Kerr Homers in Season-Opening At-bat

Whitworth at Pacific Lutheran (3/6/10) Lost 4-3 (box score) Lost 10-4 (box score)

Lacey Kerr

PARKLAND, Wash. - (From PLU Sports Information Office) Whitworth University's season-opening double header had a little bit of everything, except a Pirate victory as host Pacific Lutheran won 4-3 and 10-4 on Saturday afternoon.

The Lutes won the opener by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, before building an early lead in the second game and cruising to a victory. PLU is now 4-3 for the season, 2-0 in the NWC, while Whitworth opened 0-2.

Lacey Kerr started her 2010 season off with a bang, crushing a long homer over the fence in left-centerfield to give Whitworth a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener.

Pacific Lutheran scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Amber Roberts, who reached on an error after striking out, stole second, went to third on Caitlyn Brown's bunt single, and then scored on Stacey Hagensen's ground out. Brown then scored when Shelby Johnston's two-out grounder was misplayed.

The Lutes took a 3-1 lead in the fourth when Kaely Cuthill hit a two-out looper that trickled into centerfield for a single, scoring pinch runner Adrienne Ross.

Whitworth tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning when senior Carrie Gibson hit her first career home run, a two-run shot, over the centerfield fence.

The Lutes cashed in a seventh inning scoring chance for the game-winning run. Monti Califano drew a one-out walk and then raced home when Brown roped a two-out double down the rightfield line.

PLU pitcher Ramona Lorton was the beneficiary, improving her season record to 2-0 by allowing three earned runs on four hits while striking out three and walking three. Jessica Mangis took the pitching defeat, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out four and walking four.

Brown had two of PLU's four hits, while no Whitworth batter had more than one hit.

In the second game, the Lutes scored twice in the first and eight more times in the third to effectively put the game away. In the first, Roberts singled and scored on Brown's triple, and Brown came in on a wild pitch.

The eight-run third featured five hits, including two-run singles by Roberts and Hagensen, run-scoring singles by Glenelle Nitta and Brown, and bases-loaded RBI walks to Jackie Martinez and Katie Hanten.
The unquestionable offensive highlight for Whitworth was provided by Christina Schlothauer, who hit a majestic homer over the leftfield fence on the first pitch she saw in her first at-bat as a collegian. She later added another RBI on a bases-loaded walk.

Ally Van Schoorl, PLU's third pitcher, picked up the win by allowing just one earned run on one hit in four innings of work. She walked two batters and struck out one. Alyssa Bergquist, Whitworth's starter, took the defeat.

PLU collected 12 hits in the second contest, including two each by Roberts, Brown and Shelby Johnston. Whitworth had five hits in the game, including two by Kerr.

The teams complete their four-game conference series with a Sunday doubleheader starting at noon .