Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Apr. 26) -- Senior CARRINA WAGNER (Tacoma/Spanaway Lake HS) hit two home runs, including a game-winning two-run shot in the final home at-bat of her collegiate career, as the Central Washington University softball team defeated Northwest Nazarene University, 4-2, in game two of Thursday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field. NNU won the opener, 9-6.

The Wildcats finished the home portion of their 2012 schedule with a 7-5 record, and are now 18-28 overall on the season (14-20 GNAC). Northwest Nazarene, which snapped a 15-game losing streak with its game one victory while also defeating CWU in Ellensburg for the first time in series history, is now 7-36 overall and 6-28 in the conference.

Wagner's game-winning blast landed just beyond the right-field fence and broke a 2-2 tie. The score had been deadlocked earlier in the inning when junior ELENA CARTER (Olympia/Black Hills HS) homered, also to right field. Freshman HEIDY WELLS (Tacoma/Stadium HS) then singled on the first pitch of her at-bat to set the stage for Wagner, who deposited the first offering she saw out of the park.

Central Washington fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning after some wildness from sophomore pitcher MARIA GAU (Woodinville) put the Wildcats in an early hole. A leadoff walk, followed by singles sandwiched around a lineout, and then a bases-loaded walk gave the visiting Crusaders a 1-0 lead, and a bases-loaded single by Chelsea Allsbrook made it a 2-0 count. Gau settled down, though, inducing back-to-back fielder's choice groundouts to end the inning and preserve the two-run margin.

The Wildcats cut into the deficit in the bottom of the inning, as senior BRE THOMAS (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) reached on a four-pitch walk and was sacrificed to second by senior JEN SCHWARTZ (Spokane/Shadle Park HS). Carter then lined a double into the right-center field gap to score Thomas and make it a 2-1 score, where it remained until Central Washington's sixth-inning rally.

Gau (11-16) walked four but struck out nine, the second-highest K total of her two-year career. She threw a career-high 158 pitches, including 90 for strikes, while winning her fourth consecutive decision. Six of her nine strikeouts were called third strikes.

Carter was the only player on either team with more than one hit in the nightcap, going 2 for 3. Senior NATASHA WOOD (Graham/Graham-Kapowsin HS) and junior CASSI ELLIS (East Wenatchee/Eastmont HS) also doubled in the game.

In game one, Kristin Refsland hit a pair of home runs and drove in five for Northwest Nazarene as the Crusaders won for the first time in 30 all-time games in Ellensburg.

The Crusaders went ahead 3-0 in the top of the first inning on the first of Refsland's two blasts, and NNU extended the lead to 7-0 with four unearned runs in the fourth inning after three CWU errors -- all with two out.

Central Washington broke the shutout with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a RBI double by Carter and a towering three-run home run by Wagner over the center field fence, but a three-run deficit is as close as the Wildcats would get. Northwest Nazarene added two insurance runs in the seventh on a two-run home run by Refsland, and although CWU matched the Crusaders with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, the hosts were unable to left two runners on base to end the game.

The Wildcats finished with an 11-6 advantage in hits, but they left nine on base. Thomas had another multiple-hit game, going 2 for 4 with a run scored, while Carter was 2 for 3 and Wagner finished 3 for 4 with four RBI and two runs scored. CWU was plagued by four errors defensively, which led to a total of five unearned runs by NNU.

Wells allowed just one hit -- the seventh-inning home run by Refsland -- in 3 1/3 innings of relief. She struck out six and did not walk any.

Refsland went 3 for 4 for the Crusaders, whose winning pitcher was starter Krista Olson (3-8). Cara Duckworth allowed just one hit in the seventh and was credited with her first save of the season. CWU senior LINDY BAXTER (Olympia/River Ridge HS) was charged with the loss -- her first decision of the season -- after allowing seven runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings of work.

Central Washington will close out its 2012 season on Friday, visiting archrival Western Washington University for a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Bellingham. The Wildcats, who have won four of their first five meetings with the Vikings this season, have a one-game lead over WWU in the battle for fifth in the conference standings.

QUICK NOTES: Wagner's game-winning home run was the 29th of her three-year career, moving her into a tie with former teammate SAMANTHA PETRICH for third on the school's career list … Schwartz's sacrifice bunt was her 14th of the season, tying her with Logan Mohr (2007) for most in a single-season in school history. Schwartz is also the career leader with 45 sacrifices … Thomas, the GNAC Co-Player of the Week this week, was held hitless in game two. It marked just the third time in the last 15 games that she was held without a hit -- she had two or more hits in each of the other 12 games during that span.