Linfield to host NWC tournament

Rusty Rae/News-Register##Tayah Kelley has been the best pitcher in the Northwest Conference this season, posting a league-best 1.46 ERA and 188 strikeouts, the most in the league. This weekend, she will look to lead Linfield to the NWC tournament crown.

The News-Register Staff

Linfield is hosting the Northwest Conference Softball Tournament, beginning today at Del Smith Stadium.

The Wildcats cruised to the regular season title, going 27-1 in conference play to win their second straight NWC championship. It’s the fourth title in the last five years, not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and the 18th in program history.

The ‘Cats also passed the 30-win mark for the 19th consecutive season this year, posting a 37-3 record, good for sixth in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.

Joining Linfield in the tournament field are Pacific Lutheran (18-10 in league play), George Fox (18-10) and Whitworth (15-13).

Against those three teams, the ‘Cats went a combined 11-1, with the lone loss coming against George Fox on March 29. Since that loss, the Wildcats have rattled off 18 consecutive wins, including four-game sweeps against PLU and Whitworth and two more wins against George Fox.

The ‘Cats were the top offensive team in the conference in the regular season, posting a .369 batting average and scoring 306 runs. Tayah Kelley has been dominant in the circle, posting a league best ERA (1.46) and the most strikeouts (188).

Katie Phillips drove in 58 runs to lead the league, and Kaili Saathoff scored a league-high 57 runs and hit .459 in 135 at-bats.

The conference tournament begins today, with Whitworth taking on Linfield at 3 p.m., followed by George Fox and PLU at 5:30.

The winner of those two games will face off at noon on Saturday, with the winner moving on to the finals. The losers of today’s games will follow in an elimination game, with the loser being eliminated and the winner taking on the loser of the noon Saturday game for the second spot in the final.

The championship series is scheduled to begin at noon on Sunday. If the 2-0 wins the first game, they will claim the conference crown and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. If they fall, a winner-take-all game will follow at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $6 per day for adults and $3 per day for children 12 and under, military and seniors. NWC students with ID, spectators with a Northwest Conference pass, and children under the age of six are given complimentary admission.