SPOKANE, Wash. - Willamette pitchers limited Whitworth hitters to a total of five hits, while shortstop Mandy Romero hit a pair of homers and drove in seven runs to lead the 7th-ranked Bearcats to a sweep of the host Pirates in a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader on Sunday at Diana Marks Field.

Willamette improved to 28-3 overall and 21-3 in the NWC, only two games behind top-ranked Linfield in the loss column. Whitworth dropped to 15-17, 11-11.

Game 1: Willamette 5, Whitworth 0 - box score and play by play
Nicki Franchi (15-1) shut out the Pirates for the second day in a row, limiting Whitworth to a pair of singles while striking out 13 batters and walking three.

The Bearcats picked up single runs in each of the first three innings, including an RBI double by Suzannah Von Trapp in the second and a run-scoring triple by Romero in the third.

Whitworth's Kelsey Ayers kept the Pirates in the game by shutting out Willamette over the next three innings. But the Bearcats added two more in the top of the seventh, including an RBI single by Franchi.

Franchi finished with a game-high three hits to go with her shutout pitching performance. She drove in a run and scored a run.

Rachel Anderson and Sami Parr had the Pirates' two hits in the game, both in the fifth. But Franchi got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Game 2: Willamette 8, Whitworth 0 - box score and play by play
Romero hit a three-run homer in the top of the first, then added another three-run shot in the top of the third. That was more than enough offense in support of Alex Watilo, who limited the Pirates to three hits and two walks, while striking out one. Watilo, who was on the short end of a 1-0 loss on Saturday, improved to 13-2 this season.

Romero finished with three hits in the game. Her two home runs were her first of the season. Franchi added a sacrifice fly for an RBI in the seventh, while LaShawna Holcomb doubled home the final run of the game.

One day after limiting the Bearcats to a single hit, Jessica Mangis suffered the loss in the circle for the Pirates. She dropped to 10-8 after giving up eight runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts.

Caty Lieseke, Ashley Carey and Mandee Edwards had the hits for the Bucs.

Whitworth will host North Idaho College in an exhibition doubleheader on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. (games against two-year schools cannot count on the Pirates' record or statistics).

Whitworth will finish the season by hosting Pacific next weekend in a four-game NWC series. Doubleheaders each day are scheduled to start at noon.