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

SELAH (Mar. 5) -- Senior Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) pitched three innings of hitless relief, and senior Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Central Washington University softball team earned a split with Montana State University Billings in its softball doubleheader on Saturday at Carlon Park. CWU won the second game, 4-3, after dropping the first game by the same score.

Central Washington is now 3-4 overall and 1-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play following the split of its conference openers on Saturday. Montana State Billings is now 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the GNAC. The games were played in Selah due to unplayable field conditions at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field on the CWU campus in Ellensburg.

Hadenfeld, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the opener before surrendering three unearned runs and three hits in the final frame of that contest, relieved CWU freshman Jessica Harris (Ellensburg) to start the fifth inning of the second game. She allowed just one baserunner -- a one-out walk to Nicole Colpron in the fifth -- and picked up the win after the Wildcats rallied.

Montana State Billings scored the game's first three runs on a three-run home run by Colpron in the first inning against Harris, who made just her second collegiate appearance and her first start. The rookie allowed just one hit over her final three innings of work, finishing with four strikeouts and three walks in four innings pitched.

Central's game-two come back started in the fourth, when Petrich was plunked and then scored on a designed double-steal play on which pinch runner Devin Larson (Puyallup/John Rogers HS) was put out in a rundown between first and second base.

In the fifth, consecutive one-out singles by Kristina Sherriff (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS) and Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) gave the Wildcats a pair of baserunners, and junior Michelle Torre (Kent/Liberty HS) came through with a pinch-hit RBI single in her first at-bat of the season to make it a 3-2 count.

Petrich was essentially pitched around in the entire nightcap. Her second walk of game two started the sixth inning, and she scored the game-tying run when Liz Jusko (Snohomish) reached on a one-out throwing error. She then plated the game-winning run with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh in her only official at-bat of the contest. In the final inning, freshman Jordan Zurfluh (Adna) led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error and then junior Natasha Wood (Graham/Graham-Kapowsin HS) followed with a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Petrich then lined a hit to the fence to score Zurfluh with the game-winner.

Cruz went 2 for 3 in game two, leading seven Wildcats with eight hits against losing pitcher Kasie Conder (3-2).

In the opener, Central led 3-1 entering the seventh inning as Hadenfeld took a no-no into the final frame, but a one-out fielding error opened the door for MSU Billings to score three runs on three hits, including the game-winning RBI double by Rose Harrington with two out.

The Wildcats fell behind on an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning, but tied the score in the bottom of the inning on sophomore Carrina Wagner's (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) second home run of the season to left field. CWU then took the lead on a solo blast by Petrich in the sixth, and added to the lead with a RBI single by redshirt freshman Lacey Reed (Orting) later in the inning.

Central finished with a 6-3 edge in hits in the opener, including two each by Zurfluh and Wagner. However, two Wildcat errors defensively led to four unearned runs and spoiled a 12-strikeout performance by Hadenfeld.

The two teams will conclude their four-game series on Sunday, again at Carlon Park. CWU is then not scheduled to play again until a four-game set at Western Oregon on Mar. 19-20.