BELMONT, Calif. (Feb. 14) – Central Washington University senior Brielle Copodonna hit a go-ahead grand slam in the softball team's opening contest against Notre Dame De Namur to lead the Wildcats to a 6-2 win, and threw nearly five perfect innings in game two to guide CWU to an 11-2 win and secured a perfect six-game road trip.
 
The Wildcats improve to 10-1 on the season and extend its winning streak to eight games.
 
"When I broke Brielle's swing down in the fall, she scored as high as any player on our team and she has to be in our lineup," CWU Head Coach Mike Larabee said of his senior.  "Pitching wise she is pitching the way a pitcher is supposed to pitch and she has worked hard. What she is doing is a testament to her hard work both at the plate and in the circle."
 
The Wildcats were down 2-1 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning before shortstop Taylor Ferleman tied the game with a base hit, scoring Michaela Hazlett from second base.  Three batters later, Copodonna came to bat with the bases loaded and sent the pitch over the outfield fence, driving home four runs on her second homerun of the season.  The five-run inning secured the victory for CWU, and starting pitcher Kiana Wood earned her sixth win of the season (6-0) and her fourth in the last six games.
 
"I am finding out that this team refuses to quit which makes it hard to ever lose confidence," Larabee said.  "We told the girls in the seventh inning to go out and make plays and they did that.  Notre Dame De Namur is probably one of the better teams we have faced this year and I am proud of the way we battled back."
 
In game two, Copodonna carried a perfect game deep into the fifth inning before a fielding error allowed the first Argonaut base runner of the contest.  It took NDNU 23 batters to record its first hit off Copodonna, which led to a two run frame for the home team.
 
However, the CWU offense exploded for 20 hits in the nightcap leading to the 11-2 victory.  Sammy Morris was a perfect 5 for 5 in the game, all singles, driving in two runs and scoring three times.  Nine different batters recorded a hit in the game with Kailyn Campbell and Austin Wilkerson each recording three hits, while Ferleman and Hazlett added two each.
 
"Sammy had to stop hitting the ball in the air and she made a big adjustment in game two," Larabee added.  "Ferleman is a triple threat, she can slap, bunt and hit the ball out.  When we can get our big hitters rolling like today, coupled with our pitching, we are a hard team to stop."
 
The 20 hits is the second most in school history.  The Wildcats have recorded 20 hits three times now, with the other two occurrences coming against Montana State Billings in 2015 and 2010.
 
One of Ferleman's hits was a three-run homerun in the fourth inning where the Wildcats added four runs.  Wilkerson also hit her first homerun of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning to put CWU up 8-0.
 
Morris finished the day 6 for 9 with three RBI.  Campbell went 5 for 8 with an RBI and Wilkerson went 5 for 9 with four RBI and two runs scored.
 
Kayla Smith saw her first action in the circle for the Central Washington throwing the final inning, striking out two batters without allowing a baserunner.
 
The 10-1 Wildcats will travel back to Ellensburg and will host their home opener on Mar. 3 against Corban University at 1 p.m.