Box Score vs. Notre Dame de Namur (W, 11-0)
Box Score vs. CSU Monterey Bay (W, 5-0)
Box Score vs. CSU East Bay (W, 11-5)

TURLOCK, Calif. (Mar. 26) -- The Central Washington University softball team outscored its three opponents, 27-5, and totaled 39 hits en route to a perfect 3-0 opening day at the Tournament of Champions, presented by Mizuno, on Friday at Pedretti Park.

The Wildcats earned consecutive shutout wins to open the tournament, with sophomore Lindy Baxter (Lacey/River Ridge HS) tossing a two-hitter in an 11-0 win over Notre Dame de Namur University, and junior Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) followed with a 14-strikeout, two-hit shutout of California State University, Monterey Bay in a 5-0 win. Central then rallied from an early 4-1 deficit to blast California State University, East Bay, 11-5, to complete the day undefeated.

The Wildcats are now 16-5 overall on the season and are one of just three undefeated teams in the 22-team tournament field.

In Friday's opening game against Notre Dame de Namur, Baxter struck out a season-high eight batters and kept the Argonauts (8-21) at bay while the CWU offense recovered from a slow start. After going hitless through three innings, the Central bats came alive in the fourth and fifth innings in support of Baxter, totaling six runs on six hits in the fourth and five more runs on seven hits in the fifth. Senior Taylor Trautmann (Renton/John F. Kennedy HS) had a bases-clearing triple as part of the six-run fourth, and the other three run-scoring plays in the frame did not leave the infield. Trautmann then added her fourth RBI of the game in the five-run fifth, while seniors Danielle Monson (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) and Christyne Alley (Battle Ground/Prairie HS) each collected their second RBIs of the game with singles in the fifth.

Four Wildcats had two hits each against NDNU, and all nine starters in the lineup had at least one hit as Central outhit the Argonauts 13-2.

Against Cal State Monterey Bay (19-9), which currently is second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings, Hadenfeld spun a pitching gem and extended her scoreless innings streak to 18 by fanning a career-high 14 hitters and allowing just a fifth-inning single to Nicole Garcia. The Wildcat offense racked up 10 more hits and scored all five of its runs on two extra-base hits -- a two-run home run by junior Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS) in the first and a three-run double by junior Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) in the fourth.

Seven of nine starters had at least one hit for CWU, including Monson, Cruz, and sophomore Meghan Kopczynski (Ellensburg), who had two hits apiece.

In the final game of the night against Division II newcomer Cal State East Bay (7-17), Central overcame a 4-1 deficit after the first inning by collecting a season-high 16 hits. A five-run fourth inning propelled the Wildcats to a 6-4 lead, and reliever Katriina Reime (Hoquiam) struck out a season-high seven in five innings of work to earn the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season.

Monson, who extended her hitting streak to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record-tying 20 games, went 3 for 5, as did Haupert against the Pioneers. Junior Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) was 2 for 2 with three RBI and two runs scored, pushing her hit streak to 12 games.

Leading 8-5 in the sixth inning, Hadenfeld was called upon to relieve Reime, and she proceeded to hold CSU East Bay hitless in 1 2/3 innings of relief to earn her first save as a Wildcat. Central added three runs, including a two-run home run by Cruz, in the top of the seventh to make it a final six-run margin.

Kopczynski, Trautmann, and sophomore Jennifer Schwartz (Spokane/Shadle Park HS) joined Monson, Haupert, and Petrich with multi-hit games.

Central Washington, which with its three wins Friday has already eclipsed the program's single-tournament high for wins in the nine-year history of the tournament, will have two more pool-play round games on Saturday against UC San Diego (21-10) and Cal State San Bernardino (15-19) at 3:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Bracket play will be contested on Sunday, with Central's opponent and schedule to be determined.