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

LACEY (Apr. 10) -- Freshman pitcher Maria Gau (Woodinville) allowed just three hits in posting her first collegiate shutout, and the Central Washington University offense scored eight runs in each game Sunday as the Wildcats pushed their win streak to seven games with 8-2 and 8-0 victories over host Saint Martin's University. The second game lasted just six innings.

The Wildcats improved to 17-11 overall and 11-5 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with Sunday's sweep. Saint Martin's fell to 3-18 overall and 2-14 in the conference.

Gau's three-hitter came in the six-inning second game that was shortened due to the eight-run mercy rule. She struck out just one and walked two, but allowed just one hit in the first four innings. Saint Martin's got leadoff singles in each of the final two innings but were unable to score against Central's freshman right-hander.

Meanwhile, the Wildcat offense rattled the bats for 24 hits in the doubleheader. Five of those hits were home runs, including three in the nightcap. Central scored twice each in the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, scoring on singles by seniors Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS) and Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Junior Molly Coppinger (Belfair/North Mason HS) led off the Wildcats' two-run fourth with her first home run of the season, while junior Bre Thomas (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) scored later in the inning on an error.

Home runs punctuated Central's final two scoring frames. Sophomore Carrina Wagner (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) had a two-run blast -- her second round-tripper of the doubleheader and seventh of the season -- to account for the Wildcats' scoring in the fifth, while senior Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS) blasted her eighth homer of the year in the sixth inning to put CWU in position for the mercy-rule victory.

Central finished with an 11-3 hits advantage, as eight of its nine starters had at least one hit in the series finale. Coppinger and Petrich, who upped her season batting average to .438, had two hits each in the contest.

In game one, senior Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) allowed just two hits -- both solo home runs -- over six innings of work and the Wildcats exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to their 8-2 victory.

Hadenfeld, who improved to 11-6 on the season with her fourth consecutive victory, struck out just three but allowed just the home runs to Joslyn Eugenio and Kelsey McGladrey in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, before giving way to junior reliever Lindy Baxter (Lacey/River Ridge HS). Baxter pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing just one hit, as the Wildcats took the six-run victory.

Central opened the game's scoring on a RBI single by sophomore Elena Carter (Olympia/Black Hills HS), and then made it a 2-0 count on Petrich's run-scoring single in the fourth. After Saint Martin's tied the game with its aforementioned home runs in the bottom half of the next two innings, the Wildcats erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth. Haupert singled in the first run, while two runs scored on a fielder's choice and error. Then, junior Liz Jusko (Snohomish) and Wagner went back-to-back with home runs to cap the scoring.

The Wildcats also had eight of their starters collecting at least one hit in the opener, as they finished with a series-high 13 hits. Petrich and Jusko were each 3 for 4 in the game, while Thomas added two hits from her leadoff position in the batting order.

Central Washington, which has outscored opponents 47-10 and is hitting .335 during its current seven-game winning streak, will return home for a four-game series next weekend against Northwest Nazarene University (13-19, 12-10 GNAC) at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field. The series is scheduled to be played on Friday (Apr. 15) and Saturday (Apr. 16) at 1 p.m. and noon, respectively.