Box Score vs. CSU East Bay
Box Score vs. Humboldt State
Box Score vs. CSU Dominguez Hills
TURLOCK, Calif. (Apr. 2) -- The Central Washington University softball team totaled 45 hits over three games, including a school-record 21 hits versus California State University, East Bay, en route to wins in two of its three games at the Tournament of Champions, presented by Mizuno, on Saturday at Pedretti Park.
The Wildcats are now 11-11 on the season following wins over Cal State East Bay (18-1) and California State University, Dominguez Hills (8-0) and a 4-3 loss to Humboldt State University. CWU will face Dominican University of California (1-25) in the semifinal round of the consolation bracket on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. at Warrior Field on the California State University, Stanislaus campus.
In the first game of the day, Central used a 12-run seventh inning to turn a 6-1 lead into an 18-1 blowout victory over CSU East Bay. The Wildcats totaled a school-record 21 hits in the contest, while their 18 runs scored were the second-most in school history for a single game. They also tied a single-game record with six doubles, all of which came in the prolific seventh inning.
In the record-breaking inning, CWU batted through the order twice, with each of the first 15 hitters reaching base safely. The first 12 of those came home to score, and the Wildcats finished with six doubles, three singles, two home runs, three walks, and a hit batsmen.
Among the Wildcats' offensive leaders against CSU East Bay was junior Kristina Sherriff (Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck HS), who went 4 for 6 in her first career start in right field. Senior Samantha Petrich (Chehalis/W.F. West HS), junior Liz Jusko (Snohomish), and sophomore Elena Carter (Olympia/Black Hills HS) all had three hits, with Jusko driving in a career-high five runs and Sherriff and Petrich plating three each. Seven of Central's nine starters had multi-hit games.
Senior pitcher Lauren Hadenfeld (Vancouver/Evergreen HS) had the first of two masterful performances in the circle, striking out 11 with just two walks. She allowed just five hits in the game but retired the final 10 Pioneer hitters she faced.
In the Wildcats' second game of the day against Humboldt State, Central nearly rallied from a 3-1 first-inning deficit and had the tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game in suffering a 4-3 defeat.
CWU scored an unearned run in the top of the first, aided by two passed balls and singles by junior Bre Thomas (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) and senior Kelsey Haupert (Olympia/Black Hills HS). However, Humboldt State scored three times in the bottom of the inning against freshman pitcher Maria Gau (Woodinville), who was relieved after retiring just one hitter. Hadenfeld inherited a 3-1 deficit but escaped a bases-loaded jam without any further damage.
Central tacked on single runs in the third and fifth innings, while Humboldt State scored the eventual game-winning run in the fourth inning. The Wildcats' final two runs both came on wild pitches, while the Lumberjacks' decisive tally scored on an infield single.
CWU had opportunities to score in both the fourth and seventh innings. The Wildcats left the bases loaded in the fourth before seeing the potential tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game. In the final inning, Petrich reached on a leadoff single, and after a fielder's choice allowed senior Keilani Cruz (Tacoma/Curtis HS) to reach safely, Jusko lined a ball to the right-center field gap. Cruz attempted to score from first on the play, but a strong relay by the HSU defense retired the senior center fielder at the plate to end the contest.
Hadenfeld allowed just two hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings of relief. Haupert and sophomore Carrina Wagner (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) had two hits each against Humboldt State as the Wildcats finished with a 9-6 hit advantage.
Closing out pool play against Cal State Dominguez Hills, Hadenfeld struck out six more and tossed a two-hit shutout, while the top six hitters in the Wildcat lineup all had multiple-hit games and combined for 13 safeties as CWU earned just its second mercy-rule victory of the season.
Central scored at least one run in five of its six innings at the plate against the Toros, with a two-run first and a three-run sixth bookending the rout. Haupert drove in two of the Wildcats' first three runs with singles in the first and third innings, while Petrich made it a 4-0 count in the fourth with an RBI single of her own.
The margin reached five runs in the fifth after Thomas' single over the drawn-in infield, and CWU extended the lead to eight in the sixth on a RBI single by Jusko and a two-run home run by Wagner.
Petrich had three hits in the day's final game, including her second triple in three contests, while Thomas, Sherriff, Haupert, Cruz, and Jusko all had two hits each.
The Wildcats' 45 hits over Saturday's three games enabled the team to raise its season batting average by 30 percentage points to .286. Six players had at least five hits in the three games combined, led by Sherriff, whose seven hits in 13 at bats on Saturday catapulted her average from .148 to .275.
Hadenfeld logged 18 2/3 innings and 269 total pitches in the three games, striking out 23 while allowing just nine hits over that span.
Should CWU defeat Dominican in Sunday's first contest, the Wildcats would then advance to the championship game of the five-team consolation bracket. That game would be played at 2:45 p.m.
