PORTLAND, Ore. - Whitworth defeated host Lewis & Clark 3-0 and 10-1 (5 innings) in a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader today at the Huston Sports Complex, extending the Pirates' current winning streak to 12 games. It is the second time this season that 9th-ranked Whitworth (25-3 overall, 20-0 NWC) has won 12 in a row. L&C fell to 4-28, 2-20.

The Pirates opened the season with 12 straight victories, coming within a game of the school record for all-time winning streak (13). Whitworth can tie the record against Willamette at home on Saturday.

LaPlante allowed one run in 12 innings for 2 wins

Game 1: Whitworth 3, Lewis & Clark 0 - Box score
One day after giving up a season-high six earned runs in an 11-8 win over L&C, Whitworth pitcher Jessie LaPlante pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Pioneers. She struck out seven batters without a walk. She faced the minimum 21 batters as the Pirates' erased the only Pioneer hit with a double play in the third inning.

Whitworth scored a run in the first when Halley Cey opened with a double and scored on Heather Case's double. The Pirates added a run in the fifth when Cey tripled home Amber Fowler. The final run came home in the seventh inning when Case singled home pinch runner Rachel Anderson.

Cey, Case and Morgan Thomsen each had two hits to lead the Pirates. Case finished with two runs batted in.

Case improved to 7-2 with a two-hitter

Game 2: Whitworth 10, Lewis & Clark 1 (5 inn.) - Box score
Whitworth poured it on late to end this one early. LaPlante pitched again, allowing only one unearned run on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk. She improved to 15-0 this season.

Amber Fowler hit her second grand slam in as many days as part of the Pirates' five-run fifth inning. It was her fifth home run of the season and all five have come in the last two series.

Thomsen singled home Lacey Parry in the second inning for Whitworth's first run. The Pirates made in 3-1 in the third Lindsay Davis doubled home Anderson and Parry singled home Davis. The Bucs added two more in the fourth on a solo home run by Cey and an error that brought home Davis, who had her second double of the game.

Fowler's grand slam came in the fifth and gave Whitworth a 9-1 lead. Another run scored later in the inning on a Pioneer error.

Davis, Parry, Thomsen and Sarah Froman all had a pair of hits for the Pirates.

Up Next: The Pirates, who remain a half game ahead of 3rd-ranked Linfield (28-4, 19-1) in the NWC standings, will host Willamette in a four game series at Diana Marks Field next weekend. Doubleheaders will begin at noon each day. The Bearcats are 16-11 overall and 10-8 in the NWC after splitting a pair of doubleheaders at home to Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran this weekend. At one point this season Willamette was ranked 5th in the nation after taking second place at the prestigious NFCA tournament in Florida and beating three nationally-ranked teams in the process. The Bearcats also have the only NWC win against Linfield to date. Whitworth and Willamette split a four-game series in Salem last season.