Lute Softball vs. Puget Sound 2024 Pacific Lutheran University Digital Game Program

Setting the Scene: The Lutes close out their home slate today, welcoming intracity nemesis Puget Sound to PLU Field.

Series History: The crosstown rivals have met 165 times on the diamond since the 1981 season with the Lutes enjoying a commanding 129-35-1 edge in the all-time series.

PLU has won seven of the last eight against the Loggers, including three of four last season. The Lutes walloped the Loggers 11-2 and 5-0 last season on April 14 before splitting a doubleheader the following day, with PLU prevailing 8-4 and UPS stealing the final game of the series 8-4.

About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (19-17, 14-10 NWC) is on fire, winning nine straight games for the first time since the end of the 2022 regular season.

That streak includes a four-game sweep of both Pacific and Whitworth.

Last weekend, the Lutes steamrolled Whitworth, keeping the Pirates off the scoreboard in 25 of the 27 innings played. PLU earned 5-0, 2-0, and 8-0 shutouts to start the series before holding on for a 4-3 victory to close the series on Sunday. All told, the Lutes outscored Whitworth 19-3 over the course of the series while finishing the weekend hitting .356 as a team.

The Lute pitching staff was the star of the weekend, with Paige Wilson, Rachel Treves, and Rachael Rhinehart combining for a 0.52 earned run average and held the Pirates to hitting just .214 at the plate. A week removed from a no-hitter, Rhinehart continued to impress, picking up two complete game victories and collecting 17 strikeouts while Wilson and Treves each tossed a complete game shutout.

Paola Garcia crushed the ball at the plate, earning NWC Hitter of the Week status on Monday. The sophomore had a .667 batting average over the weekend with six RBIs and four extra base hits. Garcia had four multi-hit games over the weekend and finished the series with a .692 on-base percentage and a 1.167 slugging percentage.

Casey Wright is one of four Lutes hitting above .300 on the season, sporting a .368 average with 22 RBIs and a team-high 12 stolen bases and eight home runs. Emma Ware is a .348 hitter with 11 RBIs while Paola Garcia is hitting .325 with a team-high 18 extra base gits and 30 RBIs. Molly House sports a .324 average at the plate with 20 RBIs and five home runs.

Paige Wilson leads a talented pitching staff with a 3.21 earned run average and a 5-3 record inside the circle. Rachael Rhinehart has been the workhorse with 79 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings of work with nine complete games. Rachel Treves has seen 64 innings inside the circle with 28 punch outs.

No-No By the Numbers: Rachael Rhinehart's no-hitter was the program's first since Elli Rassbach accomplished the feat in a 9-1 victory over Pacific on Feb. 25, 2017 and the first Lute shutout no-hitter since Stacey Hagensen during the national championship winning 2012 campaign. Rhinehart additionally was the first Lute to toss a no-hitter in a full seven inning game since Melissa Korb did so on April 17, 2002.

About the Loggers: Puget Sound (7-25, 5-19 NWC) looks to snap an 11-game slide. The Logger defeated Whitworth 5-3 back on April 13 to open up a four-game series but its been tough sledding since, getting outscored 25-1 by the host Pirates over the final three games of the series.

Since then, UPS has been swept by both Willamette (2-1, 11-3, 5-2, 9-6) and Lewis & Clark (13-5, 8-0, 27-9, 11-3).

Jessica Moore leads the Loggers with a .329 batting average while scoring 18 runs while Aislinn O'Reilly boasts a .306 average at the plate with 14 RBIs.

Hope Fleischman provides the power with a team-high 16 RBIs and four home runs.

Naomi Estrada leads the Loggers inside the circle with 70 strikeouts and five compete games in 60 innings of action. O'Reilly has tossed a team-high 66 2/3 innings with 35 punch outs and five complete games.