PASCO, Wash. - Stacy Hagensen threw a complete-game victory and had five hits for Pacific Lutheran, while Ashley Carey went 7 for 8 at the plate to lead Whitworth as the Lutes and Pirates split a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Pasco Sports Complex.

PLU is now 6-8 overall and 5-3 in the NWC, while Whitworth is 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the NWC.

Game 1: PLU 9, Whitworth 5 - box score and play by play
Hagensen improved to 4-3 by giving up five runs (four earned) on 12 hits against the Pirates. She helped herself out by getting two hits in as many at-bats, including her second home run of the season.

A four-run first inning helped the Lutes jump to a 5-0 lead in the second. PLU scored their four runs in the first on only two hits as a pair of bases-loaded walks drove in two of the tallies. Melissa Natwick drove in the final two with her RBI single.

Three straight extra-base hits in the third inning, capped by Carey's RBI double, helped the Pirates pull within 5-3. But the Lutes added single runs in each of the final four innings to extend the lead to 9-3. Hagensen had her home run while leading off the top of the fifth.

Whitworth's final two runs in the bottom of the seventh came on a single by Rachel Anderson. But Hagensen got the next two batters out to end the rally.

Kelsey Ayers went the distance in the circle for the Pirates.

Game 2: Whitworth 13, PLU 8 - box score and play by play
Whitworth came back from a 7-2 deficit to earn its first NWC win of the season. Jessica Mangis pitched the Pirates to victory to earn her second win of the season.

PLU scored six times in the top of the fifth to grab a 7-2 lead. The Lutes got a two-run double by Vanessa Bryant and Natwick added an RBI single later in the inning. PLU also benefitted from a pair of Whitworth errors.

But the Pirates scored five times in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Lacey Kerr doubled home a pair of runs, then scored on Caty Lieseke's RBI single later in the inning.

Whitworth broke the game open with six more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kerr and Carey each had RBI singles, while Lieseke added a two-run single later in the inning.

The Lutes had 17 hits against Mangis, but left 10 runners on base.

The teams will finish the four-game series on Sunday in Pasco with another double-header, scheduled to get underway at 11:00 a.m.