TURLOCK, Calif. – Central Washington University pitchers Kiana Wood and Kayla Smith each recorded complete game shutouts, helping the softball team to a pair of victories in its first two games of the Tournament of Champions hosted by Stanislaus State.
 
The Wildcats defeated Cal State San Bernardino 7-0 in the opener and Holy Names by a score of 8-0 in the five inning night cap.
 
Wood went all seven in game one allowing five hits, using just 63 pitches to complete the task.  Wood kept runners of the base paths as she refused to give out free passes, walking zero batters while striking out three.  Wood kept the ball in the infield inducing 15 ground outs and just three fly outs.
 
Smith allowed just two hits over five innings, surrendering one walk while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season.
 
"We say it all the time, everything starts in the circle, and that was true today," CWU Head Coach Mike Larabee said.  "Wood and Smith followed the game plan to a T.  Kiana cut batters with her drop and located from start to finish.  Smith had been struggling, but she came through today and went after hitters, and kept the ball down.  We didn't get a ton a strikeouts, but our defense is playing at a very high level right now and our best option is to make our opponents put the ball in play and let our defense clean it up."
 
With the pair of victories the Wildcats improve to 21-5 on the season and are riding a 14-game win streak.
 
In the opener, Kailyn Campbell got the scoring started in the first with a double down the right field line that scored Rachael Johnson from second base.
 
Julia Reuble followed in the fourth inning with a towering solo homerun to left center field on a full count to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.  The blast was Reuble's second homerun of the season.
 
In the fifth Jacie McDaniels increased the CWU advantage with a two-run big fly to left field, and a pair of RBI hits by Kayla Ellis in the fifth and seventh innings gave the Wildcats the final 7-0 advantage.
 
The Central Washington offense carried the momentum into the game two, scoring all eight runs in the first inning.  McDaniels got things going with a RBI double to right field, followed by an infield single by Reuble that plated Campbell.  Paige Liikala and Campbell finished off the frame with a pair of two-RBI singles.
 
That was more than enough for Smith who shut the Hawks down in the fifth inning, forcing a pair of groundouts to McDaniels and a fly out to Sarah Gilliam to end the game.
 
The Wildcats return to action tomorrow, Apr. 1 against Academy of Art and San Francisco State at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.