NAMPA, Idaho – Junior outfielder Rachael Johnson recorded her 46^th stolen base in her career becoming the softball team's all-time leader as the Central Washington University softball team split the first two games of its four-game series with Northwest Nazarene, defeating the Nighthawks 6-4 after falling 3-2 in the opener.
 
The Wildcats improve to 25-10 on the season and 13-5 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, while the Nighthawks now stand at 20-19, 11-7 GNAC.
 
Johnson swiped her record-breaking base in the seventh inning of game one, her 46^th of her career.  Johnson also stole a base in game two and now has 47 for her career.  She holds a career stolen base percentage of 92.2 which ranks second all-time.
 
In the 6-4 win, Katie Kastning broke open a 1-1 tie with a three-run double in the fourth inning.  Jacie McDaniels added a RBI single in the frame as the Wildcats held a 5-1 lead.
 
Northwest Nazarene answered back with a two runs in the bottom of the fourth followed by a one-run fifth to pull within one of the Wildcats at 5-4.
 
Theresa Moyle led off the seventh inning with a double to right field, and Reuble drove her in on a ball hit to the shortstop to give CWU the two-run margin.
 
Lexie Strasser earned the save and shut the door on the Nighthawks, earning her first save of the season.  Kayla Smith started in the circle in game two, and was relieved by Taylor Williams in the fifth inning; Williams allowed no hits and faced seven batters in her two innings of work.  Smith earned the win improving to 7-2 on the season.
 
In game one, NNU's Jordan Adams outdueled CWU Lexie Strasser in a matchup of the GNAC's top pitchers.  Strasser gave up three runs over six innings with four strikeouts.  Strasser fell to 15-6 on the season while Adams improved to 13-5.
 
The Wildcats held a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Egbert walked to lead off the game and eventually scored on a passed ball.  NNU quickly knotted the score scoring once in the bottom of the first off of two hits.
 
Central added on more in the fifth as Johnson took advantage of a pair of NNU errors, scoring off an Egbert single and an error by the NNU outfield.
 
Once again, NNU did not let the CWU lead last as they fired back with a run of its own in the fifth.  The Nighthawks scored the game-winning run in the sixth recording two hits in the frame.
 
The Wildcats and Nighthawks wrap up the four game series tomorrow starting at 11 a.m.