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

NAMPA, Idaho (Feb. 17) -- Senior first baseman LIZ JUSKO (Snohomish) was a combined 5 for 7 at the plate, and six different Central Washington University softball players drove in two runs each on the day, as the Wildcats opened defense of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball title with an 11-2 and 9-4 doubleheader sweep of host Northwest Nazarene University on Friday afternoon at Halle Field.

The Wildcats, who have won the past two GNAC titles, extended their win streak to three games with Friday's sweep. CWU is now 3-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Northwest Nazarene fell to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

Jusko went 3 for 4 in the opening game and then was 2 for 3 in the nightcap, driving in a pair of runs in game two, with those RBI coming on a two-run single in the third inning that extended Central Washington's lead in the contest to 4-0.

Central Washington scored single runs in each of the first two innings on the day before allowing Northwest Nazarene to tie the score with a two spot in the bottom of the third inning. That tie remained until a tumultuous fifth inning for the Wildcats, as they sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored seven runs on five hits, aided by three Crusader errors. CWU then tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth to make it a nine-run cushion, and the game ended on the eight-run mercy rule after the bottom of the sixth.

Offensively, Central Washington finished with a season-high 15 in the opener. Six different Wildcats had either two, or in the case of Jusko and senior MOLLY COPPINGER (Belfair/North Mason HS), three hits. Three players -- Coppinger, junior ELENA CARTER (Olympia/Black Hills HS), and freshman AMANDA HOPKINS (Des Moines/Mount Rainier HS) -- recorded a double in the game-one victory.

Sophomore MARIA GAU (Woodinville) scattered seven hits in the six-inning complete game to earn the win and even her record at 2-2 on the season.

In game two, the Wildcats' hit parade continued, this time collecting 10 hits including four of the extra-base variety, in support of pitchers HEIDY WELLS (Fr., Tacoma/Stadium HS) and Kim Kocik (Jr., Mukilteo/Kamiak HS).

CWU built a 5-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings of play in support of Wells (1-2). However, Wells' shutout was erased by a leadoff home run from Kristin Refsland in the bottom of the fourth, and a solo blast by Arielle Chao in the fifth chased Wells from the game in favor of Kocik. The junior right-hander did allow a single to the first batter she faced -- Refsland -- who came around to score, but kept the lead in the Wildcats' grasp while they added four insurance runs over the final two innings.

Carter opened Central Washington's game-two scoring with her second home run of the season in the top of the second inning, while senior CARRINA WAGNER (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) capped the Wildcats' scoring with her second round-tripper of the season in the seventh. Sophomore JORDAN ZURFLUH (Adna) had a two-run triple to key Central Washington's three-run sixth, while senior NATASHA WOOD (Graham/Graham-Kapowsin HS) doubled and scored in the fourth to account for the Wildcats' four extra-base hits.

Jusko, Wood, and Zurfluh each went 2 for 3 in game two, while four others had one hit apiece.

Northwest Nazarene had a three-hit game from Refsland and a two-hit outing from Chao, as that duo scored all four of the Crusaders' runs in the nightcap.

The four-game weekend series concludes on Saturday at noon Mountain Standard Time with another doubleheader. Central Washington is then scheduled to play its home openers next Saturday (Feb. 25) versus Western Oregon University at Gary and Bobbi Frederick Field.