Helping Linfield strengthen its grip on first place in the team standings, softball players Shelby VandeBergh (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) and Lisa Yamamoto (Soph., Carson City, Nev.) have been singled out as Student-Athletes of the Week in the Northwest Conference.

The conference office announced the weekly honors Tuesday following a vote of NWC sports information directors.

VandeBergh, a right-handed junior, earned her first NWC Pitcher of the Week honor. She pitched a no-hit shutout against Puget Sound and followed that performance up with another six scoreless innings to start Game 2 against defending national champion and rival Pacific Lutheran.

Against the Loggers, VandeBergh registered five strikeouts across five innings and added three more on the following day against PLU while giving up just four hits to the Lutes. In two combined appearances, she did not allow a single extra-base hit, held opposing batters to a .118 average and recorded a perfect 0.00 ERA.

For the season, VandeBergh has compiled a 10-2 win-loss record with 49 strikeouts and a glossy 1.39 earned run average. Her 10 wins are second-most in the NWC this spring and her ERA ranks second among the eight NWC softball programs behind the 1.29 ERA of teammate Montana McNealy (Soph., Aloha, Ore.).

Yamamoto, a sophomore designated player, racked up a team-high 14 bases for the ninth-ranked Wildcats during their sweep of PLU and UPS that opened up a four-game lead in the conference standings.

At the plate, she went 7-for-14 (.583) with four extra-base hits, including two doubles, a triple and a home run. She went 5-for-7 against PLU with a solo home run and two RBI.

In her first full season as a starter, Yamamoto is hitting .407 while starting all 27 games. Her six home runs leads the NWC and her 33 RBI ranks second in league statistics.

AHEAD: Linfield plays six games in the span of five days starting Wednesday at Willamette. The Wildcats then visit George Fox for a four-game series Saturday and Sunday.