ELLENSBURG, Wash. (May 2) – The Central Washington University Softball Team nixed the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks 8-0 in five innings in the opening round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships. Now, the Wildcats set their sights on the Concordia (Ore.) with a chance to advance to Championship Saturday without a loss in the double-elimination tournament.
GAME INFORMATION
Friday | May 3 | 10:00 a.m.
No 3 Concordia (Ore.) vs. No. 1 Central Washington
Portland, Ore. | Porter Park
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FROM THE COACH
"Concordia is going to be a really tough game for us," CWU head coach
Mike Larabee said. "In order for them to advance to the regional, they have to win this tournament. We are 2-2 against them on the season. We have to come out and play to our potential. If we don't respect them, they are going to beat us."
SCOUTING CONCORDIA (ORE.)
Concordia (Ore.) is led by dual-threat Mckenzie Smith. The utility player, who has seen starting time at pitcher, first base and designated player, has a .319 batting average at the plate and a 3.53 earned run average in the circle. Smith is tied for second in the GNAC with 14 wins. Hannah Self leads the Cavaliers with a .328 batting average and 12 home runs while Sally Bowles tops the team with a 3.14 earned run average. Bowles is fifth in Division II with 0.65 walks allowed per seven innings.
THIS SEASON
The Wildcats and Cavaliers split the four-game regular season set, as the visitors took both road games in each of the two teams meetings. On March 24, the Cavaliers took two games from Wildcats by scores of 6-4 and 7-2 in Ellensburg. On April 27, The Wildcats claimed two games against the Cavaliers 3-0 and 12-4 in Portland.
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: CONCORDIA 5, WESTERN OREGON 0
Stellar pitching and two timely home runs from the Cavaliers propelled them to a 5-0 over Western Oregon in the opening round of the GNAC Softball Championships.
Smith threw a one-hitter to give Concordia its first-ever win in the GNAC Softball Championships, improving to 15-8 on the season as she allowed just two walks and struck out two on just 77 pitches. Self's two-out, two-run homer in the top of the first proved the difference to back-up a one-hitter by Smith. The homer by Self, along with Karley Yoshioka's first home run of the season in the top of the sixth, accounted for the only runs of the game that was a tremendous duel between Smith and Western Oregon senior ace Haley Fabian. The two pitchers combined to allow just six hits in the contest.
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: CENTRAL WASHINGTON 8, NORTHWEST NAZARENE 0
The Central Washington University Softball Team brought their bats to the opening round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. The Wildcats pounded eight hits on their way to an 8-0 win over the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Thursday.
Savannah Egbert put the Wildcats in motion by reaching on an error in the first inning against the Nighthawks. She would advance to second after
Katie Kastning grounded out to the short stop. Egbert advanced to third on a wild pitch. The smart base running allowed
Maddy Zerr to smack a sacrifice fly into left field. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead over the Nighthawks without recording a hit in the opening frame.
The Wildcats picked up their first hit of the game in the third inning.
Kayla Ellis punched a double into the right center field gap.
Rachael Johnson laid down a bunt to advance a pinch-running
Alee Cruz to third base. The ball was fielded, but mishandled by the second basemen who was receiving the throw at first. The error put runners on the corners Egbert. Egbert came through, slashing a ball into left field that drove in Cruz. The Wildcats led 2-0 with runners on first and second and nobody out in the inning.
Kastning dropped down a sacrifice bunt that advanced those runners to second and third. Those runners were in the same spot when
Julia Reuble stepped to the plate with two outs. Reuble scorched a 2-2 pitched through the middle of the infield, bringing Johnson and Egbert home to score. With one swing of the bat, Reuble had doubled the Wildcats lead to 4-0. The Wildcats had chances to add on, but left three runners stranded on base to close out the third.
Ellis opened the fourth inning with a bang. The senior clubbed her second home run of the year. The solo home run gave the Wildcats a 5-0 lead. Ellis finished the game 2-for-2 with a double and a home run, all coming on her birthday.
With two outs in the fifth, the Wildcats had the bases loaded for Smith. Smith lofted a single down the right field line that plated Johnson and
Keegan Wise.
Bethany Balucan followed with a single into right field that scored Reuble. The Wildcats had an 8-0 lead after four innings of play and would take the game by that score.
Lexie Strasser (16-9) set the tone early for the Wildcats in the circle. Strasser sat down the first six batters she faced in order and got all four of her strikeouts during that span. The biggest jam Strasser faced came in the fourth inning. The Nighthawks' Anna Williams led off the inning with a single. After a quick out, Brittany Genaurdi worked a walk, putting runners on first and second with one out. Strasser retired the next batters she faced, and left the inning unharmed.
