TACOMA, Wash. - Whitworth hammered five home runs en route to 8-0 and 7-2 wins over Puget Sound, sweeping a Northwest Conference doubleheader on Friday afternoon at the Logger softball field. The wins improve the 16th-ranked Pirates to 19-3 overall and 14-0 in the NWC. UPS fell to 16-10, 5-9).

Jessie LaPlante and Jennifer Eckhoff each threw complete game victories for the Pirates. LaPlante is now 11-0 on the season, while Eckhoff improved to 3-1.

Case hit her 14th career home run in the 1st

Game 1: Whitworth 8, Puget Sound 0 (6 inn.) - Box score
Whitworth scored seven of its eight runs in the opener by the long ball. Heather Case hit her team-leading fifth home run of the year in the top of the first, scoring Lindsay Davis, who had singled. Case extended her Pirate career home run record to 14.

Halley Cey made the game 5-0 in the fifth with a three run blast to centerfield that scored LaPlante and Rachel Anderson, who was pinch running for Sara Rylaarsdam. It was Cey's second of the year.

With two outs in the sixth inning, Morgan Thomsen drew a walk and scored on Rylaarsdam's double. Amber Fowler then followed with her first home run of the year, giving Whitworth an 8-0 lead.

The game ended in the sixth when LaPlante caught the final out of the game. She allowed only two hits, while striking out one and walking one. It was her third shutout of the season.

Rylaarsdam hit her first home run of 2007

Game 2: Whitworth 7, Puget Sound 2 - Box score
Whitworth got two more big home runs in the second contest. Davis staked the Pirates to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third with her third home run of the year. Rylaarsdam nailed her first of the season in the top of the seventh, a solo shot to center field.

In between, the Pirates scored twice in the fourth and three more times in the sixth to gain control. Fowler's RBI single keyed the two-run fourth, giving Whitworth a 3-1 lead.

Case singled home Sarah Froman to start the rally in the sixth. After the Pirates added a run on a UPS error, Lacey Parry singled home Case for the final run of the inning and a 6-1 Whitworth lead.

Eckhoff allowed single runs in the third and sixth innings, but struck out ten Loggers. She allowed nine hits in the game and three walks. UPS left 12 runners stranded on the bases.

Up Next: The Pirates, who remain a half game ahead of Linfield (22-4, 13-1) in the NWC standings, will complete the four game series at Puget Sound on Saturday. The double header will begin at 10:00 am.