the situation.
“We’re disappointed for our student-athletes who have prepared day-in and day-out for our Northwest Conference competition,” said Hamilton. “We’re especially disappointed for our seniors, who will be denied two more opportunities to compete.”
Scouting Pacific Lutheran
The Lutes head into the final weekend with a record of 15-19 overall and 12-10 in Northwest Conference play. As a team, PLU is hitting .310 on the year with 59 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs. In the circle, the Lutes have a staff ERA of 3.48 with 137 strikeouts and 64 walks.
The Coach
The real strength of the Loggers might just be in the third-base coaches box as Robin Hamilton enters her 22nd season at the helm of the Loggers. Currently Puget Sound’s winningest head coach in school history, the Idaho State graduate holds a career record of 455-301-3. In 21 years at UPS, she has had 17 winning seasons, two NAIA runner-up finishes and five Conference and Regional Coach of the year awards.
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