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

MONMOUTH, Ore. (May 8) -- Junior Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) hit a pair of two-run home runs in game one, and sophomore Lindy Baxter (Lacey/Timberline HS) tossed a three-hit shutout in game two as the Central Washington University softball team continued its torrid win streak with 12-1 and 1-0 victories over host Western Oregon University on Saturday.

The wins extend Central's win streak to a baker's dozen, capping their regular season with a 37-13 overall record and the program's first Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship with a conference-record 32 league wins (32-8). Western Oregon finished its season at 32-21 overall and 26-14 in the GNAC.

The Wildcats started the day strong, as their first five base runners reached base safely and they scored a total of six runs in the top of the first inning. They eventually had at least two runners on in each of the five innings at the plate and scored in four of the five frames, capping the contest with two runs each in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

Petrich, who had set a school and GNAC single-game record with three home runs in a game at Montana State Billings last Sunday, had her fourth multi-homer game of the year by delivering two-run blasts in the third and fifth innings. Central also scored its two fourth-inning runs on a two-run home run, as sophomore Meghan Kopczynski (Ellensburg) had her second round-tripper of the season.

While the CWU offense was hitting -- to the count of nine hits against three Western Oregon pitchers, junior right-hander Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) had her way with Wolves hitters. She improved to 21-4 on the season, allowing just three hits (including two in the WOU third inning in which the hosts scored their lone run of the day). Hadenfeld totaled five strikeouts in her final outing of the regular-season, upping her season total to 187.

Petrich and Danielle Monson (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) again had multiple-hit games for CWU in the opener with three and two, respectively, while Petrich took over the team and conference lead in RBI by driving in those four runs. She also broke the GNAC single-season record in the process.

In the nightcap, Baxter threw her third shutout of the season and Kopczynski gave Central the only run of the game with a second-inning home run as the Wildcats earned their first 1-0 win in more than five years.

Kopczynski's second-inning solo home run was part of a 3 for 3 effort at the plate in the game as she accounted for half of the Wildcats' six hits. She also had singles in the fourth and sixth innings.

Baxter (9-9) worked her way out of two jams in the contest despite allowing just three hits. She kept the Wolves scoreless after one out and the bases loaded in the first inning and escaped the sixth inning after WOU had two runners in scoring position and one out.

Kopczynski and Monson had multi-hit games for the Wildcats in game two, as Monson totaled two more hits to increase her season total to 96 and raise her batting average to .522. Freshman Carrina Wagner (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) had Central's other hit in the game.

CWU will now take its win streak into the NCAA Division II Softball Championship, which will begin next Friday (May 14) at a site to be announced. The selection show for the championship will be held at 7 a.m. on Monday morning on www.ncaa.com.