ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The Central Washington University softball team split its doubleheader against Western Washington University.  

The Wildcats (13-9, 4-2 GNAC) fell in game one, 8-6, before taking game two 1-0.  The Vikings (10-12, 5-5 GNAC) were held scoreless by Lexie Strasser (5-1) in game two.

QUOTABLE
"We played two tough games today and our defense and pitching were outstanding," CWU Head Coach Alison Mitchell said.  "Syd Brown was a vacuum at short today.  Everything she's been working on came together and I was so pumped for her.  Taylor, Lexie, and Sam were outstanding in the circle today and Myiah [Seaton] did a great job behind the plate.  They were hitting spots really well and Myiah was hosing people trying to take second.  Overall, I felt like we never gave up and were never out of a game today.  Our energy was solid both games.  At the plate we struggled to make adjustments early enough, but we continued to battle and it showed.  We are getting better each game and I'm hoping we get a chance to finish our season."

GAME ONE | Western Washington 8, Central Washington 6
Western scored first, sending a runner across the plate in the top of the first.  A ground ball kicked off a fielder's glove, allowing Chantelle Shimabukuro to score.

They struck again in the third inning.  Kylisa Hull reached on a fielding error, before Dakota Brooks moved her to second with a single.  After a lineout, Anna Kasner hit a three-run homerun to dead center field.

Trailing 4-0, the Wildcats managed their first run in the bottom of the third. A lead-off walk from Harlee Carpenter set the table.  An infield single for Maddy Zerr put runners on first and second with no outs.  Julia Reuble lifted a pitch deep to right field, well deep enough for Carpenter to advance to third. With runners on the corners, Kasner fired a pitch that got away from her battery mate.  Carpenter took off for the plate and slid safely in under the tag to make it 4-1.

After setting down the Vikings in short order in the top of the fifth, Central's offense put up a crooked number in the bottom of the inning.  Another lead-off walk from Carpenter opened the frame.  Zerr then worked a walk and was lifted for Adriana Lomeli-Smith.  Two batters later, Sydney Brown laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on a throwing error by Kasner.  After retiring the next hitter, the Vikings seemed prime to escape the damage.  Alycia Bannan strode to the plate as a pinch hitter and lifted a fly ball to center field.  It was dropped in center, allowing Brown, Lomeli-Smith, and Carpenter to score and level the game at 4-4.

Western once again took the lead in the top of the sixth.  A lead-off walk gave way to a stolen base, placing a runner on second with nobody out.  Samantha Stanfield got Paityn Cyr to go down looking, before getting Tamia Hirano to fly out to right field.  The throw from Keegan Wise in right kept the runner on second with two outs.  The runner advanced to third on a passed ball.  A single from Shimabukuro made it 5-4 in favor of the Vikings.

Central threatened in the bottom of the inning, advancing Alee Cruz to third after a lead-off walk, but did not find a way to level the score in the sixth.  

The Vikings scored three runs in the seventh on a two-run single and then a sacrifice fly.  They took an 8-4 lead into the seventh.

A pair of walks to Mikayla Kopacz and Myiah Seaton put two runners aboard for the Wildcats in the final frame.  Theresa Moyle laced a two-out, two-run, pinch hit double to left center, cutting the deficit to 8-6.  Kasner forced a groundout to seal the game one win.  

GAME TWO | Central Washington 1, Western Washington 0
The backend of the twin bill was a pitcher's duel to the end.  Strasser took to the circle for Central, while Kira Doan got the nod for Western.

Each side put a runner on the base path in the first inning, but Strasser and Doan snuffed out the danger to put zeros on the board in the first inning.  

In the second, the Vikings notched a one-out single from Jackie Lucido.  She attempted to swipe second, but Seaton fired a strike to second to nab the would-be base thief by multiple steps.  Strasser flashed the leather in the circle for the inning's final out, snaring a comeback from Cyr.  Doan sent the Wildcats packing in short order in the bottom of the inning, striking out a pair.

Strasser was forced to field her position again to get the first out of the third.  Shimabukuro then hit a ground ball up the middle, where Brown deflected it to Kopacz at second, and she fired over to Reuble, for the routine 6-4-3 groundout.  A two-out walk was negated when Brooks fouled out to Seaton to end the inning.  Doan sat Central down in order again in the third, making it seven consecutive retired batters.

The top of the fourth inning saw Strasser retire the Vikings in order, striking out Lucido to end the inning.  The Wildcats got their first base runner in two innings, when Moyle reached on a fielding error.  A single from Zerr moved her to second, but she was thrown out trying to reach third.  Brown followed with a single of her own, putting Zerr in scoring position.  Doan managed to get a groundout, for what looked to be an out, but it was booted at short and caromed into center field.  Taking advantage of the miscue, Zerr scored from third for a 1-0 lead.

Western went down in order in the fifth, grounding out twice, before Strasser got Hirano swinging to end the fifth.  A one-out single in the top of the sixth put the tying run aboard for the Vikings.  Hull advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt from Brooks.  Riley Wales sent a grounder back from whence it came, but Strasser snared it in the circle and fired to first to keep the shutout intact.

In the game's final frame, the Vikings sent Kasner to lead-off as a pinch hitter.  She sent a fly ball to center, where Paige Liikala hauled it in for the inning's first out.  Lucido drew a walk and again the Vikings had the tying run on base. Unfazed, Strasser sent Brooke Fesenbek back to the dugout with a swinging strikeout.  Lucido advanced to second on a passed ball, giving the Vikings an opportunity to bring in the tying run with a base hit.  Strasser forced Cyr to hit a groundball to the left side.  Brown scooped it up and fired to first, securing the shutout victory.