LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Feb. 15) -- Central Washington junior catcher Austin Wilkerson hit a solo homerun in the top of the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie as the softball team defeated Eastern New Mexico 6-5 in their final game of the Desert Stinger to improve to 4-1 on the season.
 
With the game tied in the seventh, Wilkerson led off the inning with a solo homerun to centerfield to pull the Wildcats into a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom a half of the final inning.
 
Brielle Copodonna, shuts down the Zias in order in the seventh inning securing the win for the Wildcats and picking up her first win of the season (1-0).
 
Central Washington got on the board first when Sammy Morris led off the game with a double to center field, eventually scoring on sacrifice fly by Andrea Hamada.
 
The Wildcats took advantage of multiple Zias errors scoring three runs in the second inning with Remy Bradley, Taylor Ferleman, and Celine Fowler crossing home plate in the frame.
 
Central Washington led 4-0 going into the third inning, but Eastern New Mexico scored three runs on five hits to cut the CWU lead to 4-3.
 
Fowler scored her second run of the game on a RBI fielders choice by Kailyn Campbell in the fourth, but the Zias answered by scoring twice in the bottom half of the frame to tie game 5-5 heading into the fifth inning.
 
Copodonna came in relief for the Wildcats in the fifth, and despite walking the first two batters of the inning, the junior pitched herself out of the jam and the game stayed deadlocked heading into the seventh inning before Wilkerson hit her game-winning homerun.
 
Up next the Wildcats travel to California for six games starting with a doubleheader against Dominican University on Feb. 21.