Box Score vs. Chico State (W, 4-2)
Box Score vs. #3 Hawaii Pacific (W, 3-0)
Box Score vs. #14 Sonoma State (L, 1-11)

TURLOCK, Calif. (Mar. 28) -- The Central Washington University softball team won its first two games on Sunday, but the Wildcats' run for its first-ever Tournament of Champions championship ended with an 11-1 loss to 14th-ranked Sonoma State University at Pedretti Park.

The Wildcats finished second in the 22-team tournament and won five of eight tournament games over three days. Central is now 18-8 after Sunday victories over Chico State (17-13), 4-2, and a 3-0 upset of third-ranked Hawaii Pacific (30-3).

Senior outfielder Danielle Monson (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) and junior pitcher Lauren Hadenfeld(Vancouver/Evergreen HS) both earned all-tournament team honors. Monson had 17 hits in 29 at-bats (.586) in the tournament and pushed her hitting streak to a conference- and school-record 25 games. Hadenfeld won three of four decisions and added a save in the tournament, posting an 0.97 earned-run average with 37 strikeouts in 29 tournament innings pitched, improving to 11-2 on the season.

In the opening game against Chico State, Hadenfeld and the Wildcats spotted Chico a 2-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings but scored four runs with two out in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead. Sophomore Molly Coppinger (Belfair/North Mason HS) started the rally with a line drive single off the third baseman's glove, and pinch-hitter Carrina Wagner (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) delivered a RBI triple to get CWU on the scoreboard. After a Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) single brought home the tying run, junior Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run double.

Hadenfeld struck out six and walked two against Chico State to earn the win. Each team finished with seven hits, as Central's Monson and Petrich had two hits each. Wagner improved to 8 for 9 as a pinch-hitter on the season with the aforementioned RBI triple.

In the semifinals against third-ranked Hawaii Pacific, Central scored in the top of the first inning on a fielder's choice and Hadenfeld came back to throw five more scoreless innings. She struck out six before being relieved by senior Katriina Reime (Hoquiam) in the sixth, and she held HPU hitless over the final two frames to earn her fourth save of the season and help the Wildcats complete the upset win.

CWU added insurance runs in each of the final two innings, using a solo home run from Petrich for its sixth-inning run and a two-out RBI single from Cruz for its seventh-inning tally.

The Wildcats outhit the Pacific West Conference leaders by a 9-3 count, led by two-hit outings from four players. Petrich scored two of Central's three runs.

In the tournament title game against Sonoma State, the Wildcats simply ran out of gas and were overmatched by a hot-hitting Seawolf team and tournament Most Valuable Player Julianne Martinez in the pitching circle.

Central fell behind 5-0 after two innings, and trailed 10-0 in the fourth before junior Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS) broke the shutout with her eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth. That was the last of the Wildcats' three hits in the five-inning game.

CWU had a rare hits disadvantage, as Sonoma State had 11 hits in 25 at-bats against two Wildcat pitchers, and four errors compounded Central's difficulties in the tournament title game.

Central Washington will now return to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play for its final 24 games of the regular season. The Wildcats, who lead the conference with a 13-3 GNAC record, will travel to Northwest Nazarene University for a four-game series next Friday and Saturday (Apr. 2-3) in Nampa, Idaho.