LACEY, Wash. –  The Central Washington University softball team fell 8-6 in its loser-out contest with Western Oregon University, ending its chances at winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.
 
Central Washington, the 2017 GNAC Regular Season Champions, are now 34-15 on the season, and will have to wait until Monday morning to learn its fate in the 2017 NCAA West Regional Tournament.  Central sat at seventh in the region to begin this week, with the top eight teams making the national tournament.  Western Washington and Western Oregon will compete for the GNAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals tomorrow at noon.
 
The Wildcats got on the board in the top of the first when Taylor Ferleman reached on an infield single that scored Celine Fowler from third base.
 
In the third inning, the Wolves worked three runs around, all with two outs, and added four more in the fourth on a solo homerun and a three-run shot to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
 
In the fifth, the Wildcats pieced together three singles to load the bases with two outs, but a ground out to first base ended the Wildcats hopes in the frame.
 
The sixth was very fruitful for the Wildcats who saw five runs come across on four hits, including a pair of extra-base hits from Ferleman and Savannah Egbert.  Both Ferleman and Egbert drove in runs in the inning, along with Sammy Morris who plated two runners on a single.
 
Western Oregon added some insurance with a run on a single down the right field line that scored Kelsie Gardner from first base, to take the final 8-6 victory.
 
Ferleman was a perfect 3 for 3 on the day with three RBI.  Fowler, Morris and Campbell each collected two hits in the game.