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

BELLINGHAM (Mar. 13) -- Junior Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS) homered twice and drove in seven runs in two games combined, helping the Central Washington University softball team to an 8-7, 8-3 doubleheader sweep of host Western Washington on Saturday afternoon at Viking Field.

With the wins, the Wildcats improved to 8-4 overall and 8-2 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Western fell to 5-5 overall and in GNAC action.

Haupert delivered a grand slam as part of a five-run third inning in the opener, helping Central overcome an early 1-0 deficit. Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) had gotten the Wildcats on the scoreboard earlier in the inning with a RBI single as the third of five consecutive hits. After Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) singled for the fourth straight safety, Haupert blasted an 0-2 offering over the left-field fence to give the Wildcats a 5-1 advantage.

After Western scored once in the bottom of the third, Central's margin reached 8-2 after scoring once in the fourth and twice more in the fifth, as pinch-runner Jennifer Schwartz (Spokane/Shadle Park HS) scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch to extend the margin to six runs.

Western Washington stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking advantage of a pair of walks and an infield error. Caitlin Dotlich delivered a three-run home run to cap the Vikings' five-run rally that made the score 8-7. Senior Katriina Reime (Hoquiam) relieved junior starter Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) with one out in the inning and proceeded to shut down the Vikings the rest of the way, surrendering just two hits over 2 2/3 innings of relief work.

Each team had scoring chances in the seventh inning, but both teams hit into double plays to end the game, including a 4-6-3 twin killing by the Wildcat defense that preserved the victory.

Central had a 12-8 edge in hits in the opener,  with five different Wildcats collecting two hits each. Haupert, Taylor Trautmann (Renton/John F. Kennedy HS), and Danielle Monson (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) all had extra-base hits, with speedsters Trautmann and Monson delivering triples.

In the second game, the Wildcats built an 8-1 lead highlighted by a five-run third before cruising to the 8-3 victory.

Haupert again delivered the go-ahead home run, belting a two-run shot in the third, while senior Christyne Alley (Battle Ground/Prairie HS) and Monson also had run-scoring hits in the inning. The final run of the frame, which gave Central a 6-1 lead, scored on an error.

Each team scored twice in the sixth as Haupert and senior Ashley Fix (Puyallup) each plated runs for the Wildcats.

Central finished with a 15-7 edge in hits, and sophomore Lindy Baxter (Lacey/River Ridge HS) pitched a complete-game victory by scattering seven hits and surviving five walks.

Monson and Petrich each had three hits in five at-bats in the nightcap, while three others -- sophomore Meghan Kopczynski (Ellensburg), Schwartz, and Alley -- had two hits each for the Wildcats. Jordan Emmil was the lone Western player with more than one hit in game two.

The two teams will wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader on Sunday at noon, with the Wildcats looking to claim their third consecutive GNAC series and maintain their early lead in the conference standings.