HTML Box Scores: Game 1 / Game 2

ELLENSBURG (Mar. 2) -- The Central Washington University softball team returned to action after a three-week layoff on Saturday, and the Wildcats cruised to 17-0 and 12-0 victories over the Washington State University club team at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field. Both games ended after 4 1/2 innings due to the eight-run rule.

The games against the Cougars' club team were late additions to the schedule, as CWU was originally slated to face Eastern Oregon University in a counting doubleheader on Saturday. The Mountaineers canceled the doubleheader three weeks ago, prompting third-year CWU head coach Mallory Holtman-Fletcher to scramble and add the WSU Club Team to the schedule.

GAME ONE: CWU 17, WSU 0
After neither team scored in the first 2 1/2 innings, the Wildcats erupted for eight runs in the third and nine more in the fourth for the victory.

Junior Maria Gau (Woodinville) took a perfect game into the fifth inning, but allowed a leadoff single to Jordan Vossen and an infield error two batters later, but preserved the shutout with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game. Gau totaled 11 strikeouts and threw just 62 pitches in five innings of work.

Offensively, CWU finished with 11 hits including six by the bottom three positions in the batting lineup. Freshman Rachel O'Neill (Kirkland/Juanita HS) went 3 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored from the number nine position in the order, while freshman Jessi Miracle (Richland/Kamiakin HS) had two run-scoring hits in the fourth inning alone. Freshman Alexa Olague (Tacoma/Woodrow Wilson HS) had a team-best three RBI in the game, with O'Neill, Miracle, senior Elena Carter (Olympia/Black Hills HS), and sophomore Dallas Maupin (Ellensburg/Kittitas HS) driving in two each.

GAME TWO: CWU 12, WSU 0
The Wildcats scored in every inning, and sophomore pitchers Heidy Wells (Tacoma/Stadium HS) and Taryn Smith (Olympia/Timberline HS) combined on a no-hitter with 12 total strikeouts as CWU won 12-0.

Wells struck out the first 11 hitters she faced in succession, with the only non-strikeout coming on a soft line drive to end the top of the fourth. Smith extended the perfect game through the first two batters of the fifth before allowing a four-pitch walk, but she preserved the combined no-hitter with a strikeout to end the game.

Offensively, CWU scored twice in the first, three times in the second, once in the third, and six times in the fourth. Freshman Andrea Hamada (Walla Walla) went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and two doubles, and the Wildcats finished with six two-base hits in the nightcap. Junior Jill McDaniels (Walla Walla) added two hits and three RBI, including a double, and eight of the nine CWU starters had at least one hit.

CWU will return to counting contests with its Great Northwest Athletic Conference openers next weekend. The Wildcats, whose overall counting record is 0-5, travel to Simon Fraser University (Mar. 8) and Western Washington University (Mar. 9) for a pair of GNAC doubleheaders. The next scheduled home games are Mar. 16 versus Saint Martin's University.