Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

ELLENSBURG (Feb. 28) -- Central Washington University juniors Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) and Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS) each drove in four runs in game one, helping lead the Wildcat softball team to a 10-5 victory over Western Oregon in the home and Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener for both schools on Sunday afternoon at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field. Western Oregon took game two, 9-5, to earn a split of the twinbill.

The Wildcats are now 1-3 on the season, and 1-1 in GNAC play, while Western Oregon is 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC.

Petrich delivered Central's first runs of the season with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning of the opener, giving the Wildcats a 3-1 lead. That lead stood until the fourth, when the visiting Wolves pieced together four runs with home runs by Bailey Rueck and Jessie Lessard, along with consecutive doubles including a run-scoring two-bagger by Ellen Bogardus.

The Wildcats rallied back in the fifth and scored seven runs in their final two trips to the plate in game one. Central took the lead in the fifth with four runs on two hits against Lessard and Brittany Reeves, forcing the Wolves to relieve their starting pitcher and then re-enter her in the same inning. Three consecutive bases-loaded walks to Wildcat hitters gave Central a 6-5 lead, and the inning's final run scored on a sacrifice fly by Elena Carter (Olympia/Black Hills HS).

In the sixth, Haupert delivered the biggest hit -- a one-out, bases-loaded double that chased Lessard for a second time and secured the opening-game win for the Wildcats.

Senior Katriina Reime (Hoquiam) pitched 3 2/3 innings of two-hit relief to earn the victory.

In addition to the four-RBI outings of Petrich and Haupert, which they accumulated with just one base hit each, senior Danielle Monson (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) went 3 for 4 with three runs scored. Eight of Central's 10 runs were scored by the top three hitters in their lineup, with number nine hitter Taylor Trautmann (Renton/John F. Kennedy HS) scoring the other two.

Western Oregon's only multi-hit outing in the opener was from Rueck, who went 2 for 3 and drove in a pair.

In game two, Central Washington fell behind 5-0 after two costly first-inning errors were converted into four unearned runs by Western Oregon. The Wildcats scored twice in the third on an RBI single by Haupert and a bases-loaded walk to senior Ashley Fix (Puyallup), but WOU responded with three in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Tyler Sutherland homered and Jessica Hallmark had a two-run single for the visitors in the inning.

CWU countered with two runs of its own in the fourth, scoring the first on a RBI double by Petrich and the second on a sacrifice fly by Haupert. Each team scored once in the sixth to account for the final 9-5 margin.

Monson had another multiple-hit game for the Wildcats, going 2 for 5, as Central had eight hits in the contest. Western Oregon finished with 11 safeties including three in as many at-bats by Rueck.

The two teams will complete their four-game series on Monday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.