The softball team finished a makeup game in a decisive 11-1 win against the University of Puget Sound on April 12. The team also traveled to Salem and swept Willamette University in four games played on April 9 and 10.

The ’Cats offense dominated April 12 and broke records on the way to the team’s win. Five players hit six homeruns. Junior catcher Emilee Lepp hit one of the six, and her now 24 homeruns are a school record that ties the NCAA Division-III single season homerun record.

“To have hit a record amount of homeruns when we haven’t even finished the season is very impressive,” head coach Jackson Vaughan said.

Junior outfielders Jaydee Baxter and Jordan Mixsell, and freshman infielder Ashley Garcia also hit one homerun each while senior shortstop Emily Keagbine blasted two. The six homeruns brought the team’s season total to 80, which broke the NCAA record of 78 set by last year’s team.

Pitchers senior Claire Velaski and junior Lauren Harvey pitched two innings apiece, and freshman Karina Paavola closed the final frame of the five-inning game. Harvey was credited with the win, which puts her at a perfect 11-0 on the season.

Paavola said the ’Cats dominant offense boosts the pitching staff.

“It’s nice because you know if you give up runs they’ll be there to back you up,” she said, “Even if the game is tight, they’ll come through for you.”

The ’Cats held Willamette scoreless in both games of the first doubleheader, winning 3-0 and 2-0, respectively. Keagbine went two-for-three and was the only player from either team with multiple hits in the first game. Lepp and freshman outfielder Katy Brosig provided RBIs with two and one, respectively.

Velaski gave up only two hits in the five innings she pitched before Paavola finished off the game’s last two innings allowing only one hit.

Paavola struck out seven batters in her eighth win during the second game of the day. She pitched four no-hit innings in relief of Harvey who gave up just two hits in the first three innings of the game.

Vaughan said Paavola’s role, often as a reliever, is challenging.

“It’s not easy to come into the middle of games but she’s handled it well and at times has been extremely dominant,” he said.

This time it was junior first baseman Staci Doucette who hit two-for-three and knocked in the team’s two runs with her 15th homerun of the season.

The April 10 doubleheader saw more offensive fireworks. Seven Linfield players recorded hits, five of which earned RBI. Keagbine and Doucette had multiple hits including one homerun each.

Lepp hit her 21st homrun and broke Doucette’s previous school record of 20 homeruns in a single season.

Lepp, Baxter and senior second baseman Alex Hartmann all contributed two RBIs to the team’s 8-5 win. Velaski picked up the win taking her to 15-1 on the season.

Three Linfield players hit homers during the second game. Lepp hit two and Keagbine and Mixsell each hit one. The three were responsible for driving in all of the team’s runs in the 9-3 victory.

Harvey pitched a complete game, improved to 10-0 and allowed just three hits through the seven innings.

The ’Cats’ overall record is 34-2 and they are 23-1 in conference play. They are on a 24-game winning streak and need one more victory to clench a share in the Northwest Conference title.

“It’s not about the winnning streak as much as it is about playing well and going into the playoffs on a strong note,” Doucette said.

The ’Cats will finish regular season play this weekend against Pacific University in Forest Grove at noon on April 16 and then at home at noon again on April 17.

Rae Smith/Staff reporter
Rae Smith can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The softball team swept Lewis & Clark College 12-4 and 18-4 in a makeup doubleheader April 7.

Freshman pitcher Shelby VandeBergh earned her first win of the season during the ’Cats first win of the day. She was supported by 4-for-4 hitting from junior catcher Emilee Lepp, who hit one home run and batted in five RBIs.

Four players hit 2-for-3 duringthe second game, but Lepp, junior designated hitter Staci Doucette and senior outfielder Kayla Hubrich recorded 1.000 hitting percentages for the game.

Doucette and Hubrich went 3-for-3, and Lepp was 2-for-2. Doucette drove in an astounding seven RBIs.

The ’Cats are at the top of the Northwest Conference standings at 18-1 and 29-2 overall.

The weather abated long enough for the team to take down Pacific Lutheran University on April 2 and the University of Puget Sound on April 3.

The team’s only conference loss came against PLU on March 12, when the second game doubleheader was canceled because of darkness.

Junior outfielder Jaydee Baxter said the team worked hard during practice this week to prepare for the games.

“We were more mentally prepared and definitely had a little fire in our bellies from the [earlier loss],” she said.

Senior pitcher Claire Velaski also cited the previous loss as a factor in the team’s improvement.

“Generally in the past when we have lost to a team, it motivates us to work harder and makes us want to beat them even more,” she said.

The ’Cats finished the second game of their March 12 doubleheader with PLU on April 2. The game resumed in the fifth inning with the ’Cats up 6-3. The final score was 9-4 in favor of the ’Cats, which gave junior pitcher Lauren Harvey her eighth win of the season.

The ’Cats then took both games of the regularly scheduled doubleheader against PLU, 7-6 and 6-3.

In the first, Doucette finished off a four-run frame with a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.

PLU scored one run in the top of the fourth and followed it up by adding five more runs in the fifth, giving it a 6-4 lead.

Freshman pinch hitter Haylie Watson tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning hitting a two-run double. The game ended when Lepp scored from third base off of a bunt from senior second baseman Alex Hartmann.

Hartmann said the weather conditions that the team has dealt with this year have had some positive effects.

“Having to tarp our field adds about an hour to each practice, and having put in so much time at practice has made us more mentally tough,” she said. “So if we get behind in games, we know that we can come back because we have that mental toughness.”

In the second game, the ’Cats did all their scoring during the first two innings, with three runs in each frame. Hubrich led the team offensively went 3-for-3 and Doucette went 2-for-3 with another home run.

PLU scored once in the fifth and twice in the seventh inning but the ’Cats pitching and defense held on for a third win.

Velaski and freshman pitcher Karina Paavola also picked up wins in the first and second games, respectively, of the doubleheader.

April 3 saw the ’Cats sweep UPS in three games with scores of 6-1, 1-0 and 8-0. Two of the games were part of the regularly scheduled doubleheader, followed by a makeup for an earlier postponement.

Both Velaski and Baxter said some aspects of the team’s play weren’t in top form but that the team pulled together to get the wins.

“Our defense and pitching were pretty amazing and picked up for our offensive slump,” Baxter said.

Hartmann added that the team still made some decisive hits in spite of the slump.

“We didn’t necessarily hit our best, but we had a lot of timely hits and people stepped up when we needed runs,” she said.

Velaski won her 12th game of the season in the team’s first outing of the day. She pitched a complete game and allowed just four hits while striking out 10 of the UPS batters in the seven innings.

Doucette again led the ’Cats offensively, going 3-for-3, batting in three RBIs and hitting her 12th home run of the season.

Freshman outfielder Katy Brosig put up the only run scored by either team in the second game when she hit her second home run of the season in the third inning.

Harvey pitched the complete shutout and improved her record to 9-0.

Pitching dominated the last game of the day again. This time it was Paavola’s turn to record a complete game shutout. She matched Velaski’s 10 strikeouts and allowed only three hits.
The ’Cats’ offense came back to life in this game. Eight runs paired with Paavola’s performance brought the game to an early conclusion after five innings.

Hubrich, Lepp and sophomore third baseman Karleigh Prestianni all went 2-for-3 in the game.

The ’Cats now hold sole possession of first place in the NWC.

The team will travel to Salem for doubleheaders against Willamette University on April 9 and 10.

Rae Smith/Staff reporter
Rae Smith can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Senior shortstop Emily Keagbine swings while up to bat against Whitworth University on Feb. 26 at a home game. The Wildcats won the doubleheader 10-1 and 12-2. Photo courtesy of Kelly Bird

The softball team is on an 11-game winning streak and has retained its No. 1 national ranking with a 21-2 overall record. The team traveled to California for a series of six doubleheaders during Spring Break but not before suffering its first loss of the season against PLU by a score of 10-2 March 12.

PLU’s junior pitcher Stacey Hagensen dominated the game, holding the ’Cats to just three hits. The Lutes handed senior pitcher Claire Velaski her first loss of the season.

’Cats junior designated hitter Staci Doucette said the loss was a reminder to the team that there is room for improvement, but she also credited PLU’s quality play.

“We made some uncharacteristic mistakes in the first game, and we can’t afford to give good teams any extra opportunities,” she said.

The ’Cats rallied in the second game of the doubleheader and held a 6-3 lead when the game was called because of darkness. The teams will rejoin the game this weekend when Linfield will hosts the April 2 doubleheader.

The team has dropped only one more game since the loss at PLU, which came at the hands of No. 15 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College on March 18 in Claremont, Cali.

Junior pitcher Lauren Harvey said the losses have given the team the motivation and drive to capture the Northwest Conference title.

“We all have the same goal in mind — just to take it each weekend at a time, and we all have a lot of faith and confidence in each other, which is special,” she said.

Coach Jackson Vaughan said the Spring Break doubleheaders against Claremont and then No. 6 University of Redlands were the highlight of the trip.

“Those were fairly big series because we have played them for a long time and meet them at regionals,” he said.

Harvey also picked out those games as significant.

“Beating Redlands twice was pretty big since they [were] ranked sixth,” she said. “Everyone did pretty well, and the outfield really played well in the Claremont games.

The ’Cats swept the four other California teams they faced between March 17 and March 23.

They returned to Oregon to take on conference opponent George Fox University in a doubleheader March 26. The ’Cats not only swept the Bruins but held them scoreless in the 8-0 and 12-0 wins.

Velaski and Harvey each added a win to their season records of 10-1 and 7-0, respectively, with the wins over the Bruins.

Junior catcher Emilee Lepp continued to find success at the plate, hitting another solo home run in the first game, which brought her season home run tally to a Northwest-Conference-leading 16.

Senior outfielder Kayla Hubrich also did well in the first game, going 3-for-4 and driving in three RBIs.

Three players were 3-for-3 in the second game: Doucette, senior shortstop Emily Keagbine and sophomore third baseman Karleigh Prestianni. Keagbine went 5-for-6 during the two games and hit her 10th home run of the season in the second game.

Yet another of the ’Cats’ doubleheaders was postponed March 27 as a result of rain. The games against Lewis & Clark College have been rescheduled for April 7.

“It will be a good chance to see how much we’ve improved because we have played a lot of games since then,” Vaughan said.

The ’Cats will also take on the University of Puget Sound at home in another doubleheader at noon on April 3.

Rae Smith/Staff reporter
Rae Smith can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The Wildcat softball team remains undefeated after another weekend of command performances.

Junior outfielder Jordan Mixsell said the team maintained a high level of play throughout the weekend.

“We did a good job of not letting up and getting the most out of every play — pitch or at bat,” she said.

In the weekend’s first doubleheader on March 5, the ’Cats took on the George Fox University Bruins. Senior pitcher Claire Velaski led the ’Cats to victory in the first game, recording her first no-hitter.

Juniors catcher Emilee Lepp and first baseman Staci Doucette each hit three-run home runs to lead the offense in the 12-0 thrashing.

The ’Cats held the Bruins scoreless again in the second game of the day, which ended 11-0. Junior pitcher Lauren Harvey picked up the win and was aided by the relief of senior pitcher Elise Karscig.

Several players had multiple hits and RBIs to boost the offense. Lepp, senior shortstop Emily Keagbine and sophomore third baseman Karleigh Prestianni each hit home runs.

Junior outfielder Jaydee Baxter complimented every contribution to the wins.

“It was a good overall team effort. Even though everyone’s hitting wasn’t at 100 percent, we managed to score quite a few runs,” she said. “We are a really well-rounded team. We work hard, and we also have a lot of natural talent.”

The weekend’s second doubleheader on March 6 saw the ’Cats blow out Lewis & Clark College 12-4 and 20-1. The games featured impressive offensive performances from the ’Cats’ experienced line-up.

In both games combined, Keagbine racked up nine RBIs on 8-for-8 hitting, three of which were home runs, and senior outfielder Kayla Hubrich went 7-for-8 on the day, scoring six times.

Three players, including Prestianni, senior second baseman Alex Hartmann and freshman third baseman Ashley Garcia, added three runs each to Keagbine and Hubrich’s combined 10 in the second game.

Baxter also had a solid day, contributing seven RBIs from five hits over the two games.

All seven of the ’Cats’ pitchers saw action in either the first or second game. Velaski and freshman pitcher Hannah Muller held the Pioneers scoreless, each pitching two innings. Karscig finished up the last inning of the game, allowing four runs.

Freshman pitcher Karina Paavola picked up her first collegiate win in the second game, giving up only one run in two innings pitched. Harvey and freshmen pitchers Kim Chase and Shelby VandeBergh each added one inning of shutout pitching.

Paavola said she was excited to get the win and was impressed by Keagbine’s and Hubrich’s offensive performances. She also credited the team’s chemistry.

“[It] makes it easy to work together, relax and just play,” Paavola said.

Inclement weather postponed the ’Cats’ doubleheader, which was slated for March 9, against Concordia University.

Baxter said the team uses rough weather to gain strength.

“It makes us mentally tough, and we learn how to deal with adversity,”she said.

The ’Cats are scheduled to travel to Tacoma, Wash., this weekend to take on Pacific Lutheran University on March 12 and the University of Puget Sound on March 13. Both doubleheaders are scheduled to start at noon.

Rae Smith/Staff reporter
Rae Smith can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Junior first baseman Staci Doucette hits against the Pirates on Feb. 26. The Wildcats won both games 12-2, 10-1. Katie Paysinger/Senior photographer

The doubleheader saw several impressive offensive performances. The ’Cats tallied eight runs in the first inning of the first game.

Junior outfielder Jaydee Baxter went 4-for-4, knocking in three RBIs.

Junior first basemen Staci Doucette and Sami Keim went 2-for-3, combining for five RBIs.

Senior pitcher Claire Velaski praised the team’s bats.

“Our hitters had a phenomenal weekend. They got a ton of hits, and that is a testament to how hard they have been working,” she said.

Velaski, last year’s NWC Pitcher of the Year, allowed the Pirates only one run off of two hits in four innings.

Freshman Karina Paavola finished off the game’s last inning, giving up one run as well.

Senior shortstop Emily Keagbine bats for the Wildcats on Feb. 26 at home against Whitworth University. Katie Paysinger/Senior photographer

The teams competed in Pasco, Wash., on Feb. 27, for the second doubleheader. The offense continued to dominate, scoring 11 and 16 runs, respectively, in the first and second games.

Velaski allowed four runs in the first game while Harvey, Paavola and freshman pitcher Shelby VandeBergh all had a hand in shutting out the Pirates during the second game.

Coach Jackson Vaughan recognized how well the team played despite the cold conditions.

“I thought we handled the weather well — the cold, on Saturday and the 30-mph winds on Sunday in Pasco,” he said. “Usually teams don’t hit well in the cold but we hit really well and our pitchers performed well considering what the cold does to your hands.”

The ’Cats hit nine homeruns — three off Doucette’s bat — on their way to gaining 49 runs during the four games. Harvey and Velaski ended the weekend with two wins and combined for more than 19 innings pitched.

The team’s strong leads allowed the majority of the roster time in the game.

“I think we used more kids last weekend than we ever have at Linfield in one series,” Vaughan said.

Velaski recognized some of the players.

“I think the freshmen did a good job of stepping up when they were put into the games, especially [freshman] Katy Brosig, who came up with a big home run and a great suicide squeeze,” Velaski said.

The ’Cats lead the NWC with a 4-0 record but are staying focused on getting better.

“The cool thing about our team is that we can score 49 runs but we aren’t as good as we can be yet, and everyone knows that there is room for improvement,” sophomore third baseman Karleigh Prestianni said.

Weather permitting, Linfield will take on George Fox University in a noon doubleheader at home March 5, and the ’Cats face Lewis & Clark College at noon March 6 in Portland.

Rae Smith/Staff reporter
Rae Smith can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.
Junior first baseman Staci Doucette hits against the Pirates on Feb. 26. The Wildcats won both games 12-2, 10-1.

The Wildcats softball team has reached the top. The women were recently ranked first in the nation for Division III colleges.

And not only does the team have a national ranking to boast about, but it also has five All-American players, as well as the first female from Linfield to earn the Ad Rutschman Small College Athlete of the Year Award.

Junior Staci Doucette was awarded the honor on Jan. 30 at the Stanford Theatre at the Nike World Headquarters campus.

“It’s a great honor. I feel really lucky to be a part of such an amazing team. I definitely owe it to every single one of them,” Doucette said. “It’s as much their honor as it is mine.”

Doucette was named the Northwest Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All-American for the past two consecutive seasons, according to the Linfield athletics website.

The Wildcats start the season on Feb. 23 against Concordia University for a preseason doubleheader and will play Whitworth University on Feb. 26 at home for a conference doubleheader.

“We have really high expectations this year, but we don’t want to let the ranking play a role in that. We are really excited for the season to start and hope to have another good year,” Doucette said.

Junior outfielder Jaydee Baxter elaborated on the team’s goals.

“There are going to be a lot of high expectations for what [the team] will contribute this year as a whole. We are very unselfish and team-oriented, so as long as we play our game and find a way to win, that’s all that matters,” she said.

The team has been preparing long and hard for another national championship. The women have been training for hours on end preparing for conference.

“Our practices average about four hours; we lift like men three days a week, and our schedules revolve around our practice times. We eat, sleep and breathe softball,” Baxter said. “I expect and know that we will continue to do what we normally do, and since we know what it takes to get there, we’ll work even harder to make that.”

The Wildcats softball team clicked with the sticks during Midwest Regionals in Indianola, Iowa.

In four games, Linfield smashed 14 home runs, outscored opponents 35-10 and punched a ticket to Eau Claire, Wisc., and the Division III World Series on May 21-25.

The World Series trip is the first since the program’s lone national championship in 2007.

“We just played really relaxed and within ourselves,” sophomore center fielder Jaydee Baxter said. “We were just trying to play Catball; we were trying to do our thing and be calm and confident.”

Catball is the “brand” of softball created by the Wildcats that includes emphasis on teamwork, dedication and fun to accomplish goals, such as reaching the national championships.

After a 13-5 win over University of Chicago, Linfield avenged two midseason losses to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by winning 10-3.

Freshman third baseman Karleigh Prestianni had her second two-home run game in as many days while totaling three hits and runs batted in.

Also helping the ’Cats’ offense was sophomore first baseman Staci Doucette, who added two two-run homers.

Junior pitcher Claire Velaski threw her second-straight complete game, while allowing 10 hits and three runs. The win advanced her season record to 16-2.

Juniors shortstop Emily Keagbine and second baseman Alex Hartmann and sophomore catcher Emilee Lepp all had multiple hit games.

The win against CMS pitted the Wildcats against 39-6 St. Thomas University.

Doucette’s solo home run in the first was canceled out by a Tommie run in the fourth. But the run woke up the sleeping ’Cats.

Doucette roped a three-run jack in the fifth. Baxter led off the sixth with a solo shot. Four singles and an error led to four runs in the seventh, giving the Wildcats a 9-1 win.

Sophomore pitcher Lauren Harvey took the ball for Linfield, allowing just three hits in a complete game for her 17th win.

“Both pitchers did a good job for us,” head coach Jackson Vaughan said. “[Harvey and Velask] kept getting big outs when we needed them.”

Because of the double elimination format, Linfield needed to beat St. Thomas again after the Tommies defeated Illinois Wesleyan University to advance to the regional final.

The team found itself trailing 0-1 after two innings, the first time the ’Cats faced a deficit in the regional.

After two innings, five hits and a run, Vaughan pulled Harvey in favor of Velaski.

The ’Cats showed a flair for the dramatics, not scoring until a Baxter lead-off homer in the fifth. Prestianni sealed it with a two-run bomb in the sixth as Velaski shut the door on the Tommies, not allowing another run in the last five innings.

Prestianni, Doucette, Lepp, Baxter and Keagbine were named to the all-tournament team.

“This year we’ve been pretty underrated,” Baxter said. “It worked to our advantage because people weren’t expecting a lot from us. We played loose and had a lot of fun, and that’s really what the key was to winning and playing well.”

Vaughan agreed, noting last year’s freshmen-laden team had little experience on a big stage. But this year’s team, he said, played relaxed and comfortably.

“We certainly hit as good as we’ve hit all season at the regional last weekend,” Vaughan said. “We worked hard on some things individually with each kid; I think it paid off.”

Linfield’s 14 regional home runs gave the ’Cats 73 on the year, a new D-III record previously held by the 2006 St. Thomas team.

The 39-5 Wildcats will face 41-5 Luther College in their opening game of the double-elimination tournament May 21. Linfield enters with a D-III best 25-game winning streak.

“We certainly have a tough draw,” Vaughan said. “I think Luther, along with us, is probably [in the] top half of the teams that are there. We’ll have our hands full for sure in the first game.”

The ’Cats and Luther are joined in Wisconsin by Ithaca College, DePauw University, Christopher Newsport College, Eastern Connecticut State University, East Texas Baptist University and Moravian College. the Wildcats against 39-6 St. Thomas University.

Doucette’s solo home run in the first was canceled out by a Tommie run in the fourth. But the run woke up the sleeping ’Cats.

Doucette roped a three-run jack in the fifth. Baxter led off the sixth with a solo shot. Four singles and an error led to four runs in the seventh, giving the Wildcats a 9-1 win.

Sophomore pitcher Lauren Harvey took the ball for Linfield, allowing just three hits in a complete game for her 17th win.

“Both pitchers did a good job for us,” head coach Jackson Vaughan said. “[Harvey and Velaski] kept getting big outs when we needed them.”

Because of the double elimination format, Linfield needed to beat St. Thomas again after the Tommies defeated Illinois Wesleyan University to advance to the regional final.

The team found itself trailing 0-1 after two innings, the first time the ’Cats faced a deficit in the regional.

After two innings, five hits and a run, Vaughan pulled Harvey in favor of Velaski.

The ’Cats demonstrated a flair for the dramatics, not scoring until a Baxter lead-off homer in the fifth. Prestianni sealed it with a two-run bomb in the sixth as Velaski shut the door on the Tommies, not allowing another run in the last five innings.

Prestianni, Doucette, Lepp, Baxter and Keagbine were named to the all-tournament team.

“This year we’ve been pretty underrated,” Baxter said. “It worked to our advantage because people weren’t expecting a lot from us. We played loose and had a lot of fun, and that’s really what the key was to winning and playing well.”

Vaughan agreed, noting last year’s freshmen-laden team had little experience on a big stage. But this year’s team, he said, played relaxed and comfortably.

“We certainly hit as good as we’ve hit all season at the regional last weekend,” Vaughan said. “We worked hard on some things individually with each kid; I think it paid off.”

Linfield’s 14 regional home runs gave the ’Cats 73 on the year, a new D-III record held previously by the 2006 St. Thomas team.

The 39-5 Wildcats will face 41-5 Luther College in their opening game of the double-elimination tournament May 21. Linfield enters with a D-III best 25-game winning streak.

“We certainly have a tough draw,” Vaughan said. “I think Luther, along with us, is probably [in the] top half of the teams that are there. We’ll have our hands full for sure in the first game.”

The Wildcats and Luther are joined in Wisconsin by Ithaca College, DePauw University, Christopher Newsport College, Eastern Connecticut State University, East Texas Baptist University and Moravian College.

Kurtis Williams

Freelancer

Kurtis Williams can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Photos by Megan Myer/Photo editor/Online editor-Sophomore Jaydee Baxter (left) connects for a hit during Linfield’s 8-0 win over George Fox University, hosted at home April 7.

Linfield’s softball team discovered in the wee hours of the morning on May 10 where it will travel for postseason play.

No, it isn’t to Texas or California as some expected, but to Indianola, Iowa.

Most of the Midwest Regional teams are from area states: Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. And Linfield, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, was not given any favors by being shipped to the Midwest Regional. As the crow flies, the Wildcats will travel 1,500 miles — the farthest of the eight teams.

Linfield began its playoff run in normal fashion: with a bang.

The Wildcats scored eight runs, all via a long ball in the second inning off University of Chicago pitching.

Freshman third baseman Karliegh Prestianni started and finished the scoring with solo homers. Sophomore designated player Sami Keim added a two-run bomb, and sophomore catcher Emilee Lepp launched a grand slam.

Junior shortstop Emily Keagbine belted a three-run home run in the fourth to extend Linfield’s lead to 11-2.

U of C fought back for three runs in the top of the fifth before sophomore first baseman Stacie Doucette’s two-run single gave Linfield a 13-5 win via the mercy rule.

The ’Cats 2-6 hitters went 7-13 with six runs scored and 11 runs batted in.

Sophomore center fielder Jaydee Baxter was 3-3 with a double and two singles.

•

With a lot riding on this tournament, which started May 13, let’s analyze the top four seeds battling for the Midwest Regional title.

1. Linfield Wildcats (36-5 overall, 26-1 conference)

Key wins: Pacific University (x4), Willamette University (x4)

Outlook: The Wildcats avoided past nemesis University of Texas at Tyler but still have a tough region to claw through. Loaded with players hungry for the first regional title since 2007, Linfield will be difficult to beat, especially if its pitching and defense are in normal form. With 1.48 home runs per game, the No. 8 Wildcats could face a higher caliber of pitching than in the Northwest Conference. Linfield will look to improve on a 20-game winning streak.

2. Illinois Wesleyan University Titans (30-14 overall, 9-5 conference)

Key wins: Washington University in St. Louis, Carthage College

Outlook: The game is about scoring more runs than the other team. If the Titans want to reign supreme, their pitching and defense will need to lead the way. Having a struggling offense does not help, but leading the nation with a .985 fielding percentage should push the Titans to some victories.

3. Simpson College Storm (31-10 overall, 14-2 conference)

Key wins: Central College (x2), Luther College

Outlook: Playing at home will be a major advantage for the Storm. With only three losses at home, this team will be comfortable within its surroundings. Senior pitcher Whitney Oviatt, Iowa Conference pitcher of the year, has started 29 games, but the team behind her does not have much experience. Also, none of the Storm players has playoff experience.

4. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athena (33-8 overall, 21-3 conference)

Key wins: Linfield (x2), University of Redlands (x3)

Outlook: With a strong schedule, CMS could be the most tested team in the regional competition. Freshman Harmony Palmer will shoulder much of the offensive load. She leads the team in all offensive categories and hits .473 with eight home runs. The pitching is also stellar with a team ERA of 2.05. Look for the Athena to compete for the Midwest title along with Linfield.

You can follow The Review @Linfield_Review for updates on the Midwest Regional.

Kurtis WIlliams

FreelancerKurtis Williams can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com